All five of Union County Water's wastewater treatment plants earned national recognition for meeting federal water-quality standards without violation, the utility announced Wednesday, Aug. 26.

The National Association of Clean Water Agencies presented Peak Performance Awards to Union County's facilities at its 2026 Utility Leadership Conference in Cleveland. The awards recognize utilities that comply with Clean Water Act discharge permits, with tiers ranging from Silver (no more than five violations in a year) to Gold (zero violations) to Platinum (zero violations over five consecutive years). The utility did not specify which tier each of its five facilities received.

Nationwide, 540 facilities earned the honor. Only 22 of those are in North Carolina, and Union County claimed five of the 22 slots.

That matters locally.

The five facilities serve roughly 60,000 customer accounts across Waxhaw, Weddington, Wesley Chapel, Marvin, Indian Trail, Stallings, Unionville and Matthews. The system's primary plant, Twelve Mile Creek Water Reclamation Facility, sits in Waxhaw. The others are Crooked Creek in Indian Trail, Tallwood Estates, Grassy Branch and Olde Sycamore.

Union County Water Administrator Hyong Yi called the sweep "a tremendous accomplishment" and credited the utility's wastewater operations staff. "Our team works every day to protect public health, safeguard our environment and provide reliable wastewater services to our customers," Yi said.

The awards reflect permit compliance achieved during the 2025 calendar year. NACWA CEO Adam Krantz said the honored utilities demonstrated "an extraordinary commitment to operational excellence and environmental protection."

The NACWA honor is the second national-level recognition for Union County Water this year. The utility also earned the N.C. Department of Labor's Gold Award for workplace safety, a separate program that evaluates employee safety records rather than water quality.

Beyond the five treatment plants, Union County Water's wastewater operations team maintains nearly 800 miles of sewer lines across the county.