The Delta Air Lines Metal Finishing Treatment System is the proud recipient of the 2022 Georgia Association of Water Professionals (GAWP) Industrial Plant of the Year Award. The plant, managed by Woodard & Curran under a contract operations partnership, won in the Indirect Wastewater Discharge, Physical/Chemical Pretreatment category.
The Industrial Wastewater Plant of the Year Awards are given annually to facilities whose performance demonstrate extraordinary effort to properly manage, operate, and maintain their facility. Among other criteria, to be eligible, facilities must not have any permit violations during the previous calendar year.
The award process begins with a written submission, followed by on-site inspection conducted by a team of independent professionals on behalf of GAWP. The team of inspectors toured the plant with a list of criteria based on compliance, safety, record keeping, operations, maintenance, and training. Under each category, there are about a dozen questions and benchmarks that are scored on a four-point scale. Once all qualifying plants are rated, the plant with the highest overall score is named Plant of the Year.
“We had the plant looking it’s best, and made all our supporting documentation readily available,” said Ian Carter, Assistant Project Manager at the facility. “But I think the area where we really shine is staying presentation ready. We’re very proud of our compliance record, but we also strive to keep the plant safe, clean, and well maintained. Each operator, on top of their daily lab and process tasks, is responsible for maintaining one of four zones in the plant. Their responsibilities include cleaning, addressing any safety issues, and generating corrective maintenance work orders. Additionally, we rotate the zones monthly to ensure we keep a fresh set of eyes on everything. Our staff is well-trained, knowledgeable and take great pride in their work. I’m certain we’ll be as ready 180 days from now as we were the day of the inspection.”
Woodard & Curran has been operating Delta Air Lines Metal Finishing Treatment System since 2000. This facility takes in waste from Delta’s metal plating shop, where it is treated, sampled, and discharged to the City of Atlanta, greatly reducing the environmental impact caused by the potentially harmful chemicals used in the plating process.
The Metal Finishing Treatment System was honored at the 2022 GAWP Spring Conference & Industrial Symposium on April 12, 2022, in Dalton, GA.
“I think an award of this magnitude is a testament to the hard work our staff puts in daily and is a true representative of what we are at Woodard & Curran: great providers for our clients and stewards of our environment,” said Carter.
