HCWA Celebrates New Year with top industry awards
The Henry County Water Authority (HCWA) celebrated the New Year with the assurance that it is among the very best water and sewer utilities in the state of Georgia.
The evidence of HCWA success in 2017 comes in the form of industry awards the Authority received during both the Annual Conference and yearend Fall Conference of the Georgia Association of Water Professionals (GAWP).
As a premier utility for providing water and sewer services, the HCWA received the GAWP Collection System Platinum Award, for scoring 95% or higher on its annual sewer system performance review for five or more consecutive years, as well as the GAWP Distribution System Gold Award, for scoring 95% or higher on its water system annual review this past year.
In addition, the HCWA received the GAWP Quality Assurance Award for its Water Quality Laboratory, which also propelled the Authority to the GAWP Consumer Confidence Report Award this past year. The award-winning Water Quality Laboratory is housed in the Authority’s Tussahaw Water Treatment Plant, where water professionals at the HCWA take a minimum of 120 samples per month and conduct more than 200,000 tests per year, to assure HCWA customers are consuming the cleanest and safest tap water possible.
Among those individual awards received by HCWA employees most recently, the GAWP recognized the Authority’s Cody Kelly with its Award for the Top Maintenance Technician in the state of Georgia, while Tom Peters received the 2017 Customer Service Award.
This past summer, at the GAWP Annual Conference, HCWA General Manager Lindy Farmer was inducted as a Life Member of the American Water Works Association (AWWA), while the Authority’s Eric Osborne received the AWWA’s William J. Greene Award for outstanding service, in addition to being welcomed as a GAWP Life Member.
Farmer is the longest tenured chief executive among water utilities in the state of Georgia, serving in his current role of General Manager since 1982. He also is a GAWP Life Member, as well as a past recipient of the Southeast Regional Award of Merit from the Association of Safe Dams Safety Officials. Under Farmer’s leadership, the Authority has won countless facility and system awards, in addition to last year’s Business of the Year Award from the Henry County Chamber of Commerce.
Osborne started in the water profession as a Lab Analyst with the Clayton County Water Authority (CCWA) in May of 1988. After working for the CCWA for 20 years, he came to work for the HCWA in May of 2008 as Water Quality/Compliance Supervisor. Less than two years later, he transitioned to his current position as Water Production Manager.
Osborne has been recognized by the water industry during his career with the Elizabeth McEntire Award, which is presented to a GAWP member who has excelled in the operation of a public water system in the state, and the Ira Kelly Award, which recognizes outstanding accomplishments in the operation of an environmental laboratory. He also has served on the State Certification Board for Water, Wastewater, and Lab Analysts since 2009.
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