The City of Goldsboro’s Water Treatment Plant is one of 79 water treatment plants across the state that was recently honored by the North Carolina Division of Water Resources for surpassing federal and state drinking water standards in 2023.

The division’s Public Water Supply Section awarded the facilities the prestigious N.C. Area Wide Optimization Award, which is part of a state effort to enhance the performance of existing surface water treatment facilities.

This is the second consecutive year Goldsboro’s Water Treatment Plant has received this award.

Awards are given each year to water systems that demonstrate outstanding turbidity removal, a key test of drinking water quality.

Turbidity is a measure of the cloudiness or haziness of water caused by individual particles that can interfere with disinfection and provide a medium for microbial growth.

Microbes are microscopic particles that occur naturally but can include harmful bacteria and viruses.

While all drinking water systems must meet strict state and federal drinking water standards, these systems met performance goals that are significantly more stringent than state and federal standards.

In 2023, over 3.6 million North Carolina residents were served by these award-winning plants.