Metals & Arsenic Removal Technology, Inc., a portfolio company of HydroFlo, Inc., has signed an agreement with Essentially Yours Industries to provide water pitcher filtration systems for private labeling and distribution throughout North America, Europe and Asia. ?
Chemtura Corporation has begun trading under the New York Stock Exchange ticker symbol CEM. The Chemtura team rang the day’s opening bell on July 5, their first day of trading. ?
Chemilizer Products, Inc. of Largo, Fla., has expanded its global product distribution in Southeast Asia by agreement with GSI Asia Group. GSI will sell Chemilizer injectors in 10 Asian countries. ?
A new website for SPEX CertiPrep Ltd. is now accessible at www.spexcertiprep.co.uk. Online ordering is available, along with expanded information on all products. ?
The National Swimming Pool Foundation has awarded its second grant of the year, this time to Drs. Bruce Becker and Susan Dunlap at Washington State University. The $247,000 grant will enable the team to study the impact of water exercise on respiratory function. ?
Pacific Ozone Technologies has opened its new Ozone SuperStore™. The company’s complete line of OEM air-cooled, corona discharge ozone generators and integrated ozone/oxygen systems is now available at their storefront, 6160 Egret Court, Benicia, Calif. ?
Fluid Systems & Controls, Inc. has moved to a new location: 1050 Innovation Ave., Suite b107, North Port, Fla., 34289. The company’s new telephone number is (941) 426-9872 and new fax number is (941) 426-9873. ?
The Water Environment Federation has launched its new website, www.wef.org, designed to be a primary resource for information about water and wastewater issues for consumers, industry professionals, public policy makers and the media. ?
International Dioxide, Inc., a DuPont Company, announced a five percent increase for stabilized chlorine dioxide products and a seven percent increase for sodium chlorite products. The increases are the result of escalating energy and raw materials costs. ?
Hurricanes ravage Gulf Coast
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita pounded the Gulf Coast last month, killing more than 1,100 people and leaving millions without homes, power or access to clean drinking water.
Louisiana and Mississippi bore the hardest hit from Katrina, a Category 4 hurricane. The storm’s surge damaged the levee system in New Orleans, flooding the city and stranding thousands on rooftops or in polluted waters for days until help arrived. It also leveled the City of Biloxi, Miss., which stood directly in the path of the storm.
According to the Associated Press, about 900 people were confirmed dead in the city at month’s end, with 200 more in Mississippi, Florida and Alabama. At least five of those deaths were confirmed cases of Cholera-like waterborne illness.
Hurricane Rita, a Category 3 storm before landfall, set its sites west of Katrina’s path, ravaging the border town of Beaumont, Texas, killing at least a dozen people in the region. The storm was predicted to hit Houston directly and forced the evacuation of more than one million people. The search and rescue operations for what is being called one of the most devastating and lethal natural disasters in American history is continuing at this time with thousands of emergency and volunteer personnel. The federal government has estimated the cost of recovery at somewhere from $100 to $300 billion.
WC&P will have expanded coverage on the recovery efforts, and highlight the work of our industry to provide clean drinking water in the wake of this disaster in our next issue.
Dangers in the shower
A new study from the School of Medicine at Wake Forest suggests that inhalation of water vapor containing manganese in the shower can cause permanent nervous system damage. According to an analysis by John Spangler, M.D. and Robert Elsner, Ph.D., adults who showered for 10 minutes each day were likely to have been exposed to 50 times the level of manganese needed to cause brain damage in lab rats. While the researchers did not delineate how much manganese exposure was needed to cause brain damage in an adult human, they did speculate that all individuals, especially the immunocompromised, are at risk of manganese toxicity.
Teflon and drinking water contamination
DuPont Company has agreed to pay for screenings to settle a class-action lawsuit concerning thousands of people in Ohio and West Virginia who say their health has been affected by drinking water containing a chemical used to make Teflon. The company is funding the testing of water drinkers in six public water districts where concentrations of ammonium perfluorooctanoate, or PFOA, have been found. PFOA is a key ingredient in Teflon, a substance that is used in nonstick cookware, as well as clothing, car parts and flooring. DuPont has allocated about $70 million for the lab work and testing.
