WYLIE, TX – October 10, 2022: The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) presented the North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD) with the prestigious Texas Optimization Program (TOPs) Special Recognition Award for its Wylie Water Treatment Plant IV. This award recognizes five consecutive years for NTMWD’s Plant IV to continuously meet all recognition program criteria in its treatment processes to produce safe drinking water. NTMWD is just one of 22 water treatment plants in the recognition program out of 320 conventional water treatment plants in Texas.

“The TCEQ recognizes the NTMWD Wylie Plant IV Water Treatment Plant’s commitment to the goals of the Texas Optimization Program and its efforts to improve the quality of the drinking water it provides to its communities,” said Mason Miller, TCEQ Region 9. Miller also shared that NTMWD is part of only seven percent of the conventional water treatment plants in the state to receive the TOPs award.

Each time a plant meets the stringent recognition criteria for 12 consecutive months, the TCEQ presents the water system with a TOPs award. This year, the NTMWD Wylie Plant IV Water Treatment Plant was honored for meeting the criteria from February 2017 to January 2022.

“This award signifies sustained excellence in service to provide safe drinking water and protect the public’s health,” said Billy George, NTMWD Deputy Director for Water and Wastewater. He shared some challenges from the previous five years that District staff overcame to maintain its TOPs recognition – from impacts due to high customer demands, supply chain and labor challenges as a result of COVID-19, the impacts of Winter Storm Uri and Plant IV expansions to add 70 million gallons per day in additional treatment capacity.

The TOPs recognition is a voluntary, non-regulatory program that uses goals set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for optimization programs to improve performance above and beyond even regulatory levels. TCEQ’s TOPs recognition program started in January 1998 and is based on four goals to address turbidity (suspended particles) in the water. Before the treatment process, raw water can carry a host of minerals, particles, or microorganisms. NTMWD uses an advanced multiphase treatment process and operates the world’s largest fully-ozonated water treatment plant with its primary water sources: Lavon Lake, Jim Chapman Lake, Lake Tawakoni, Trinity River, and Lake Texoma.

“We are proud of our water operators for their continuous efforts to provide high quality and dependable water in a cost-efficient manner,” said Zeke Campbell, Assistant Deputy for Water Treatment and Conveyance. “We are dedicated to meeting the rigorous criteria set by TOPs and have a committed team of professionals who work beyond what we are required to and continue to exceed these standards.”