Hi, I'm Tom Freyberg, from WWi magazine, bringing you this week's water and wastewater news headlines. Coming up...
• Wastewater treatment plant and pipeline contracted in China
• Flood damage could total £12bn annually by 2080 in England and Wales
• Siemens acquires Cambridge Water Technology
• GCC nations urged to reform water tariffs to hammer heavy users
• Qatar Petroleum contracts advanced membrane water technology
• Annual leading smart grid event focuses on AMI/AMR
[story 1]
A build-transfer contract worth $7.9 million US dollars has been awarded to Tri-Tech Holding to construct a wastewater treatment plant and pipeline network in Dawangdian Industrial Park in Xushui County, China.
The plant will eventually be able to process 15,000 cubic meters, treated to Class 1A standards, as well as a 15.3 kilometer pipeline network in the industrial park.
Set for completion by the end of this year, the plans fit in with China's 12th Five-Year Plan, with industrial wastewater control projects included in a list of eight key environmental protection projects.
[story 2]
If England and Wales do not adapt to flood risks the annual damage caused to buildings and properties could total up to £12 billion, according to a new report.
The Climate Change Risk Assessment launched this week highlights the top 100 challenges to the UK from climate change and advises how threats could become reality.
The assessment projected that without action to improve water resources ,there could be supply shortages by the 2050s in the north, south and east of England with the greatest challenge in the Thames River basin.
Towards the end of last year the Environment Agency granted a drought permit to utility Anglian Water Services to take water from a river to replenish a low reservoir.
In December a Water White Paper released committed the government to introduce a reformed water abstraction regime so utilities extract water in the least harmful way.
[story 3]
Siemens Industry Automation Division has agreed to acquire Cambridge Water Technology of Massachusetts for an undisclosed sum.
The purchased company is expected to be combined with Siemens' municipal wastewater business and will continue to operate out of Massachusetts.
Cambridge Water Technology has been primarily involved in the municipal wastewater market, under its BioMag and CoMag brands.
It's proprietary technologies are based upon a novel approach of using magnetite as a ballast to optimize the clarification process.
[story 4]
Better education will be needed to reform current tariff structures and address water scarcity in the GCC, with heavy water users paying the most, a new report has recommended.
Findings revealed by Booz & Company in a report entitled 'Fresh Water in the GCC: Addressing the Scarcity Problem' said this sort of pricing would reduce waste.
The report pointed to GCC governments subsidizing the cost of water production and highlighted the unintended consequences of what it called generosity.
Commenting on the story, Bob Bryniak from Golden Sands Management Consulting, told WWi that a move to "cost reflective" tariffs will send the right pricing signals to end users and reduce the excessive use of drinking water throughout the Middle East"
Bryniak said policy makers could transition such a move over a period of 3-5 years, to avoid public reaction.
[story 5]
Qatar Petroleum has opted for a packaged membrane advanced treatment technology from Pall Corporation to filter the facility's treated sewage effluent.
The packaged system will feature ultrafiltration membranes and will be designed to filter 3,500 cubic meters of treated effluent per day.
It will be used as make-up water for firefighting training exercises at the Ras Laffan Emergency and Safety College.
Pall said membrane systems typically require 50-70 percent less space than conventional technologies.
[story6]
And finally this week has also seen the 2012 Distributech conference and exhibition taking place in San Antonio, Texas.
Following last year's success, including attendance of 8,400 attendees and over 400 exhibitors, WaterWorld digital media editor Angela Godwin is in Texas to provide an update on this year's proceedings.
[cut to DistribuTECH 2012 coverage]
Thanks Ange.
For Water & Wastewater International magazine, I'm Tom Freyberg. Thanks for watching.
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