On behalf of the City of Norman, Mayor Larry Heikkila accepted the Water for 2060 Excellence Award at the Governor’s Water Conference & Research Symposium on Dec. 8 in Midwest City's Reed Center.

Norman was recognized for work involved in the Indirect Potable Reuse project, a multi-year research initiative spearheaded in partnership with Garver. Data evaluation of the project, so far, is suggesting that piloted systems can produce water on par with Reverse Osmosis effluents for most contaminants, which means we are meeting and even exceeding Safe Drinking Water targets. In an effort to explore conservation possibilities and maximize sustainability that will set our community up for the best future, Norman received approval in to move forward with the pilot program in 2020 and became the first city in this region of the country to do so.

Mayor Heikkila said the experienced success of this project “encourages interagency collaboration that solves real world problems” and that he applauds the dedication of Norman’s Utilities Department as well as partner agencies that had hands in driving the initiative forward.

“The tasks are great but we will continue aiming to execute practices and procedures that set the bar for innovation and environmentally-friendly service in Norman,” he said.

Community members can learn more about the IPR project by clicking here.