In other news below:
-- Meat and poultry industry lauds CDC data on foodborne illness drop
-- Cytec hikes prices globally for water treatment chemicals
-- Texas Marine acquires Houston Marine Services
-- Research and Markets issues beverage reports on France, East Asia
-- U.S.-Russian nanofilter enters Space Technology Hall of Fame
-- MWD Board authorizes groundwater recovery projects
-- ACWA announces new solar partnership program
-- PennFuture applauds $625M environmental bond
-- Home Depot, Lowe's asked to stock non-toxic lawn pesticides
-- Citect awarded Greater Cincinnati Water Works project
-- John Crane named finalist for PACE Award
-- Ecolab's new quat sanitizer offers disinfection solution
-- Calif. DWR makes Prop. 50 desalination grant recommendations
-- Book offers latest on petroleum systems, environmental management
-- Speakers set for ACWA 2005 Spring Conference & Exhibition
-- California groundwater grant panel to meet April 29
-- Getronics offers Nalco global desktop, managed service desk support
-- Watershed deal reached for Calif.'s fastest developing area
-- Penn. DEP project to reclaim abandoned coal processing facility
-- Aqua America completes eight acquisitions in first quarter
-- Capitol Hill rallies for Koch Industries' Capital River Relief
-- Shanghai Water Authority halts flooding with Echelon technology
-- Smart cards protect utility, industry data and access security: Siemens
-- American Water picks Sabrix for consolidated transaction tax management
-- Bayer: Young minds wanted to help solve China's environmental woes
-- Flowserve reaches settlement with SEC on analyst comments
Antibacterial research should focus on facts, not fear
WASHINGTON, April 15, 2005 (PRNewswire) -- The latest attacks on effective germ- killing products are more about hype and headlines than real-world science, according to The Soap and Detergent Association (SDA). SDA, which represents the U.S. cleaning products industry, expressed disappointment at Virginia Tech publicity materials promoting recent antibacterial-related lab research, with headlines like, "Being Too Clean Could Be Hazardous to Your Health and the Environment." Triclosan-containing cleaning products have 30+ year track record of safety, effectiveness, SDA says...
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U.S. meat and poultry industry lauds CDC data on foodborne illness drop
WASHINGTON, DC, April 14, 2005 (PRNewswire) -- Continuing reductions in U.S. foodborne illnesses announced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention correspond to continuing reductions in pathogenic bacteria on meat and poultry products, according to the American Meat Institute Foundation. Just last month, USDA announced a 43.3% drop in positive E. coli O157:H7 tests in ground beef samples it tests. CDC said today that the U.S. has achieved its Healthy People 2010 goal of less than one E. coli O157:H7 infection per 100,000 people five years ahead of schedule...
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Cytec announces global price increase for water treatment chemicals
WEST PATERSON, NJ, April 14, 2005 -- Cytec Industries Inc. is increasing prices on a global basis by up to 15% for its entire range of Water Treatment Chemicals, effective May 15. The price increases -- as well as the global pricing initiatives announced during the fourth quarter of 2004 -- are necessary to ensure Cytec's ongoing ability to reinvest in this product line...
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Texas Marine acquires Houston Marine Services
HOUSTON, April 14, 2005 (PRNewswire) -- Texas Marine Services Inc., a U.S. citizen owned corporation affiliated with the Heidmar group of companies based in Darien, Conn., has acquired Houston Marine Services Inc. With $180 million in annual revenues and 150 employees, HMS work includes potable water and wastewater treatment services...
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Research and Markets reports on beverage market in France, East Asia
DUBLIN, Ireland, April 14, 2005 (PRNewswire) -- Research and Markets has announced the addition of several new reports to its offerings, including beverage industry reports from France, China, Japan and Hong Kong. Nestle S.A. is the market leader in French soft drinks market, which is growing by 2.7% a year. In Asia, China's market was growing by better than 12% with Japan and Hong Kong enjoying a 2-4% annual growth rate. Coca-Cola leads in China and Japan, with Swire Beverages leading in Hong Kong...
