ResinTech, Inc. recently received WQA Gold Seal Standard 61 certification for coconut shell activated carbon. The certification adds another layer of assurance to Resin- Tech’s already stringent testing standards, and customers are ensured top quality and performance for drinking water applications. The company’s full line of Gold Seal Certified products is available for immediate shipping throughout the country and the world. ?
Alcon®, a subsidiary of ITT Corp., has ap- pointed Beacon Industrial Group to repre- sent Alcon valves in the Southeast region of the US. Beacon Industrial Group has been in business as a manufacturer’s representative company since the early 1980s. Alcon also appointed Liberty Sales in Arizona and New Mexico. Liberty Sales serves automation and process control needs. ?
Watts Water Technologies, Inc. completed its acquisition of Austroflex Rohr-Isoliersys- teme GmbH, in a share purchase transaction. Austroflex is an Austrian-based manufacturer of pre-insulated, flexible pipe systems for district heating, solar applications and under-floor radiant heating systems. ?
CoolerSmart announced the acquisition of Health Concepts, LLC of Chicago, IL, a marketer of the Innowave range of bottle-less water coolers via numerous service providers. CoolerSmart’s strategy is to extend to a more national footprint providing a service across America.?
North America
Water heater criteria to change
This fall, the EnergyStar® program will increase the minimum energy factor (EF) for gas storage water heaters from 0.62 to 0.67. The increase in criteria, which will go into effect on September 1, will bring additional 0.67 EF models to the marketplace, offering homeowners even greater water-heating efficiency. Plumbers can check with their distributors and local utilities on the availability of new 0.67 EF gas storage models and rebate offers in their area.
Pristine to acquire EnviroCleanse
EnviroCleanse Systems, Inc. of Jacksonville, FL announced its acquisition by Pristine Water Systems of Queenstown, MD, effective July 1. Key EnviroCleanse technical and management personnel will remain with Pristine. EnviroCleanse Systems manufactures patented, direct-injection ozone systems for commercial laundry applications, and Pristine manufactures a variety of environmentally friendly water treatment systems, utilizing UV disinfection and ozone technology for residential, commercial and industrial applications.
Everpure named sponsor of WBC
Marking its second year as the official water sponsor of the World Barista Championship (WBC), Everpure continued to show baristas and chefs how water can help to capture the desired taste and aroma of coffee and espresso beverages. As part of its sponsorship, the company’s water filtration products were exclusively offered as the official tools used by national barista champions at the annual WBC in London in June.
AWWA news
The American Water Works Association (AWWA) announced that both the 2010 Distribution Systems Symposium and Exposition (DSS) and Water Security Congress will be located in National Harbor, MD, September 19-22. This co-location will provide attendees, speakers and exhibitors two events for the price of one. Each event will have distinct technical programs open to attendees of either conference at no additional cost, offering a more diverse and rounded educational opportunity. In addition, the shared exhibit hall will represent products and service providers from distribution and security—a unique opportunity for networking and purchasing.
The Water Environment Federation (WEF) and AWWA announced the launch of www.workforwater.org, a collaborative website featuring resources for water recruiters, career seekers and students. The site addresses one of the water community’s top concerns in the coming decade: the expected retirement of 30 percent of the water workforce and the need to recruit new talent to the field. The new Web site is a gateway to many recruiting and retention resources already available throughout North America and beyond. WEF and AWWA are inviting organizations to contribute documents, videos and links that benefit both career seekers and employers.
Pionetics ships 1,000th unit
Just a few short months ago, the Pionetics Corporation introduced the LINX® Water Treatment System, and sales have been going so well that the company just shipped its 1,000th unit. The system allows for significantly less water waste than RO, operates using programmable software and display indicator lights that provide the consumer with detailed system status, and features Dial-A-Taste® Control that allows the consumer to customize the taste of their drinking water for more or less mineral content. LINX distributor Rayne of San Diego has been unable to keep units on the shelves. Culligan of Italy has signed up to be an exclusive LINX distributor. Pionetics is currently signing new distributors; contact H. Martin Jessen at (480) 836-0887 for more information.
Culligan to sell stores
Culligan International Company announces the sale of its vended water business owned and operated by Culligan Store Solutions, LLC (CSS), to Primo Water Corporation. The sale price is $105M, and the transaction is expected to close later this year. CSS provides self- serve retail vending of filtered drinking water, empty refillable water bottles, and store-use filtered drinking water services throughout the United States and Canada at approximately 4,500 retail locations. CSS customers primarily include large retailers such as Wal-Mart, Safeway, Meijer, Sobeys, Hy-Vee, Kroger and Target.
New UL test methods
Underwriters Laboratories (UL) announced that it has combined existing proprietary testing methods for identify- ing emerging water contaminants. Using highly specific and sensitive instrumenta- tion practices, the company has developed two new methods providing cutting- edge, cost-effective analytical services for contaminants such as pharmaceutical and personal-care products (PPCPs) in the 160,000 water supplies in the US. UL combined its existing methods (L200, L211, L220 and L221) to develop test method L222, used for the analysis of endocrine disrupting chemicals and PPCPs. This method focuses on detecting and analyzing nearly 30 most frequently studied and detected contaminants of emerging concern. UL also streamlined the analysis of selected semi- volatile organic compounds and pesticides to create UL method S190. Both L222 and S190 are used to analyze contaminants of emerging concern found in treated wastewater, surface water, groundwater and municipal drinking water.
MIOX ARRA project announced
MIOX Corporation has been selected to provide disinfection for an innovative, indirect potable water reuse system: pipe-to-pipe recycling of wastewater for everything from dishwashing, clothes washing, irrigation, street cleaning and even drinking in Cloudcroft, NM. MIOX was chosen as the best disinfection technol- ogy to cost-effectively maintain necessary chlorine residual while preventing or minimizing organic growth in distribution lines. Partially funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), and using photovoltaics to provide power to the plant, the reuse system is a ground- breaking trifecta of water conservation, safety and environmental innovation.
