Environmental Assessment and Remediations of Patchogue, N.Y., has recieved the National Ground Water Association’s Outstanding Ground Water Remediation Project Award for its innovative investigative and remedial approach used at a site in Hampton Bays.?
FilmTec Corporation, a subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company, has announced a global price increase of six percent on all FilmTec™ reverse osmosis and nonfiltration membranes effective May 31st.?
The California Environmental Protection Agency has added 2,4-hexadienal (89 percent trans, trans isomer; 11 percent cis, trans isomer) to the list of chemicals known to the state to cause cancer for the purposes of the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986.?
Safety Scan Technology Inc., a portfolio company of HydroFlo Inc., has launched a new website, www.safety-scan.com, designed to feature the applications and benefits of its non-invasive water testing technologies.?
Ecovation Inc.’s patented anaerobic Mobilized Film Technology (MFT) system in operation at Coca-Cola North America’s syrup plant in Ontario, Calif., has been named California Water Environment Association’s Treatment Plant of the Year for the Southern California area.?
GE Infrastructure has completed its acquisition of Ionics Inc., broadening the current offerings from GE Infrastructure, Water and Process Technologies. The Ionics component will be managed out of its current location in Watertown, Mass.?
The United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued a patent to Severn Trent Services for its Reservoir Management System (RMS). The RMS is designed to control chlorine-related reservoir water quality and temperature uniformity in large water-containing reservoirs while reducing operational costs.?
The German Association for Water, Wastewater and Waste (ATV-DVWK) has decided to give itself a new, shorter acronym. The current abbreviation, ATV-DVWK, was changed to DWA, the actual name of the association remains the same.?
Ultra Pure Water Technologies Inc. has been contracted to install the ICEX “Ice Island” proprietary ice production units for Macro Oil Company Inc. The units will be installed in Macro’s convenience stores in Lafayette, La.?
Responding to increasing outbreaks associated with public swimming venues, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Swimming Pool Foundation and a variety of other industry representatives have met to begin planning the first national, broad-based initiative to prevent water illnesses associated with swimming pools.?
The Canadian Department of National Defense is reporting that its inventory of water purification equipment for the military is at a critically low level as a result of ongoing intellectual property rights dispute with Zenon Environmental, the manufacturer of the units.?
Scientists at Cornell University have deciphered the genome of D. ethenogenes, a microbe that can be used to clean up pollution by chlorinated solvents that contaminated groundwater.?
U.S., Mexico reach water deal
The United States and Mexico have resolved a decades-old water rights dispute, announcing that the Mexican government will pay its water debt to the State of Texas by Sept. 30, 2005. The dispute arose from a 1944 water-sharing treaty that required Mexico to send the U.S. an average of 350,000 acre-feet of water from the Rio Grande and its tributaries; in return, the U.S. provided 1.5 million acre-feet from the Colorado River. According to the suit, Mexico has owed water for more than 10 years, the result of prolonged drought. While the announcement of the resolution detailed a plan to pay off pending debt by the end of the decade, it was not disclosed if full or partial payments would take place.
Pool/spa expo setting records
The 2005 International Pool and Spa Expo is already setting records, more than six months before it opens in Orlando, Fla., Nov. 1 to 3. A total of 18 hot tub and spa companies have signed contracts for 350 booths making up 35,000 net square feet of exhibit space, Hanley Wood reports. A total of 265,000 square feet of exhibit space is available for the next positions. Show management anticipates that 80 percent of the exhibit space will be assigned during the initial space draw process that began in March. For more information on the show, visit www.poolandspaexpo.com
ISA finalizes merger
The Instrumentation, Systems and Automation Society has formally approved a merger with the Open Modular Architecture Controls Users’ Group, to facilitate the development and application of automation technology. The merger creates a subsidiary organization to serve as a new home for OMAC and outlines the new membership structure and association guidelines.