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U.S.-Russian nanofilter enters Space Technology Hall of Fame
ARLINGTON, VA, April 13, 2005 (PRNewswire) -- An efficient "superfilter" able to extract bacteria, cysts, turbidity and even viruses from water was among four innovative space-based technologies inducted into the Space Technology Hall of Fame last week in Colorado Springs. The NanoCeram® Superfilter, developed by Argonide Corp. of Sanford, Fla., uses nanofibers originally developed at the Design Technology Center in Tomsk, Russia, for purifying spacecraft water. They're now available for industrial, residential, recreational uses...
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MWD Board authorizes groundwater recovery projects in Simi Valley, Pomona
LOS ANGELES, April 13, 2005 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Metropolitan Water District's Board of Directors yesterday authorized two project agreements that together will ultimately provide more than 800 million gallons of recovered groundwater a year for use in Simi Valley and Pomona. Metropolitan will provide as much as $7.1 million in combined incentives over the next 25 years for the two projects, sponsored by Calleguas Municipal Water District and Ventura County Water Works District No. 8, as well as Three Valleys Municipal Water District...
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ACWA announces new solar partnership program
SACRAMENTO, CA, April 13, 2005 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- The Association of California Water Agencies and two of the world's top solar electric system suppliers have signed a five-year agreement that establishes a unique partnership program to help California water agencies control and even reduce energy costs while helping the state ensure greater grid system reliability. The two companies -- PowerLight Corp. and WorldWater & Power Corp. -- will offer water agencies proposals they guarantee will be as good or better than competitors' for photovoltaic solar electric or onsite solar generation systems capable of running large water pumps or powering water treatment plants...
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PennFuture applauds $625M environmental restoration, conservation bond
HARRISBURG, PA, April 13, 2005 (PRNewswire) -- Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future (PennFuture) congratulates Gov. Ed Rendell and Legislature for passage of authorization for a $625 million bond for environmental restoration and conservation projects. If approved by voters in May, the Growing Greener bond will provide much-needed funding for conservation of open space and farmland, the clean up of land and water polluted by mining, stream restoration and watershed protection projects, investment in Pennsylvania's state parks and other environmental initiatives...
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Home Depot, Lowe's asked to stock non-toxic lawn pesticides
WASHINGTON, DC, April 13, 2005 (PRNewswire) -- Twenty consumer and environmental groups from across the country asked the national headquarters of Home Depot and Lowe's Home Improvement, two of the largest home and garden retailers, to carry a full range of organic, non-toxic lawn care products to protect the health of children, families, pets and the environment and to reconsider the sale of "weed and feed" due to its hazards and environmental pollution. Recent surveys show almost half of all households buying lawn care products are seeking non-toxic alternatives...
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Citect awarded Greater Cincinnati Water Works project
ALPHARETTA, GA, April 12, 2005 (PRNewswire) -- Citect, a global provider of production process improvement solutions, and its "platinum integration partner," Edison Automation, have been awarded a contract exceeding $1 million with the Greater Cincinnati Water Works (GCWW) to upgrade its water treatment plants. GCWW is one of numerous water/wastewater treatment facilities North America recently choosing to standardize on CitectSCADA...
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John Crane named finalist for PACE Award
MORTON GROVE, IL, April 12, 2005 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- John Crane, a global supplier of engineered sealing systems and associated products, was named a finalist in the Automotive News PACE Award for innovation at a ceremony last night in Detroit. Jointly presented by Capgemini, Transportation Center Inc. (TRC Inc.) and Automotive News, the awards program recognizes significant industry contributions by automotive suppliers. Crane's products are sold widely into rotating equipment applications in petroleum, chemical, pharmaceutical, pulp & paper, power generation, food & everage, mining & minerals, transportation, industrial, water & waste, refrigeration, automotive, and appliance markets...