ClearView product line expanded
Denver-based water filtration company ClearView Water, LLC announced it is expanding its commercial water filtration product line by featuring the ION by Natural Choice Corporation. The ION Drinking Water System is a standalone or countertop water filtration appliance that produces freshly filtered water for commercial offices and businesses. Bottle- free and freshly filtered, water never sits stagnant in a plastic container.
Koch honored by IDA
Koch Membrane Systems, Inc. was honored as the Technology Company of the Year 2010 by the International Desalination Association. The company was recognized for ongoing commitment to innovation in the membrane industry as demonstrated by its large diameter MegaMagnum RO products and Puron® UF membranes, used for membrane bioreactors. The award recognizes the company has made the most significant contribution in the field of water technology over the past year.
Artemis Top 50 honors announced
Artemis Project™ Top 50 Water Innovation Leaders announced in June include MIOX and Mar Systems. A diverse group of companies from Australia to England and New Mexico to New Jersey won accolades for their groundbreaking approaches to water management, ad- dressing everything from water scarcity to water purity to infrastructure upgrades and much more. Competing companies were evaluated by a panel of industry experts on four criteria: technology, intellectual property and know-how, team quality and market potential.
US EPA news
US EPA is proposing to revise the 1989 Total Coliform Rule to achieve greater public health protection against waterborne pathogens in the distribution systems of public water. The revised rule will require water systems to take action when monitoring results indicate that contamination or a pathway to contamination may be present. The proposal also provides incentives for better system operation by improving the criteria for public water systems to qualify for and maintain reduced monitoring, which provides an opportunity to reduce system burden. In addition, the proposed rule updates con-ditions that will trigger public notices to better represent the relative health threat identified. It also makes the wording required in these public notices more clear. US EPA is seeking public comment on this proposed rule for 60 days following publication in the Federal Register. Visit www.epa.gov/safewater/disinfection/ tcr/ for more information.
Calgon certified for reactivated carbon
NSF International announced that Calgon Carbon Corporation’s Blue Lake, CA plant is the first to receive certification to NSF/ANSI Standard 61: Drinking Water System Components–Health Effects, which verifies reactivated carbon safe for reuse in municipal water treatment applications, making it potable for humans. NSF/ANSI Standard 61 outlines requirements for regenerated/reactivated water treatment media, including inspections of regenera- tion facilities and periodic testing of regen- erated media by an accredited certifying organization. It also requires that these facilities have a robust quality system, ongoing evaluations of contaminants in the raw source water, and an evaluation of the regeneration process to verify removal of these contaminants.
Annual golf tournament for cancer camp
McKeough Supply announced its 12th Annual Bill Porteous Memorial Golf Tournament at the Burford Golf Links in June was a tremendous success, with $32,500 (CDN) raised in support of Camp Trillium (see Canadians Help the Young- est Cancer Victims, WC&P December 2006). This donation will enable more than 40 families affected by childhood cancer to spend a week at camp. McKeough offered thanks to customers and vendors, as well as company employees and volunteers, for ongoing support of the annual event.
Europe
Severn Trent venture named
Severn Trent Response, a joint venture between Severn Trent Services and the Response Group, was awarded a 20-year operations and maintenance contract for the Limerick Main Drainage Project in southwest Ireland. The contract, awarded by the Limerick City Council, is valued at €60 million ($80 million USD) and includes operations and maintenance of the 130,000-PE (population equivalent) Limerick Wastewater Treatment Plant. Severn Trent Response will operate and maintain the treatment plant, a thermal sludge dryer, 20 km (12.4 miles) of mains sewers and 10 pumping stations, and will utilize the services of their highly qualified teams of experienced technical and management staff.
Middle East
Largest desal plant online
In May, Israel President Shimon Peres inaugurated the world’s largest opera- tional seawater RO (SWRO) desalination plant, located in Hadera, on the Mediter- ranean coast of Israel. It is designed to sup- ply about 20 percent of Israel’s domestic potable water requirement. More than 53,000 DOW FILMTEC™ RO elements were installed to produce up to 456,000 cubic meters of potable water per day from seawater (including the capacity extension of 88,000 cbm/d).
PWQA
Southern BBQ highlights
The Pacific Water Quality Asso- ciation held its annual Southern BBQ Communications Event, hosted by Clack Corporation, in May in Santa Fe Springs, CA. Over 50 attendees enjoyed hot dogs, hamburgers and great networking during this event.
Martha Davis, Executive Manager of Policy Development for the Inland Empire Utilities Agency, spoke regarding the salinity issue in the Inland Empire. She was questioned by several attendees following her presentation. “If water softeners contribute 10 percent of the salinity, who are the other 90 percent?” and “How has the current rebate (for water softeners) program contributed to lower- ing salinity?” were among the questions asked. Davis replied that, “sustainability is very important,” and “we must protect local water supplies…so we must manage groundwater as agreed to in 2000.” She went on to say “We have a shared prob- lem” and “We want to work with you.”
In addition, Ken Mattox, Senior Advi- sor, Legislation and Tax Policy to Board of Equalization Member Michelle Steel, 3rd BOE District, spoke to the group regard- ing the legislative process and areas he is involved in. Following the meeting, the entire Pacific Water Quality Association Board of Directors met.
The PWQA 53rd Annual Convention and Trade Show will be held at the Hyatt Regency Irvine, CA, September 15-17th. Please contact the Association at (760) 644-7348 or visit www.pwqa.org.
—Jerry Johnson