United States
Pentair/Ecolab for strategic alliance
Pentair Inc. and Ecolab Inc. have joined forces to deliver “market-leading water treatment filtration solutions to the foodservice and hospitality markets.” The strategic alliance makes Pentair Ecolab’s partner for filtration and water conditioning product solutions and requires Ecolab to immediately begin offering replacement cartridge service for Pentair Everpure® systems through a co-branded program. The agreement also outlines a framework under which the two companies will develop next-generation product solution for the foodservice and hospitality industries.
AWWA responds to infrastructure report
The American Water Works Association has called upon local municipalities and utilities to incrementally improve their investment in the nation’s drinking water systems infrastructure. The statement comes on the heels of an American Society of Civil Engineers’ report that America’s infrastructure is crumbling and threatening the quality of life. The cost of repairs to the nation’s water infrastructure over the next three decades is an estimated $250 billion. “For most utilities, this represents a challenge, not a crisis, and they will meet expenses through reasonable rate structures and other local charges,” said AWWA Executive Director Jack Hoffbuhr.
Water financing programs
Wisconsin-based Aqua Finance Inc. is now offering an introductory one percent monthly payment financing program for qualified dealers. AFI has also eliminated its first payment recourse requirement for all dealers; offering its dealers a safeguard against delinquent payment concerns. Eliminating the first payment recourse requirement—which previously held dealers responsible for unpaid balances when the first payment was not received within 20 days or not at all—AFI will now assume the payment risk.
Softener polling in Fillmore
Residents of Fillmore, Calif., have received a poll to determine if additional steps need to be taken to curb chloride levels in the wake of a water softener ban in 2004. The high levels of chloride in the Santa Clara River have continued despite a June 12, 2004 decision by the Fillmore City Council to ban automatic water softeners. Residents are now being asked to rate three alternatives to avoiding state fines, including (1) softening the water before it goes to homes at a cost of $24 per home per month, (2) removing salt from the waste water at a cost of $37 per home per month, or (3) passing the costs to automatic softener users at a cost of up to $220 per home per month. The results of the survey are unknown at this time.
EPA lead reduction plan
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is initiating the Drinking Water Lead Reduction Plan to strengthen, update and clarify existing requirements for water utilities and states to test for and reduce lead in drinking water. After extensive analysis and assessment of nationwide lead concentrations, the U.S. EPA plan will tighten monitoring, treatment, lead service line management and customer awareness. The plan also addresses lead in tap water in schools and child care facilities to further protect vulnerable populations.
Multibore® marketed in the U.S.
Severn Trent Services has signed an agreement with inge Americas Inc., a subsidiary of inge AG, to market is patented Multibore® technology throughout the United States and abroad. STS will incorporate inge UF membranes into its existing line of ultrafiltration systems. “This agreement is an important development for Severn Trent’s service to the fast-growing membrane filtration market,” said STS President, Len Graziano. “The relationship gives us the ability to gain wide distribution for our leadership products with an exceptionally strong, industry-leading partner.”
M&Ms and drinking water
Mars, the maker of M&Ms and Snickers candies, has purchased a $3 million stake in Vanson HaloSource, a Redmond, Wash.-based company that’s developing new water-purification systems, according to Bloomberg News. Mars is a diverse food industries company whose subsidiaries produce Uncle Ben’s rice varieties and Pedigree brand dog food.
NSPF launches training CD
The National Swimming Pool Foundation and the National Environmental Health Association have jointly launched the Certified Pool and Spa Inspector Training CD to help public and environmental health officials conduct effective inspections and to help operators maintain their facilities. The national training program will increase the consistency and effectiveness of inspection, ultimately protecting the public by reducing the potential for injury and illness, the association reports. For additional information regarding the training CD, visit www.nspf.org
Iron Curtain licensing deal
Hellenbrand Inc. and Action Manufacturing and Supply Inc. have signed a license agreement allowing AMS to assemble and market the patented Iron Curtain® IC-2.0 Iron Removal Systems to dealers in Florida, the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama. The financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.
