North America
Watts® in the news
Watts Water Technologies, Inc. declared a quarterly dividend of eleven cents ($0.11 USD) per share on the Company’s Class A Common Stock and Class B Common Stock payable on September 4, to stockholders of record at the close of business on August 24. The company announced second quarter sales decreased 19 percent, negatively affected by a weak US commercial construction market and recessionary pressures in Europe.
Watts Water Quality Products announced its new line of salt-free water conditioners have been reviewed and approved by the Santa Clarita Valley Sanitation District as accepted alternatives to salt-based anion exchange water softeners, meeting all guidelines as salt-free water conditioners, set forth by the district. The products include ScaleNet® Anti-Scale Water Conditioning Systems and E-Treat™ water 
conditioning systems using no salt – no backwash technology. The installation of salt-based anion exchange water softeners has been under the eye of California lawmakers, specifically in the Santa Clarita Valley, since 2003.
Sea Tech announced the availability of a mobile version of its website. The mobile site provides quick access to the Sea Tech product tree, specification sheets, distributor lookup information and applications overview. It allows users in the field to quickly access the information they need anywhere, anytime by visiting http://m.seatechinc.com via cell phone or PDA.
US EPA news
US EPA has made available comprehensive reports and data on water enforcement in all 50 states as part of the agency’s larger effort by to enhance transparency, promote the public’s right to know about water quality and provide information on agency actions to protect water under the Clean Water Act. Detailed information on the current state of clean water compliance, enforcement in each state and copies of the latest clean water enforcement and compliance performance reports have been posted on the website. US EPA also launched new Web-based tools to help the public search, assess and analyze the data the agency used to help prepare those reports.
US EPA and the US Department of Health and Human Service’s Indian Health Service (IHS) announced $90 million (USD) nationwide in ‘shovel ready’ infrastructure projects designed to better protect human and environmental health in Indian Country. Eight Arizona tribes Tribes (Hualapai Tribe, $260,400; Hopi Tribe, $1,353,530; San Carlos Apache Tribe, $1,140,000; White Mountain Apache Tribe, $2,321,150; Yavapai-Apache Nation, $321,900; Tohono O’odham Nation, $1,929,010; Ak-Chin Indian Community, $615,770 and Quechan Tribe, $340,630) will have improved access to vital water services through funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
Aqua Finance dealer programs available
In April, Florida Water Quality Association’s The Florid Flow announced two dealer-financing programs from Aqua Finance. The ‘A” credit program, available in all states except New Jersey, is for customers who are homeowners and who have FICO scores of 700 or higher. A five-percent equity investment is taken from each funded contract and Aqua Finance pays dealers five percent annual interest on this investment until designated withdrawal dates. Other terms and limitations also apply. The ‘B-C’ program (offered only in CA, FL, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MO, TN and TX) provides approvals for homeowners in the 620-699 FICO score range. Only closed-end contractions may be written and there is no equity investment requirement. Contact Judi Anderson, Aqua Finance Business Development Manager at (800) 234-3663, extension 1171, for more details about these programs.
Siemens awarded plant contract
Siemens has been awarded a multi-million-dollar contract by The Benham Companies to provide a process water system for Dr. Pepper Snapple Group’s new bottling plant in Victorville, CA. The treated water will be used to make purified bottled water and a variety of soft drinks. The 1,200-gpm (273-m3/hr) system will include media and carbon filtration, nanofiltration, RO and UV disinfection and is designed to recover more than 90 percent of the water. Siemens will design, install and start up the system, scheduled for commissioning in early 2010.
Pall news
Pall Corporation will showcase a varied portfolio of new filtration and separation solutions at the drinktec World Fair in Munich, Germany, September 14-19. The products and systems further enhance Pall’s extensive capabilities to support food and beverage producers and help them achieve sustainable, profitable success. New product developments include Membralox® IC ceramic membranes and the Fuente family filter cartridges specifically designed and qualified to meet the bottled water industry’s new requirements. In addition, Pall has qualified a wide portfolio of products to comply with the EU Framework Regulation on Food Contact Materials – European Regulation Number (EC) 1935/2004.
