Illinois American Water Accepts National Communication Achievement Award
Illinois American Water was selected by the American Water Works Association (AWWA) to receive the
2011 Communications Achievement Award in recognition of 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. 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.
Illinois American Water President Karla Olson Teasley and
External Affairs Manager Karen Cotton accepted the award during AWWA’s
national conference on Monday, June 11, 2012 in Dallas, TX. Working in
collaboration with Prescription Pill and Drug Disposal Program (P2D2) and
Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Illinois American Water
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.
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.”
Through partnership with local pharmacies, police
departments and government officials, Illinois American Water has implemented
and supported 28 pharmaceutical disposal programs across the state including
sites in Alton, Bartonville, Belleville, Caseyville, Champaign, Chicago (two
sites), Chillicothe, Collinsville, Columbia, Dixon, Fairmont, Maryville,
Morrison, Mt. Vernon, O’Fallon, Orland Hills, Pekin, Peoria (three sites),
Peoria Heights, Pontiac, South Beloit, Sterling, Streator, Urbana and Waterloo.
The pharmaceutical disposal programs are created through
the model program P2D2 which was developed by Pontiac Township High School
students and their teacher Paul Ritter. 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. More information and disposal locations can be found at
http://www.epa.state.il.us/medication-disposal/locations/
About AWWA
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.
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
.