Mississippi sues for underground water
A lawsuit has sprung from the water rights dispute broiling between Mississippi and Tennessee. The former filed a lawsuit against the City of Memphis, Tenn., for tapping into underground water formations to serve the city’s water wells. The suit claims that Mississippi owns the rights to the underground water and is seeking repayment, as well as demanding that Memphis draw a portion of its water from the Mississippi River, which would require it to build a multimillion-dollar treatment plant. The suit was not made public until mid-March.
Delta to rep American Water Star
Delta Distributing Inc. and Pearson Brothers Distributing will represent America Water Star Inc. in a series of deals announced by the company. DDI will distribute throughout the southeastern United States from its headquarters in Marietta, Ga., while PBD, of Oakland, Calif., will distribute the water throughout its network in the Southwest.
HARTI and HYRF sign agreement with KELLY
HydroFLo, Inc. (OTCBB: HYRF) announced that its portfolio company, Metals & Arsenic Removal Technology, Inc. (MARTI) has executed a commercial agreement with Kelly International (KELLY). The latter will market and distribute MARTI’s arsenic removal processes and products in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Indonesia, Thailand, Australia, western Africe and New Zealand where the technology will assist communities needing contaminant-free drinking water. An additional agreement licenses MARTI to begin distribution of certain KELLY proprietary systems, notably a non-electric manually operated water treatment platform that will provide significant quantities of potable water in places without electricity.
Bottler seeks Detroit water
Nestlé Waters North America Inc. is negotiating with local officials to purchase city water for bottling at its plant in Mecosta County, Ill., the Detroit News reports. Per the proposed plan, the water would be trucked 40 miles to its Ice Mountain water-bottling plant and in return Nestlé would build 14 acres of baseball and softball diamonds and a football practice field by next year. Nestlé Waters is seeking a second source of water, the newspaper reports, because the wells that feed the bottling plant near Stanwood are restricted to a monthly pumping average of 250 gallons per minute.
Europe
Zenon acquires two companies
Zenon Environmental has agreed unconditionally to acquire all the shares of each of Dresden-based Alpha Plan GmbH (a membrane processing manufacturer) and Saxonia BioTec GmbH (a cartridge manufacturer) through its German-based subsidiary. Scheduled to close at year’s end, the purchase price will collectively be a maximum of €10 million. Zenon’s interest in the companies stems from a desire to expand its product lines in Germany, said Zenon Chairman and CEO, Andrew Benedek.
Water main break creates havoc
Thousands of homes were left without water on March 16th after a main pipe burst and blocked a road in Manchester, England creating a back-up for thousands of commuters. A 60-foot stretch of Middleton Road outside Heaton Park in Blackley collapsed and engineers had to close the road to start repairs. They managed to reconnect water to all affected homes and properties by mid-morning by diverting back-up supplies. The nearby Bowker Vale Primary was forced to close due to flooding when one of four water main pipes running under the road burst. One onlooker described the site as looking like the, “scene of a mini-earthquake”.
Australia
NZ struggling with E. coli
An annual review of New Zealand’s drinking water by the Ministry of Health has revealed that about 29 percent of the water supplies are not complying with the E. coli standard and 27 percent are not complying with the protozoan requirements. The E. coli compliance figure represents a two percent improvement on the previous year. The protozoan figure was down from the year before, due to problems at one particular plant that have now been solved. The results mean that roughly 1.1 million New Zealanders were supplied with drinking water (during the test period) that failed to comply with the DWS2000 standards. According to the International Water Association, many of the reasons for non-compliance related either to the levels of E. coli or a failure by suppliers to take proper action, including monitoring, after the bacteria were found to be present in a supply. Some suppliers did not use accredited laboratories or supplied water from unregistered sources.
Africa
EWTEC will train Ethiopians
An agreement on implementing the Ethiopia Water Technology Centre Project (EWTEC) was signed between the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Ministry of Water Resources on March 15. The initial duration of the new project will be for three years, with a goal of introducing new training courses in order to meet various needs that arise from the rural water supply sector including well rehabilitation, electro-mechanical maintenance, maintenance workshop management and trainer’s training for project management, data compilation and analysis.