LATHROP, Calif., July 31, 2003 -- The city of Lathrop, Calif., and USFilter Operating Services, Inc., have entered into a 20-year agreement for wastewater services that will quickly and cost-efficiently enable the city to meet the wastewater needs of its growing population.
The public-private partnership, valued at $13 million for the initial stage, includes the design and construction of a new .75 million-gallon-per-day (mgd) wastewater treatment plant, potential capital upgrades at the city's existing wastewater facility and the operation and maintenance of both facilities for the next 20 years.
Lathrop is a relatively new city, located in the fast-growing San Joaquin County, directly south of Stockton. Its current population is 12,000 with a projected build-out of 65,000 by 2030; its growth is driven primarily by the lack of affordable housing in the San Francisco Bay Area and new job creation.
To service this boom, the city is revamping its water and wastewater infrastructure and, like many other municipalities, has turned to the private sector for help.
"Faced with new housing pressures and new employment generation, we needed a partner with extensive experience delivering wastewater facilities using the design-build-operate method," said Ramon Batista, Lathrop assistant city manager. "USFilter is providing us with the best overall value in the very short timeframe in which the city needs new services. By combining their technology and services offering, the company can cost-efficiently assist the city of Lathrop with our essential infrastructure needs."
USFilter is now operating the city's existing 0.60 million-gallon-per-day (mgd) wastewater treatment plant. The design and construction of the city's new wastewater treatment plant, led by USFilter's Engineering and Construction division, began in June. The company is partnering with Kaweah Construction Company of Fresno, Calif., and Horn Electric on the civil engineering, structural design and electrical work.
The new plant will use MemJet™ Immersed Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) system , engineered by USFilter Jet Tech Products, as the primary treatment process. This technology is more cost-efficient than other conventional wastewater treatment systems and is certified by the California Department of Health Services to meet the state's Title 22 wastewater reuse standards.
"We look forward to partnering with the city of Lathrop on its wastewater needs and helping the community meet its rapidly growing demands," said Chibby Alloway, USFilter Operating Services' western business center vice president. "In the design-build-operate process, a huge benefit is created for municipalities in terms of savings and project expediency because the process places all three components under one umbrella and under the responsibility of one company. Municipalities all across the country have embraced this concept and have proven that it works. We are confident Lathrop will experience the same success."
In addition to the MemJet™ system, USFilter will use several of its technologies at the new plant, representing an overall capital investment of approximately $10 million. These include Hydro-Clear® sand filters, Contra-Shear Milliscreen, Mectan® grit collector system, and ZABOCS™ biological odor control system.
The water company may also be tapped by the city to assist with an estimated $700,000 upgrade to the existing wastewater treatment plant to increase capacity and improve overall operation.
USFilter, with its headquarters based in Palm Desert, Calif., partners with nine communities in California for water and wastewater services, including Burlingame -- the first and longest-standing public-private partnership for water services in the country. The company operates close to 200 municipal wastewater treatment facilities in North America and, in California, most recently partnered with the cities of Rialto and Richmond for wastewater services.
United States Filter Corporation, a Veolia Environnement company, is North America's leading water company providing comprehensive water and wastewater systems and services to commercial, industrial, municipal and residential customers. Veolia Environnement (Paris Bourse: VIE and NYSE:VE) is the largest environmental services company in the world with more than 295,000 employees, including FCC, in about 100 countries and annual revenues of more than ($31.5 billion). Visit the company's web sites at www.usfilter.com or www.veoliaenvironnement.com.
