KANNAPOLIS — The staff at the Kannapolis water treatment plant have been recognized as one of 66 plants in North Carolina to surpass state and federal standards for clean water. This is the sixth consecutive year the city has achieved this honor.

The city has earned the North Carolina’s Area Wide Optimization Program Award, which means turbidity levels in the city’s water is below federal and state minimums — which is a good thing. Turbidity is a measure of cloudiness or haziness in the water caused by particles that can interfere with disinfection.

While all drinking water systems have to meet strict federal and state standards, Kannapolis has met performance goals that are significantly more stringent. This award is an example of how dedicated the water treatment plant staff is and their commitment to the city and its customers in providing a safe and dependable supply of drinking water.

The Area Wide Optimization Program (AWOP) is a joint program between the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and all U.S. states. North Carolina has participated since 2000 and works cooperatively with water systems to use existing equipment and treatment processes to improve and optimize water quality.