Dallas Water Utilities is owned and operated by the City of Dallas, and is self-supporting through the sale of water and wastewater services. It provides water to 1,052,000 citizens in Dallas, and 861,000 people in 21 customer cities. It consists of 4,558 miles of water mains and 4,010 miles of wastewater mains. Each year the city sponsors the Blue Thumb Awards. The Blue Thumb industrial winners are a unique group of businesses who, for the past year, maintained a perfect record of meeting Dallas' industrial wastewater guidelines.
Wastewater is simply the used water that goes down indoor drains.
By keeping harmful pollutants out of the wastewater system, these businesses have made an important investment in the Trinity River, where all our wastewater goes after it has been cleaned. Just as the Blue Thumb winners have done, Dallas Water Utilities must also do its part to manage and protect our water supply. Last year, the utility received the Director's Certificate of Recognition from the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The award recognized Dallas Water Utilities successful completion of Phase III of the Partnership for Safe Water Program. Dallas is one of only two Texas cities to receive the award.