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The Southwest Membrane Operator Association (SWMOA) has recognized Western Municipal Water District (Western Water) for outstanding operations at the Arlington Desalter plant with two awards of distinction.
The Arlington Desalter received the 2022 Outstanding Membrane Plant Award and Western Water’s operations technician, Scott McAnally, received the 2022 Outstanding Operator of the Award for overseeing operations at the plant. As part of the recognition, Western Water was honored for consistently meeting or exceeding production targets for the plant, its exemplary safety record, and Mr. McAnally’s expertise, as well as his mentorship of future Western Water operators.
Tim Barr, Western Water’s Deputy General Manager, hailed the recognition stating, “Scott represents Western Water’s mission, vision, and values in everything he does. We are honored to receive recognition for our elite staff, especially when the focus is on delivering exceptional service for our customers. This award showcases how we are working every day to increase and diversify the local water supply and enhance reliability for the region.”
Built in 1989 and acquired by Western Water in 2005, the Arlington Desalter treats groundwater through a process called reverse osmosis, which removes salt and minerals to produce high-quality drinking water. The desalter produces an average of 6.48 million gallons of water per day, which is enough to provide water to more than 21,600 homes per year.
Recently, Western Water completed construction of the Sterling Pump Station, allowing water from the desalter to be delivered to other local water agencies within the region. This flexibility represents yet another way that Western Water works to reduce dependence on imported water from Northern California and the Colorado River.
