Missouri American Water's Watershed Stewardship Awards Honor Prescription Drug Take-Back Program Partners

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo., May 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Missouri American Water presented Watershed Stewardship Awards to nine St. Louis-area cities and organizations for sponsoring prescription drug take-back programs that help keep drugs away from children and out of local watersheds.

The award winners were: the Rockwood School District Drug-Free Coalition, the St. Louis County Police and the cities of Ballwin, Chesterfield, Clarkson Valley, Ellisville, Fenton, Wildwood and Eureka.

Working together, these organizations sponsored prescription drug take-back programs at several St. Louis locations this spring. Residents brought more than 150 pounds of expired or unneeded medications for safe disposal. Missouri American Water supported the program by including a brochure in local customers' water bills that listed the prescription drug collection dates and sites.

The Watershed Stewardship awards were presented by EPA Region VII Administrator, Karl Brooks; Missouri Department of Natural Resources Director, Mark Templeton; St. Louis County Executive, Charlie Dooley and Missouri American Water President Frank Kartmann in honor of national Drinking Water Week.

"Prescription drug take-back programs give people an environmentally-responsible alternative to flushing unneeded prescription drugs down the drain," said Kartmann. "These community programs help preserve the quality of our watersheds and rivers for future generations."

Missouri American Water

Missouri American Water, a wholly owned subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to approximately 1.5 million people. Founded in 1886, American Water is the largest investor-owned U.S. water and wastewater utility company. With headquarters in Voorhees, N.J., the company employs more than 7,000 dedicated professionals who provide drinking water, wastewater and other related services to approximately 16 million people in 35 states, as well as Ontario and Manitoba, Canada. More information can be found by visiting www.amwater.com.

SOURCE Missouri American Water