FROM STAFF REPORTS

SouthWest Water Company’s partnership with Shelby County has been recognized with an award from the National Council for Public-Private Partnerships.

SouthWest is the recipient of the NCPPP’s 2011 Infrastructure Award, SouthWest announced in an Aug. 31 press release.

“We seek to recognize exemplary projects that illustrate best practices and unique approaches in the use of public-private partnerships,” NCPPP Executive Director Richard Norment wrote in the press release. “The Shelby County story embodied a unique way in which capital was generated for the construction of a new water facility and its long-term operation, and it effectively combined the strengths of private and public sectors for a cost-effective delivery of services.”

Shelby County has had a relationship with SouthWest Water through its wastewater contract since 1992. Shelby County sold its wastewater utility system to SouthWest in 2005 to operate it on its behalf. Shelby County then invested this new capital in the construction of a new water treatment plant in 2007, the operation of which was also entrusted to SouthWest Water a year later.

“SouthWest Water has provided Shelby County a level of commitment, competence, and reliability that has met our expectations in all aspects of utility systems operations,” Shelby County Manager Alex Dudchock wrote in the press release. “SouthWest Water has consistently accepted our challenges to maintain cost-conscious and practical approaches to operating the wastewater system in our county.”