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Ecolab's new quat sanitizer offers broad sanitizing concentration
ST. PAUL, MN, April 12, 2005 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Ecolab Inc.'s new Oasis 146 Multi-Quat SanitizerTM provides a broad sanitizing concentration range of 150 to 400 parts per million, with a formula to kill 99.99% of the microscopic foodborne organisms that linger after washing and rinsing plates, utensils, glassware and countertops. This no-rinse food contact hard surface sanitizer for foodservice operations has multiple applications in buckets, spray bottles, third sinks and floors, and it is effective across a dilution range of 0.25 to 0.67 ounces per gallon of water...
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Calif. DWR announces Prop. 50 desalination grant recommendations
LONG BEACH, CA, April 12, 2005 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- California Department of Water Resources (DWR) officials announced their Proposition 50 desalination grant funding recommendations at a special public workshop in Sacramento. The Long Beach Water Department will receive $3 million for its seawater desalination research and development project, which includes design, construction and subsequent research of its Under Ocean Floor Intake and Discharge Demonstration System, the first of its kind in the world, focused on demonstrating an alternative to traditional open ocean intake and discharge practices. Proposition 50 authorized the sale of $3.4 billion in general obligation bonds for a variety of water projects...
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http://ww.pennnet.com/Articles/Article_Display.cfm?ARTICLE_ID=225455&p=41
Latest on petroleum systems and environmental management in new text
HOUSTON, April 12, 2005 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Gulf Publishing Company has just released its latest book, Probability in Petroleum and Environmental Engineering, written by Drs. Leonid Khilyuk, George Chilingar and Herman Rieke. With a focus on prediction and forecasting, this book offers students and professional engineers an understandable approach to solving everyday petroleum engineering and environmental management problems through easy to understand equations...
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Speakers set for ACWA 2005 Spring Conference & Exhibition
SACRAMENTO, CA, April 12, 2005 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Daniel Weintraub, Political Columnist for the Sacramento Bee, will join California State Controller Steve Westly, Senator Mike Machado (D-Linden), Assembly member Lois Wolk (D-Davis), and Roger Marzulla, of Marzulla and Marzulla, as a confirmed speaker for the 2005 Association of California Water Agencies' Spring Conference & Exposition, May 3-6, at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center. The ACWA event, themed "California's Water Blueprint: Charting Our Course," is expected to draw over 2,000 local water officials as well as state and federal water leaders...
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California groundwater grant panel to meet April 29
SACRAMENTO, CA, April 12, 2005 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- The State Department of Water Resources will convene a Local Groundwater Assistance Grant Program Technical Advisory Panel (TAP) and public meeting in Sacramento on April 29. The purpose of the meeting is to present to and consult with the TAP and the public regarding DWR staff rankings of Local Groundwater Assistance grant applications for the TAP to formulate its funding recommendations to DWR...
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Nalco selects Getronics for global desktop and managed service desk support
BILLERICA, MA, April 11, 2005 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Getronics, a $4.1 billion IT solutions and services provider, today announced a multi-year contract with Nalco to provide deskside, managed service desk, network printer, and full asset management support for the company's 10,000 users in multiple countries. Nalco, the leading provider of integrated water treatment and process improvement services, chemicals and equipment with annual sales of $3 billion, will leverage the Network and Desktop Outsourcing Services components of Getronics' global portfolio...
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Groups agree on watershed deal for fastest developing area in California
SACRAMENTO, CA, April 11, 2005 (PRNewswire) - Defenders of Wildlife and Butte Environmental Council announced an agreement with federal agencies and local developers that will ensure extensive protections for increasingly rare vernal pool wetlands within Placer County. The settlement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Army Corps of Engineers, and development companies 1600 Placer Investors and Roseville/Fiddyment Land Ventures sets an important precedent for construction projects within California's rapidly urbanizing Central Valley and is an encouraging example of what can be accomplished when developers and conservation groups work together to address common problems...
