In the October issue, we inadvertently misspelled Grundfos in the What’s New section. WC&P regrets the error.
ResinTech, Inc. announced that it has begun commercial production of its flagship line of non-solvent cation resin, less than two weeks after the company received WQA’s Gold Seal certification for the water softening media.
North America
PWQA news
The very successful three-day 2021 Pacific Water Quality Association’s Virtual Convention was highlighted by eight educational classes with 317 seats, seven tech talks, eight virtual exhibits and an annual general meeting. The Annual General Meeting and Award Ceremony, exhibits and tech talks can be viewed on PWQA’s website until the end of the year. Early bird registration for the 2022 Trade Show and Convention has been opened through December 31. Visit the website to register. Applicants are being sought for either of PWQA’s two $1,000 (USD) scholarships: the Member Company Scholarship or the Major of Study Related to Potable Water Quality Scholarship. All applications and required materials must be received at the PWQA office no later than April 30, 2022. Visit www.pwqa.com for more information.
IAPMO news
IAPMO® has been awarded a four-year grant from the US Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration’s (ITA) Market Development Cooperator Program (MDCP). Through this project, IAPMO will work with US manufacturers to increase the flow of plumbing exports to Southeast Asian countries by removing burdensome export requirements and technical barriers to trade currently in place. IAPMO R&T has formally recognized Colorado-based PSILab Inc. as an Independent Testing Laboratory, verified as capable of performing tests in the category of plastic pipe and fittings. An ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accredited testing laboratory, PSILab is a foremost authority on plastic pipe and pipe materials ranging from PE and PVC to CPVC, PERT, PEX, PP, ABS and Acetal, including composite pipe constructions and reinforced pipe products. As a result of this laboratory recognition, IAPMO R&T can now accept test reports completed by PSILab for plastic pipe and fittings seeking certification to the following standards: ASTM D2665-2020; ASTM D5813-2004(R2018); ASTM F1216- 2016; ASTM F1743-2017; AWWA C900-2016 and IAPMO IGC 321-2015e1.
RWC to continue investing in initiative
As Careers in Construction Month drew to a close, Reliance Worldwide Corporation (RWC) announced it is committed to continuing its investment in the national initiative, which recognizes talent and career development opportunities throughout the building trades. Designed to engage prospective skilled laborers as well as current professionals, RWC remains focused on inspiring others to seek a career in the trades.
Ecolab to acquire Purolite
Ecolab Inc. announced that it’ll pay $3.7 billion (USD) in cash to acquire specialty resins manufacturer Purolite. Purolite reports sales of around $400 million, operates in 30 countries and employs roughly 1,000 people worldwide. Once the deal closes in the fourth quarter, Purolite will operate as a separate business unit and its results will be reported within Ecolab’s Life Sciences division.
WEF design competition winners announced
WEF proudly announced that students from Clemson University and California State Polytechnic University, Pomona as winners of the 2021 Student Design Competition, which showcased the innovative ideas of 23 teams from 18 WEF Member Associations and four countries during WEFTEC® 2021. The California State Polytechnic University, Pomona’s project won in the Water Environment Design category and the Clemson University team’s project won in the Wastewater Design category. This was the first win for both schools.
Infrastructure bill passed
On November 5, the US House of Representatives approved the Senate-passed bipartisan infrastructure package, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which invests $1 billion over five years in water recycling programs for the Western United States. The bill also directs the Administration to establish a federal Interagency Working Group on Water Reuse, which will break down silos, leverage resources throughout the federal family, and facilitate stakeholder engagement on water recycling.
US EPA study results released
In October, US EPA released final human health toxicity assessment for GenX chemicals, which are part of the PFAS group. In certain locations, GenX chemicals have been found in surface, ground, drinking and rain water as well as the air. The agency’s final assessment for these chemicals focuses solely on the potential human health effects associated with oral exposure. Release of the assessment is a key step toward developing a national drinking water health advisory for GenX chemicals, which the agency committed to publishing in spring 2022 as part of the PFAS Roadmap.
Harbor Freight Tools for Schools announced
Skilled trades teachers in public high schools will play a key role in developing the skilled workforce needed to fill the gap. When students learn the trades in high school, they gain a head start on the road to good paying jobs and fulfilling careers. Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence is awarding more than $1 million to 18 outstanding public high school skilled trades teachers and their programs. The Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence is its way of honoring these remarkable teachers.
Employers can’t find workers
In early November, MetLife and the US Chamber of Commerce released their latest small business survey, which found that nearly three-in-five small business owners (58 percent) said they are likely to hire this year, up 10 percentage points from June; nearly half of small businesses (49 percent) who said that they are actively hiring said it is hard to find candidates with the skills they need and 52 percent of small businesses said they are concerned about their staffing. Small business owners also believe these problems will persist for some time. More than half (56 percent) said they do not expect to see a return to a normal small business climate for at six to 12 months. Wages are rising fast as a result of the tight labor market, Tanya Cerniuk, head of sales for Canada at global staffing firm Adecco Group told Reuters.
Endress+Hauser campus inaugurated
Endress+Hauser officially inaugurated its state-of-the-art Houston Campus in Pearland, TX in October. The company invested $34 million (USD) into the new, 112,000- square-foot facility to strengthen customer support in the Gulf region. Endress+Hauser and the International Society of Automation (ISA) announced their current and future collaboration efforts for training and certification. ISA will provide select certified training courses in conjunction with Endress+Hauser’s instrumentation training courses, with these courses offered onsite at Endress+Hauser’s process training units (PTUs) located across the US.
Europe
Aquatech Innovation Award winners announced
An autonomous robot that can help utilities map infrastructure and detect faults in drinking water pipes has been crowned the overall winner of this year’s Aquatech Innovation Award. The development by Submerge is a result of multiple stakeholders involvement, including Vitens, Brabant Water and Evides. Known as Autonomic Inspection Robot – Submerge, the robot can help to detect leaks, corrosion and even be used to map pipe networks to eventually help create a digital twin. The category winners are: Wastewater Treatment: CLC for decentralized water provision – Nijhuis Saur Industries & Semilla Sanitation; Transport and Process & Control: Live KEY – Hawle Service GmbH; Innovation – not yet to market: Autonomic Inspection Robot – Submerge; Water Supply: BIO-310 UV LED Reactor – Typhon Treatment Systems Ltd. and Green Chemicals for Water: Wasser 3.0 GmbH.
New coalition joined by Grundfos
Grundfos announced it has joined the 50L Home Coalition with the ambition to promote circular water in homes and cities. The Coalition is a global action-oriented platform that unites leaders from the private, nonprofit and public sectors to address two of our most pressing global challenges: water security and climate change. Together, Grundfos and the Coalition will focus on making the reuse and recycling of water the norm in homes, which calls for smarter approaches that allow for water ‘fit-for-purpose’ use.
Asia
IWA Vietnam utility to join forces
The International Water Association (IWA) and the Vietnam Water Supply and Sewage Association (VWSA) have joined forces to advance the future of water professionals in Vietnam and to exchange knowledge and technological insights internationally. This partnership also sees VWSA as the hosting organization for IWA’s Governing Member in Vietnam. The two agencies will be working together to strengthen synergies, tackling the specific needs of Vietnam and Southeast Asia, as well nurturing the professional development of water professionals in the country for a better water future.