News Release

Annual Water Quality Report Issued

June 28, 2006

Concerned about what is in your drinking water? If you are one of the more than 78,000 Huntsville Utilities water customers you should not be and they have the data to prove it.

According to the 2006 Water Quality Report that Huntsville Utilities is sending to its water customers this week, the utility's drinking water continues to meet and, in most cases, far exceed federal and state safety standards for all potential contaminants. Details of these findings are outlined in the report, as well as information about where customer's water comes from, how the water it is processed along with general information about the Huntsville Utilities' Water System.

The report is published annually by Huntsville Utilities in response to an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) mandate requiring all community water systems to communicate water quality results to their customers.

This year's report highlights the Water System's award winning tradition.

The Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) recently presented the "Safe Drinking Water Act Excellence Award" to Huntsville Utilities in recognition of outstanding success in implementing the Safe Drinking Water Program.

The award recognized the Huntsville Utilities' water system for excellence in operation, water quality, maintenance and operation efficiency.

Huntsville Utilities competed for this award with the other large water systems in the state that include Birmingham, Mobile, and Montgomery along with others.

Huntsville Utilities is now representing Alabama in the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Safe Drinking Water Excellence award program for Region 4, which is made up of seven states in the southeast. Huntsville Utilities last won this award in 1992.

Huntsville Utilities has also won a "Best Operated Water Plant" award from the Alabama Water and Pollution Control Association nineteen times.

Huntsville Utilities operates two surface water treatment plants that treat water from the Tennessee River. Combined, the two plants are capable of treating up to 68 million gallons of water each day. The Utilities also operates a ground water system (wells) with a capacity of pumping 15.4 million gallons of water daily.

Huntsville Utilities provides water service to over 78,000 customers and provides wholesale water to a number of area water systems.