Metro Water Recovery receives national recognition for continued operational excellence 

DENVER — Metro Water Recovery has received a Platinum Peak Performance Award from the National Association of Clean Water Agencies for 100% permit compliance for five consecutive years at its Robert W. Hite Treatment Facility in Denver.  

Metro was honored on July 24 at the 2024 Utility Leadership Conference in Buffalo, New York. 

The award recognizes excellence in wastewater treatment as measured by compliance with our National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. As of 2023, only 173 facilities across the U.S. had achieved between five and 24 consecutive years of perfect compliance with their permits. 

“Receiving this award is a significant achievement, and Metro is grateful to all of our employees for continually doing the dedicated work to make it possible,” Chief Operating Officer Liam Cavanaugh said. “Metro remains committed to consistently protecting the region’s health and environment by cleaning water and recovering resources.” 

Metro’s Northern Treatment Plant in Brighton received the Gold Award this year. Gold Awards are presented to facilities with no permit violations for the entire calendar year. 

“The awards highlight Metro’s collaborative efforts to ensure nearly 140 million gallons of water discharged into the South Platte River daily are suitable for agriculture, aquatic life, recreation and water supply,” Cavanaugh said. 

About Metro Water Recovery 

Metro Water Recovery was formed under Colorado law in 1961. Metro is the largest resource recovery and clean water agency in the Rocky Mountain West, serving approximately 2.2 million people in an 817 square-mile area. In partnership with 62 local governments, including municipalities and special districts, we clean millions of gallons of water every day to be suitable for agriculture, aquatic life, recreation, and water supply.