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Penn. DEP announces project to reclaim abandoned coal processing facility
HARRISBURG, PA, April 11, 2005 (PRNewswire) -- State Environmental Protection Secretary Kathleen A. McGinty announced a $184,510 contract to reclaim the abandoned A.D. Coal Co. coal processing facility in Washington Township, Dauphin County, removing threats to public health and safety and eliminating acid mine drainage and erosion that affect local water quality. The project was awarded to Lycoming Supply Inc. of Williamsport, Lycoming County...
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Aqua America completes eight acquisitions in first quarter
BRYN MAWR, PA, April 11, 2005 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Aqua America Inc. has completed eight acquisitions in five states in the first quarter of 2005. This comes on the heels of Aqua America's 29 acquisitions in 2004. The most recent acquisitions were completed by the company's non-regulated subsidiary, Aqua Wastewater Management, Inc., which purchased Concord Wastewater Services, Inc. and Golden Mechanical, Inc. of Delaware County, Pa...
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Capitol Hill rallies for Koch Industries-sponsored Capital River Relief
WASHINGTON, DC, April 7, 2005 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Showing their support for Capital River Relief 2005, Hill staffers "Team Up to Clean Up" on April 11 as participants in Capital River Relief's Capitol Hill Day. House Speaker Dennis Hastert applauds watershed preservation effort. This marks the second year that Capitol Hill has come out in support of Capital River Relief, which brings together a working coalition to clean and restore the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers. In 2004, Capital River Relief removed nearly 50 tons of garbage from the rivers.
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Shanghai Water Authority prevents flooding with Echelon's technology
SAN JOSE, CA, April 5, 2005 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Echelon Corp., a pioneer in control networking and a supplier of technology for the widely-used LonWorks control networking platform, announced that the Shanghai Water Authority is using Echelon's technology to prevent flooding in the Taihu River Valley in the Shanghai region, an area covering almost 37,000 square kilometers and home to over 30 million people...
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Smart cards protect utility, industry data and access security: Siemens
BOCA RATON, FL, April 4, 2005 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- By deploying an integrated smart card security solution for both data and physical access, an enterprise may annually save more than $2 million for every 2,000 employees covered by such a combined identity and access management system, according to a new survey conducted by Datamonitor and commissioned by Siemens Communications Inc., a unit of USFilter owner Siemens AG...
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American Water picks Sabrix for consolidated transaction tax management
SAN RAMON, CA, April 4, 2005 (PRNewswire) -- Sabrix Inc., a provider of software for consolidated transaction tax applications, was chosen by American Water to automate its U.S. transaction taxes, including consumer use tax. With customers in 29 states, American Water picked Sabrix for its ability to assess and report tax at every step in the transaction lifecycle...
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Wanted: Young minds to help solve China's environmental woes
SHANGHAI, April 4, 2005 (Xinhua-PRNewswire) -- Starting in April, Bayer (China) Ltd. has once again launched the Bayer Young Environmental Envoy Program. Now in its third year in China, the program is encouraging students aged 18-22 from the five cities of Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Nanjing, and Hefei to participate in the competition. Fifteen students will be selected to participate in activities such as an eco-camp. Four finalists will attend Bayer International Youth Environment Day in Leverkusen, Germany, in November 2005...
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Flowserve reaches settlement with SEC
DALLAS, March 24, 2005 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Flowserve Corp. has reached a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission resolving an investigation by the commission into a meeting that took place in Irving, Texas, on Nov. 19, 2002, between company executives, including the chief executive officer and the director of investor relations, and several analysts. Agrees to civil penalties of $400,000...
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For additional news briefs, see:
-- "WaterBriefs: Aqua America unit builds wastewater business with two acquisitions": ALSO in this report (April 1, 2005): Pirnie-McGuire Environmental merger done; Ohio county wins biosolids EMS certification; Koch Industries sponsors DC watershed cleanup; Judge scraps Nestle deal to buy half-billion gallons of spring water; Insituform pipeline tunneling unit honored; UK aids P&G clean water effort in Haiti; AchemAmerica focuses on process technologies at Mexico City event; Aqua-Aerobic breaks ground to expand; WEF, others commemorate World Water Day...
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