The award, presented during last month’s Water Professionals Conference in Lexington, distinguishes the facility within the large plant category, which includes sites with treatment capacities exceeding 20 million gallons per day. Judges evaluated the plant based on a rigorous set of benchmarks, including emergency preparedness, the integration of innovative technology, and the maintenance of comprehensive operational records.

With a capacity of 25 million gallons per day, the Richmond Road Station currently serves downtown Lexington, the University of Kentucky, and the surrounding Richmond Road corridor. Recent facility upgrades—specifically the installation of UV disinfection systems and mixed-media filtration—have been central to its performance. Justin Sensabaugh, director of operations at Kentucky American Water, noted that the achievement reflects the staff's efforts to consistently exceed industry standards for water quality.

This recognition adds to a broader trend of high-level performance across the company's regional assets. The Richmond Road site joins the Kentucky River Station I and II in maintaining status under the Partnership for Safe Water, a program sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other national organizations to promote treatment processes that surpass existing legal requirements.