HAHNVILLE – St. Charles Parish was the recipient of three national awards for excellence in financial reporting, public communication and water quality.

The Government Finance Officers Association recently awarded the St. Charles Parish Finance Department the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for its comprehensive annual financial report for the fiscal year ending Dec. 31, 2008.

According to the GFOA, the Certificate of Achievement is the highest form of recognition in governmental accounting and financial reporting, and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management.

Finance Director Grant Dussom pointed to the dedication of staff members as a driving force behind the award.

“A lot of time and effort went into getting this award, and I am very delighted to see that the Finance Department was rewarded for their continuing hard work,” Finance Director Grant Dussom said.

In addition, the parish’s Office of Public Information received three Communicator Awards of Distinction for visual communication projects over the past two years. The International Academy of the Visual Arts organizes the awards annually, with over 7,000 entries recorded in 2010.

The group honored the magazine-style St. Charles Parish Special Report, the parish website and a video package on the parish’s Challenger Baseball league.

All pieces are available for viewing on the St. Charles Parish website at www. stcharlesparish-la.gov.

And the St. Charles Parish Waterworks Department is celebrating its second title in two years in the American Waterworks Association’s Best of the Best Water Taste Test regional competition.

The winning sample was taken from the East Bank water treatment plant in New Sarpy.

It first competed in and won the AWWA’s statewide contest before winning at regionals.

The sample will now compete in Chicago in June for the national title.

“I want to congratulate these departments on their achievements and thank them for the hard work they put in everyday to make our parish a great place to live,” Parish President V.J. St. Pierre Jr. said.