Coke to sponsor Olympics through 2020
The Coca-Cola Co. has extended its Olympic sponsorship through 2020. With the new deal, Coca-Cola products, including Dasani Water, will be on display at the next eight Olympic games, including the 2006 Turino Winter Games and the London Olympics in 2012. According to Coca-Cola China Vice President David Brooks, the Olympic Games will be the staging ground for a host of new Coca-Cola products.
Danone net profit drops 36 percent
With rumors still circulating about a potential buyout from U.S. soft-drink manufacturer PepsiCo Inc., French-based Groupe Danone profits have dipped by more than one-third. Speculation that PepsiCo was going to make a bid for the company, the maker of Evian mineral water, led to an outcry from French politicians earlier this summer and caused a surge in share price, CNN Money reported. However, the gains were short-lived and the Danone stock has slipped back to just above its pre-speculation level. At press time, there has been no additional word regarding the buyout, though it continues to overshadow Danone’s interim financial results.
United States
Crypto shuts NY water park
New York Health Department officials are investigating gastrointestinal illnesses in more than 3,300 people, mostly children, after crytosporidium was detected at the Seneca Lake Park Sprayground, a water park near Albany. According to the Associated Press, hundreds of illnesses from the water park have been confirmed as cryptosporidiosis and “the numbers are growing significantly.” No deaths were reported as a result of the waterborne outbreak, though the water park averages several thousand visitors each day.
New test detects previously undetectable bacteria
The U.S. EPA has proposed new test methods to detect four types of bacteria in water and waste water that were previously undetectable or very hard to detect in sewage sludge. The EPA’s proposal centers on culture-based approaches to detecting enterococci and E. coli in waste water. Additionally, the tests will identify salmonella and fecal coliform bacteria that are seen as health indicators, which point to possible contamination and the need for further investigation or treatment. Until now, there were no EPA-approved tests for these bacteria in waste water.
Army unit utilizes portable desal system
The U.S. Army’s Units of Action have begun utilizing the MECO Lightweight Water Purifier, a unique purification system that can be sourced from seawater, brackish water, highly turbid surface water and even water with nuclear, biological or chemical contaminates. The Army is currently using the systems for disaster relief in countries such as Afghanistan and in regions throughout Africa.
Aquacell restructures subsidiary
Water filtration and purification products manufacturer AquaCell Technologies, Inc. has renamed its Tempe, Ariz.-based Water Science Technologies, Inc. as Aquacell Water, Inc. in preparation for a spin-off. A new operating management team will oversee the company. Before year’s end, the company expects to be spun off to AquaCell Technologies, Inc. “Originally, we had formed the new subsidiary company named Aquacell Water that was going to acquire WST after being spun off,” said Gary S. Wolff, CFO of AquaCell Technologies, Inc. “By just changing the name of WST to Aqua Cell Water, we will accomplish the same result in a simpler transaction.”
Starbucks rolls out Ethos™
Several months after announcing its plans to purchase Ethos™ brand water, the bottled water is now available in Starbucks coffee shops nationwide. Founded in 2002, five cents from each bottle of Ethos™ sold is donated to nonprofit organizations working to increase worldwide access to safe drinking water. Starbucks has promised to continue the good work of Ethos™ by donating more than $10 million to the same nonprofits over the next five years. “We see the significant opportunity to make a difference by coupling our belief in integrating a social conscience into all aspects of Star-bucks business with an unwavering commitment to educating the U.S. public about the world water crisis,” said Jim Donald, Starbucks President and CEO.
Water reuse ripe for explosive growth
Research and Markets Inc. has published a new study on water reuse. Water Reuse Markets: Ready for Lift-Off, details the combination of increased water scarcity, tougher environmental regulation and falling costs that will create the conditions for explosive growth in the reuse markets. Over the next decade, half the world’s major industrial companies and 25 percent of its major cities will consider water reuse. Based on original research and hundreds of interviews with key practitioners, the 250-page report assesses the outlook of water reuse by both utilities and industry, bringing together key national and regional data with expert analysis of the structural, political and financial issues that will shape the sector over the coming decade. The report can be obtained at www.research markets.com/reports/c20937
NGWA launches new certification program
The National Ground Water Association has developed a new certification program—Ground Water Systems Sales Specialist (GWSSS)—aimed at those working for groundwater industry suppliers. The new certification allows suppliers to demonstrate their knowledge in key troubleshooting areas and skills related to drilling operations and water systems. It also signifies their commitment to professionalism and good customer service. To learn more about the new certification program, visit www.ngwa.org/certification/supplier.cfm or call the association at (800) 551-7379.
