CWEP water system honored by state association

John Hacker, The Joplin Globe, Mo.
Updated ·2 min read

Apr. 25—CARTHAGE, Mo. — Carthage Water and Electric Plant was honored by the Missouri Rural Water Association as the Water System of the Year in Missouri in 2024 at the group's annual conference last month.

Chuck Bryant, CWEP general manager, said the recognition highlights their "commitment to excellence in delivering safe, reliable and high-quality water to our customers in the Carthage community."

"It's a huge deal," Bryant said. "There are 2,700 other water systems in the state that are eligible for that. Certainly, we feel like we do a good job but when that opportunity for an award comes at the recommendation of a fellow utility and then gets voted on and evaluated and approved for us, it's really about as good a compliment as you can have not only for the quality of the product that we put out but for the people who manage the water system and work all through Christmas on main breaks and develop and create good quality drinking water in Carthage."

Bryant said any rural water system, whether its a municipal system or rural water district, is eligible for the award, but it has to be nominated by someone with another member system.

He said representatives of the MRWA visit the systems named as finalists for the award.

"They look at operations, they look at management, they look at staffing, they look at training and they look at the finances and ultimately the product you put out in the system," Bryant said. "So once they've gone through all of those, it allows them to make a final decision on who deserves a criteria. This is best in the state. I know it means a great deal, and it means a great deal to everybody. Everybody plays a role in it regardless of where we are — from the communications people who control the wells and the water towers remotely and everything else. We have a great team at Carthage Water & Electric."

About CWEP Carthage Water & Electric Plant produces on average 2.25 million gallons of water every day. To deliver the water to our 6,000 plus customers, CWEP maintains over 130 miles of water distribution lines. This clean, fresh water is constantly monitored and treated to ensure that the Carthage community is served with only the highest level of quality water possible.