Protecting and improving the environment—particularly our water resources—is an important part of Charleston Water System's mission. In order to effectively manage the impact of our services on the environment, we have subscribed to a voluntary standard created by the International Organization for Standardization,
or ISO.

ISO was founded after World War II to standardize equipment, manufacturing, and construction practices. Since then, ISO has grown to include more than 8,000 different standards for everything from quality control to environmental management.

In 1999, Charleston Water System became the first public water or wastewater utility in the nation to become certified under the ISO 14001 standard for environmental management. The certification requires the implementation of an Environmental Management System, or EMS, which is a set of standards that provide a framework for how to identify and control environmental impacts, both positive and negative. Central to an EMS is an Environmental Policy Statement, which outlines an organization's commitment to protecting the environment. Charleston Water System's Environmental Policy Statement focuses on compliance with legal and other requirements, the prevention of pollution, and continual improvement of the EMS.

Charleston Water System's commitment to ISO 14001 ensures that our customers receive safe and reliable water and wastewater services. Our EMS provides Charleston Water System with standard procedures that are monitored and audited both internally and externally. The focus of ISO 14001 is to ensure that all processes related to the environment are identified, managed, and reviewed on a routine basis.

For more information about ISO 14001 and Charleston Water System's EMS program, send us an e-mail.