The Washington State Department of Health’s Treatment Optimization Program has awarded the Lake Whatcom Water and Sewer District with a Platinum Award. The award recognizes 15 or more consecutive years of meeting the Washington State Department of Health’s Treatment Optimization Program (TOP) regulations. Since the program’s inception in 2001, only four of the 59 rapid rate filtration plants in Washington State have exceeded regulatory standards and the District’s Sudden Valley water treatment plant is one of them. This city of Bellingham is also a TOP-award recipient for seven years of optimized performance.

“The District is honored to again receive this coveted award. I would like to acknowledge our operations staff, whose continued diligence has enabled our water system’s unfaltering adherence to regulatory standards, as well as all District staff that strive day-in and day-out to ensure that the water that is delivered to our customers’ taps is safe to drink,” General Manager Justin Clary said in a press release.