Drinking water treatment chemicals
NSF International is warning that drinking water suppliers may inadvertently create a public health risk if they use products from an uncertified chemical supplier that has inappropriately repackaged treatment chemicals. The warning comes after an incident involving a contaminated treatment chemical that was repackaged and later used at a public drinking water system in Pennsylvania. As a result of the incident, the state’s Department of Environmental Protection has told suppliers that all transfer facilities and repackagers of drinking water treatment chemicals are required to be certified under NSF/ANSI Standard 60—even if the original manufacturer of the source chemical is already certified.
Glacier Water revenue up
The Soft Drink Letter reports that Glacier Water Services Inc. has experienced a 1.6 percent increase in revenue during the second quarter, but that its net loss widened to $1.3 million, an $182,000 increase over last year. Glacier, the largest drinking water dispenser to consumers through self-service bottled water machines, is moving forward with the introduction of its G-2 machines, a new system that already boasts a 10 percent increase in revenue on a same-store basis for the second quarter. As of July first, 9,300 G-2 machines have been installed nationwide.
Lose weight with water
Jana Skinny Water from Creative Enterprises International Inc. is now available at 7-Eleven convenience stores. Marketed as an appetite suppressant, the water is a combination of Jana Natural European Artesian Water and Super Citri Max. When consumed 30 to 60 minutes before a meal, the Skinny Water helps suppress the body’s appetite by increasing metabolism and blocking carbohydrate adsorption. Creative Enterprises says that based upon tests at Georgetown University Medical Center, drinking one bottle of Skinny Water before each meal and engaging in moderate daily exercise led to an average weight loss of 10 pounds over eight weeks.
NY picks Zenon systems
Zenon Environmental has been chosen to provide a drinking water treatment plant for residents of New York City. The plant will utilize ZeeWeed 500 Series and Zenon 1000 Series membranes to deliver a total of 20 mgd with two systems. The plant, which is sourced from Rye Lake, an offshoot of Kensico Reservoir, will be built by the end of 2007. At that time, the new plant will also become a showcase touring facility for other municipalities.
Filtration forecast through ‘09
Freedonia Group has published a new report examining the U.S. demand for filter products and making forecasts for the sector through 2009. According to the report, U.S. demand for filters will grow 4.3 percent through 2009, based on ongoing sales in the aftermarket, along with changing environmental regulations and increasing water recycling. While air purification filters will lead the growth, fluid filters will remain dominate in total sales. A copy of the new report can be obtained at www.freedoniagroup.com
Middle East
Iraq water crisis can be solved in four years
Presenters at the World Water Week in Stockholm said Iraq’s water supply, damaged by years of war and mismanagement, could return to an adequate operational level in three to four years. According to Iraq’s Water Resources Minister Latif Rashid, most Iraqis in major cities have access to running water, although not in sufficient quantities and regularly of substandard quality. “It is an absolute crime that with all our wealth, Iraq still lacks clean water,” Rashid told the Agence France-Presse. Rashid’s timeframe for access to adequate water is much shorter than a recent estimate given by U.S. General Thomas Bostick, who said earlier this year that it would take $2 billion a year for 12 years to correct the problems.
Improving Israeli water security
The U.S. EPA and the Israeli Ministry of National Infrastructure have signed an agreement to work together to improve water supply system security in Israel and the United States. Joint projects could include work on contamination warning systems, conducting field testing of sensor technologies, water supply risk assessment and management and emergency response. The work falls under the purview of the Middle East Partnership Initiative, a U.S. program that seeks partnerships with Middle Eastern countries on a variety of environmental projects.
Asia
AgION partners with Korean company
AgION Technologies, Inc. announced a partnership with Sung-Woo Interchem Corporation, a specialty chemicals provider based in Seoul, Korea. As part of this partnership, Sung-Woo will promote AgION’s unique antimicrobial compound to Korean-based medical, consumer and industrial manufacturers. The patented AgION technology is comprised of naturally occurring silver ions and a ceramic material called zeolite. The compound is used in a variety of applications including water filtration systems and food processing applications.