Water Quality

Partnership for Safe Water

Spartanburg Water has been an active member for 25 of the 30 years of the Partnership for Safe Water, a national volunteer initiative developed by the EPA and other leading water organizations representing water suppliers striving to provide their communities with drinking water quality that surpasses the required federal standards. The program's ultimate goal is to maximize public health protection. 

In 2026, R.B. Simms Drinking Water Treatment Facility received the AWWA Directors Award for Water Treatment for the 25th year, for calendar year 2025.The Directors Award recognizes systems that have completed a successful review in the Partnership's Self-Assessment and Peer Review Phase, a phase in which utilities examine the capabilities of their treatment plant operation and administration and then create a plan for implementing improvements and maintaining compliance with the voluntary goals of the Partnership. In 2026, our Landrum Water Treatment Facility was awarded the AWWA Directors Award for the 20th year, for calendar year 2025.

Maintaining Directors Award status for multiple years demonstrates our philosophy of constant vigilance to improve water quality and area optimization of our water treatment assets.

Developed by the EPA and other water organizations striving to provide optimum quality drinking water, the Partnership currently includes 250 water utilities, collectively serving more than 89 million people. This represents approximately 40 percent of the U.S. population served by surface water systems. Spartanburg Water's ongoing participation in the program includes a rigorous review of treatment practices developed by national experts, and also includes a four-step, self-assessment and peer review process.