UNITED STATES
Alger “Big Al” Howard Sutherland Has Passed Away
Alger Howard Sutherland, known as Big Al, passed away at the age of 79 on November 16, 2022. Born March 22, 1943, in California, Sutherland moved to Nevada and became the owner of Las Vegas Water Conditioning, where he became known to many as the “water man of Sin City.” Sutherland was active in the water industry and was present at many of the Pacific Water Quality Association and Water Quality Association events. He will be remembered as a friend and colleague.
EPA Publishes Final Fifth Drinking Water Contaminant Candidate List
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has published the Final Fifth Drinking Water Contaminant Candidate List (CCL 5). The CCL 5 will serve as the basis for the EPA’s regulatory considerations over the next five-year cycle under the Safe Drinking Water Act. The updates included in the CCL 5 include a substantial expansion of PFAS, serving as an important first step towards identifying additional PFAS that may require regulation under the Safe Drinking Water Act. The Final CCL 5 also includes 66 individually listed chemicals, two additional chemical groups (cyanotoxins and disinfection byproducts), and 12 microbes.
IAPMO Seeks Technical Committee Members for 2027 UPC and UMC
The International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) is requesting volunteer participation on two technical committees that will be working on the development of the 2027 editions of the Uniform Plumbing Code and Uniform Mechanical Code. The deadline to submit an application is January 31, 2023. The technical committees for the UPC and UMC are seeking members in the categories of manufacturer, user, installer/ maintainer, labor, research/standards/testing laboratory, enforcing authority, consumer, and special expert. Each committee is assembled in accordance with the Regulations Governing Committee Projects and the Guide for the Conduct of Participants in the IAPMO codes and standards development process.
120Water Welcomes Jonathan Cuppett as Director of Water Quality Compliance
Jonathan Cuppett has been named the director of water quality compliance at 120Water. This serves as a critical role in navigating the complex landscape of the evolving Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR). Cuppett’s responsibilities include monitoring federal and state compliance requirements and providing relevant regulatory insight to the 120Water team.
AMTA and NWRI Award Graduate Fellowships for Membrane Technology
The American Membrane Technology Association (AMTA) and the National Water Research Institute (NWRI) announced the recipients of the 2022 NWRI/AMTA graduate fellowships for membrane technology. Each recipient undertaking cutting-edge and innovative research will receive a $10,000 fellowship award that will support their research in advancing membrane technology in the fields of water, wastewater, or water reuse. Aubrey Quigley, University of Texas at Austin, and Kian Lopez, University of Colorado Boulder, are the recipients of the 2022 AMTA/NWRI Graduate Fellowships for Membrane Technology.
Mike Zduniak Joins AZ Water as Chief Technology Officer
Mike Zduniak joins Arizona Water as its first chief technology officer. Zduniak has worked with AZ Water on special projects for close to a decade. He facilitated AZ Water’s new website launch and the streamlining of processes to assist committees and members.
2023 WWEMA Board of Directors and Executive Committee
The members of the Water and Wastewater Equipment Manufacturers Association (WWEMA) elected new officers and directors. The 2023 WWEMA Executive Committee comprises:
- Chairman William (Bill) Decker, Vice President and General Manager, Equipment Services Group, Aqua-Aerobic Systems, Inc.
- Chairman-Elect Henk-Jan van Ettekoven, President, HUBER Technology, Inc.
- Vice Chairman Jay Conroy, President, Hydro-Dyne Engineering, Inc.
- Treasurer Tom McCurdy, Director of Sales – Environmental, Aerzen USA
- Immediate Past Chairman Vince Baldasare, Sales Manager, The
Gorman-Rupp Company Three members were newly elected to the WWEMA 2023 Board of Directors:
- Adam Bates, Director, Water Market Area, KSB, Inc.
- Stacy Belanger, Product Manager, Municipal, JWC Environmental
- Richard Ercolini, Southeast Regional Manager, TESCO Controls, Inc.
An additional three members were reelected to serve a second three-year term:
- Fritz Egger, General Manager, SPIRAC (USA) Inc.
- William Flores, Vice President, Municipal Systems and Customer Service, Smith & Loveless Inc.
- Michelle McNish, President, Walker Process Equipment
EUROPE
IAPMO Crowns International Plumbing Champions at Conclusion of WorldSkills Competition 2022 Special Edition
IAPMO participated in the Plumbing and Heating event at the WorldSkills Competition 2022 Special Edition, a competition held in Germany that showcased national champions from 20 WorldSkills member countries. Florian Bliem of Austria, plumbing and heating competitor, received the gold medal; silver medals were awarded to Tom Pean of France and Martin Offner of Hungary; and the bronze medal was won by Tai-Yu Chen of Chinese Taipei. The event showcased a new Plumbing Champions training activity that was sponsored by the World Plumbing Council and delivered by the International Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Foundation.
