For the 15th consecutive year, Harnett Regional Water (HRW) has been recognized by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality for exceeding federal and state drinking water standards. HRW recently received their 2024 Gold Star honor, which is presented to water system facilities that have received the North Carolina Area-Wide Optimization Program (AWOP) award for 10 or more consecutive years.

With over 150 surface water treatment plants in North Carolina (according to the NC Department of Environment Quality), Harnett Regional Water was one of 63 that was recognized for the 2024 year.

The AWOP is a joint program between the United States Environmental Protection Agency and participating states. The state of North Carolina has participated in the program since 2000 and seeks to enhance the performance of existing water treatment facilities.

The AWOP provides tools and approaches for drinking water systems to meet water quality goals, and ensure safe, reliable drinking water for customers. While all drinking water systems must meet strict state and federal drinking water standards, HRW consistently meets performance goals that exceed the state and federal minimum standards.

"HRW is proud of its continued record of achievements the past fifteen years in providing superior quality water. The Gold Star award recognizes the level of excellence that HRW provides every day to all of our regional partners. HRW remains committed to maintaining this superior water quality well into the future as our regional customer base continues to expand," said Harnett Regional Water Director Tommy Burns in a press release.

HRW aims to provide the highest quality of water and wastewater services to the citizens of Harnett County and the surrounding region at the most economical cost.

“It is the dedication of our Water Plant Operations staff that keeps our treatment process and coagulation optimized, enhancing the performance of our filtration system. They continuously monitor the Cape Fear River and adjust processes as water conditions change, ensuring our treatment consistently exceeds regulatory requirements,” said Allan O’Briant, water treatment plant supervisor.

Harnett Regional Water is continually improving its treatment plant and equipment to ensure the highest quality of drinking water. In March, HRW completed a project to replace the baffle curtains in the clearwell, which is used for chlorine disinfection contact time.

Currently, HRW is replacing the filter media (sand and anthracite) and filter nozzles of the original eight filters installed in 2009. This spring they will complete a three year change out process on the last three filters of the 12 total units.   

These ongoing improvements reflect HRW’s commitment to protecting the public’s health and maintaining the highest standards in drinking quality water set by the federal government and the state of North Carolina.