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Contact: Maureen McGee-Ballinger, 605-574-3115 KEYSTONE, SD: Mount Rushmore National Memorial wastewater treatment system team is the recipient of the 2015 Operation and Maintenance Wastewater Treatment Award and the Drinking Water Certificate of Achievement presented by the South Dakota Department of Environmental and Natural Resources, DENR. The 2015 Operation and Maintenance Wastewater Treatment Award is for outstanding operation of the wastewater system and environmental compliance with its state surface water discharge permit during the past year. The Drinking Water Certificate of Achievement recognizes the best in compliance and operation of public water systems. The awards were presented during the 2016 South Dakota Water and Wastewater Association Wastewater Operations Seminar held April 20th and 21th at the Clubhouse Hotel & Suites in Pierre. "Wastewater treatment systems are essential services that we all use every day, but are taken for granted unless there is a malfunction," said DENR Secretary Steve Pirner. "These award winners are the certified wastewater operation specialists who went the extra mile last year to ensure there were no malfunctions." In reference to the drinking water achievement Secretary Pirner stated, "With these awards, DENR salutes the best-of-the-best drinking water systems and operation specialists who deliver water every day to their customers. The NPS-Mount Rushmore National Memorial has successfully met all of the requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act all year long."
Superintendent Cheryl Schreier noted, "We are pleased to have the outstanding work of our water and wastewater treatment crew recognized by the state. Operators Rod Hart, Cliff Esper, Bruce McClure, and Jim Strang as well as supervisor Doug Livermore consistently make the extra effort to ensure safe operation of the water and wastewater facilities while protecting our natural resources."
Accepting the awards in Pierre were operators Cliff Esper and Jim Strang. Qualifications for the Operation and Maintenance Wastewater Treatment Award are based on a system's compliance with state environmental requirements, the quality of the treated and discharged wastewater, monitoring reports, state inspections and proper operation and maintenance of the wastewater treatment facility. To qualify for the Drinking Water Certificate of Achievement, public water systems and their system operations specialists were required to meet 2015 compliance, monitoring and reporting requirements;drinking water standards;and all certification requirements.
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Last updated: May 2, 2016