Salt Separation Services Awarded Contract for the UK Royal Navy
Salt Separation Services Ltd. were recently awarded the contract from BAE Systems to manufacture the reverseosmosis (RO) desalination plants and associated water treatment equipment for batch two of the Type 26 frigates (global combat ships) for the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy. The frigates will be equipped with two RO plants, each providing 54 cubic meters of potable water per day from seawater and 0.6 cubic meters per day of high-quality technical water. A filtration package and chlorine dosing units will also be provided to aid in the treatment of embarked fresh water.
NGWA Announces 2023 Board of Directors
During its 2022 Groundwater Week in December in Las Vegas, the National Ground Water Association announced its 2023 Board of Directors. Jason House, LG, PG, is the newly elected NGWA president and the second member from the Scientists and Engineers Section to serve as president in the Association’s 75-year history. Newly elected to the NGWA Board of Directors are John Boyette Jr., CVCLD, Fred Rothague, CWD, and Buddy Sebastian. The two elected members to the Suppliers Section Board of Directors are Matthew Beasley and Rad Massey. The following individuals are the 2023 NGWA Board Officers:
- President-Elect— David Traut, MGWC, CVCLD
- Secretary— Richard Layman, MGWC, CVCLD
- Treasurer— Robert Keyes, CWD
- Vice President, Contractors— Patrick Casarez
- Vice President, Manufacturers— Jeremy Kuhn
- Vice Present, Suppliers— Blake TalkmittVice President, Scientists and Engineers— Seth Kellogg, PG
De Nora and Aclarity Sign MoU to Destroy PFAS in Groundwater
De Nora and Aclarity have signed an agreement to work together in deploying PFAS-destroying technology. De Nora and Aclarity are connected by their commitment to protect global health through innovative water-treatment solutions and have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that will target treating harmful contaminants, such as PFAS, in water at an industrial scale. The MoU will combine Aclarity’s PFAS destruction technology with De Nora’s SORB™ FX product line in order to quickly and safely eliminate PFAS in groundwater.
Purolite Opens New Manufacturing Facility in Pennsylvania
Purolite, an Ecolab Company, celebrated the opening of its new pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in King of Prussia, PA. The plant, measuring 74,000 square feet and expected to provide 75 new jobs, will produce ion exchange resins for vital health care development and pharmaceuticals to help meet the growing demand for existing and future applications and therapies. The new plant is located near Purolite’s headquarters and includes two new clean rooms to manufacture active pharmaceutical ingredients.
ASIA
IWA and the Cambodian Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority Sign MoU
The International Water Association (IWA) and the Cambodian Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority (PPWSA) signed a memorandum of understanding to promote a strategic and cooperative relationship between the two organizations. The MoU was signed in order to enhance cooperation for the improvement of capacity building and knowledge sharing related to water supply management in Cambodia, as well as to exchange knowledge and experiences internationally. PPWSA has secured 100 IWA membership plans for its employees, allowing them to benefit from the exclusive learning opportunities and access IWA events and other activities.
MIDDLE EAST
Egypt to Build 21 Desalination Plants in Phase 1 of Scheme-Sovereign Fund
Egypt is planning to award deals starting this year to build 21 water desalination plants in the first $3 billion phase of a program that will draw on cost-affordable, renewable energy. Egypt is trying to boost lagging investments in renewables and is also planning to start production on a series of proposed green hydrogen projects in 2025-2026. Depending almost entirely on the Nile for fresh water, Egypt is facing rising water scarcity concerns for its population of 104 million. This desalination program aims to generate 3.3 million cubic meters of water daily in its first phase, reaching 8.8 million cubic meters a day.
IDE Awarded Bid for Israel’s Western Galilee Desalination Plant
IDE Technologies, a desalination and water treatment company, has been awarded the bid to finance, design, and construct Israel’s seventh desalination plant in the Western Galilee region, the first plant that will be constructed in the northern part of Israel. Once in operation, the plant will produce 100 million cubic meters of desalinated water annually; this will improve the reliability of Israel’s water supply to Haifa, Western Galilee, and the Upper Galilee region. The Western Galilee desalination plant will be named Birkat Miriam and will join Israel’s other large-scale desalination plants. Israel’s desalination plants are part of a government effort to increase the amount of desalinated water in the country’s overall water supplies and resources.