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Marylou Berg, Communication Manager, 240-314-8105
    

Environmental Protection Agency to Honor Rockville Water Treatment Plant
EPA to Present Mayor with Recognition Monday, June 6

ROCKVILLE, MD, June 3, 2011 - The Environmental Protection Agency will recognize the City of Rockville at 11:30 a.m. Monday, June 6, for its efforts to upgrade its aging Water Treatment Plant. In a ceremony and press conference at the Rockville Water Treatment Plant, EPA and Maryland Department of the Environment officials will join Rockville Mayor Phyllis Marcuccio for a presentation and tour. They will also answer questions.

The City of Rockville received the honor for its commitment to sustainable public health protection. The EPA's 2010 Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) Award recognizes cities for "innovative projects that further the goal of clean and safe water through exceptional planning, management and finance."

Mandatory criteria for consideration included Safe Drinking Water Act compliance, financial integrity, public health benefits and ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) compliance.

"We are very pleased to have been recognized," said Rockville Mayor Phyllis Marcuccio. "This award signifies Rockville's dedication to provide our citizens with clean and safe drinking water."

Rockville began work in December 2009 to rehabilitate the Water Treatment Plant. In fall 2009, the City received a $1.7 million federal grant that helped to pay for energy efficiency and rehabilitation work. That project was completed this winter.

The project improved energy conservation and rehabilitated aging components at the City's Water Treatment Plant, which was constructed in 1958. Rockville's Water Treatment Plant is one piece of a comprehensive water system that provides clean and safe drinking water to more than 46,000 customers. Rockville's plant produces an average of 5 million gallons per day of water.

The project included the following elements:

• Rehabilitated the raw water pumps;
• Installed Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) on the raw water pumps;
• Replaced the HVAC system at the raw water Intake Structure with a higher efficiency unit;
• Installed new VFDs on the existing polymer and press feed pumps and associated VFDs;
• Installed new thickened solids pumps with VFDs and additional plates on the solids press;
• Upgraded the existing instrumentation and controls system to support power monitoring; and
• Installed motion sensor lighting throughout the Water Treatment Plant.

Rockville was also commended for its efforts to fund the non-green aspects of the project, which demonstrated cooperation between federal, state and local levels to finance a "complete project."

The event will take place at 11:30 a.m. Monday, June 6, at 10930 Sandy Landing Road, Potomac.

To learn more about the Water Treatment Plant or the water program in the City of Rockville, go to www.rockvillemd.gov/residents/publicworks.html.