Keynote speaker announced
Dan Bena, PepsiCo’s Director of Sustainability, Health, Safety and Environment, will be the opening keynote speaker for WaterSmart Innovations Conference and Exposition, Oct. 7-9, in Las Vegas, NV. He is also Chairman of American Beverage Association’s Water Resources Committee, Chairman of the International Society of Beverage Technologists Emerging Scientific Interests Subcommittee and Subcommittee for Sustainable Development. Bena serves on the Public Health Committee of the Safe Water Network and is a member of the Water Core Working Group of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and the World Economic Forum’s Water Planning Board.
Water for People fundraising a success
Despite tough economic times, generous employees of several large corporations have supported Water For People in a record fundraising year. Employees from CH2M HILL raised more than $229,000 (USD) through online donations, personal checks, fundraising events and payroll deductions. American Water also donated over $216,000 through its company-wide 2009 fundraising campaign, of which more than $140,000 was raised from employee contributions through personal checks and payroll deductions.
WEF bill stuffers released
The Water Environment Federation’s (WEF) two new bill stuffers, It’s a Toilet, Not a Trashcan and Too Cute to Pollute are designed to help communities better understand their role in water quality issues and learn ways to improve quality of life through water resources management, water protection and water and wastewater treatment. WEF develops programs and materials to help its members and utilities communicate with their target audiences about key water issues. Its goal is to increase an understanding of the direct role water and wastewater services have in the protection of public health, the economy, and the environment.
Europe
2010 Water prize nominations requested
The Stockholm International Water Institute announced nominations for the 2010 Stockholm Water Prize should be submitted before September 30. The world’s most prestigious prize for outstanding achievements in water-related activities honors individuals, institutions or organizations whose work contributes broadly to conservation and protection of water resources. Nominations must be submitted in English. Guidelines are included in the online nomination form at www.siwi.org. For additional information, email [email protected].
Asia
Severn Trent chosen for Chinese facility
Beijing BCEG Golden State Sources Environment Protection Development Co., Ltd. has selected the TETRA® Denite® System from Severn Trent Services for use at Phase III of the Huishan Wastewater Treatment Co., Ltd. project in the Huishan district of Wuxi City, China. Huishan approved the use of the system to remove nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N) and total suspended solids (TSS) at the wastewater plant, meeting stringent Class IA effluent discharge standards enacted by the China Central Government. Construction of the 25,000-m3/day plant is scheduled for completion in November.
Profitability for activated carbon firm
Sri Lanka’s Haycarb announced net profit for the June 2009 quarter grew 58 percent to 102.4 million INR ($2.155 million USD) from a year ago as prices of activated carbon improved along with raw material supply. According to Lanka Business Online, the coconut shell-based activated carbon maker said in a stock exchange filing that sales grew 17 percent. Higher local output made possible by improved raw material supply has combined with better prices generated by value added products
UL’s India water forum held online
Underwriters Laboratories (UL) recently participated in a US Department of Commerce digital video conference to discuss water quality and safety issues in India. The conference is part of an ongoing series of digital video conferences aimed to develop commercial relations between the US and India through industry-specific technical dialogues. Organized by UL, the forum focused on regulatory developments, safe drinking water standards and the existence of conformity assessment capabilities to improve India’s’ drinking water quality and safety.
India POU market report released
According to Frost & Sullivan’s Strategic Analysis of the Point-of-Use (POU) Water Treatment Systems Market in India, that market earned revenues of over 16.5 billion INR ($347 million USD) in 2008 and estimates this to reach 50.758 billion INR ($1.06 billion) in 2013. Growth in purchase power, non-availability of clean potable water and the introduction of innovative, affordable chemical/resin-based products have given the Indian POU water treatment systems market a significant boost. The residential water treatment systems market is in the growth stage in India as urban lifestyles evolve in tandem with increasing globalization and the rapid pace of development of the IT/ITES industry. Contact Ravinder Kaur/Amrita Nandi, Corporate Communications via email ([email protected] or [email protected]) with full name, company name and title, telephone number, company e-mail address and website, city, state and country to receive a virtual brochure, which provides a brief synopsis of the research and a table of contents.