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Judy Reservoir Water Treatment Plant Earns 20-Year TOP Award
Skagit PUD is among only four water treatment plants in Washington state to receive the Twenty-Year TOP award, reflecting nearly a quarter-century of unwavering commitment to water quality excellence.
"This recognition reflects our team's ongoing commitment to providing the safest possible drinking water to our community," General Manager George Sidhu said.
Skagit PUD voluntarily participates in the state's rigorous program, where water filtration plants commit to meeting treatment optimization goals for particle removal and disinfection that are more stringent than current regulatory requirements. The TOP program has been helping Washington's surface water treatment plants raise the bar in water quality for nearly 25 years.
Surface water, taken from streams and rivers like the Skagit River system, typically requires more extensive filtration and treatment than groundwater because of its greater susceptibility to runoff and other forms of pollution. The Judy Reservoir system draws from this surface water source, making the achievement even more significant.
The award is based on turbidity performance — a measure of water cloudiness caused by suspended particles. Maintaining low turbidity is critical in protecting consumers from microbial contaminants and safeguarding public health. While turbidity itself isn't dangerous, high levels can make it harder to remove or disinfect microbes that could cause illness.
From 2001 through 2024, Skagit PUD's finished water turbidity consistently measured 0.10 Nephelometric Turbidity Units or less for at least 95% of the time, meeting or exceeding TOP's stringent turbidity goals year after year.
Every month, the treatment plant submits turbidity data through operations reports to the state. The data is reviewed and analyzed using specialized software that allows statewide comparison and performance tracking over time.
The 2024 results show that Washington's surface water treatment plants using conventional and direct filtration continue to exceed regulatory standards, going above and beyond minimum requirements to deliver safer water to communities throughout the state.
The TOP program continues to help water treatment facilities across Washington state maintain high standards and improve water quality for their communities.