Illinois American Water to Receive American Water Works Association’s 2011 Communication Achievement Award
February 23 2012 - 5:07PM
Business Wire
Illinois American Water recently announced that the company has
been selected by the American Water Works Association (AWWA) to
receive the 2011 Communications Achievement Award for the company’s
outreach regarding proper pharmaceutical disposal. The award
recognizes AWWA member organizations for fostering and supporting
the development of public outreach programs and integrating public
affairs as a core element of utility planning and management.
According to Deirdre Mueller, Public Affairs Manager for AWWA,
“Many accomplished individuals and organizations were considered
and the selection process was rigorous. AWWA’s Public Affairs
Council selection committee was very impressed by the work Illinois
American Water completed in 2011.” Founded in 1881, AWWA is an
international nonprofit educational association dedicated to safe
water and the authoritative resource for knowledge, information,
and advocacy for improving the quality and supply of water in North
America and beyond.
Illinois American Water created and launched a public awareness
campaign to educate the public about proper pharmaceutical
disposal. Goals of the program include increasing awareness and
reducing pharmaceuticals in water through the creation of community
pharmaceutical disposal programs. Through these community programs
supported by Illinois American Water, residents are encouraged to
drop off their unwanted medications so they can be incinerated,
which is the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recommended
approach for pharmaceutical disposal. Flushing medications down the
toilet or the drain as well as throwing them in the trash are
discouraged.
“Permanent pharmaceutical disposal programs provide long-term
protection of our water sources by ensuring proper disposal of
unwanted medications,” said Karla Olson Teasley, Illinois American
Water President.
Through partnership and collaboration with local pharmacies,
police departments and government officials, Illinois American
Water has implemented and supported 25 pharmaceutical disposal
programs across the state including sites in Alton, Bartonville,
Belleville, Caseyville, Champaign, Chicago (two sites),
Chillicothe, Collinsville, Fairmont, Maryville, Mt. Vernon,
O’Fallon, Orland Hills, Pekin, Peoria (three sites), Peoria
Heights, Pontiac, South Beloit, Sterling, Streator, Urbana and
Waterloo.
The pharmaceutical disposal programs were created through a
model program developed by Pontiac Township High School students
and their teacher Paul Ritter. The program, Prescription Pill and
Drug Disposal Program (P2D2), is recognized by Illinois Governor
Pat Quinn, the Illinois EPA and the Department of Natural Resources
as a model for all pharmaceutical disposal programs. Through
Illinois American Water’s and P2D2’s efforts, thousands of pounds
of unwanted medications have been properly disposed.
AWWA’s Communications Achievement Award will be presented to
Illinois American Water during AWWA’s national conference on
Monday, June 11, 2012 in Dallas, TX. Past recipients include San
Francisco (Calif.) Public Utility Commission Water Quality Div.,
Metro Vancouver (B.C.), City of San Diego (Calif.) Public Utilities
Department and Denver (Colo.) Water.
About Illinois American Water
Illinois American Water, a wholly owned subsidiary of American
Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest investor-owned water utility in
the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and/or
wastewater services to more than 1.2 million people. American Water
also operates a customer service center in Alton and a quality
control and research laboratory in Belleville.
Founded in 1886, American Water is the largest publicly traded
U.S. water and wastewater utility company. With headquarters in
Voorhees, N.J., the company employs more than 7,000 dedicated
professionals who provide drinking water, wastewater and other
related services to approximately 15 million people in more than 30
states, as well as parts of Canada. More information can be found
by visiting www.amwater.com.
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