WaterBriefs: New approaches needed for sustainable water, World Urban Forum told
In other news below:
-- Sweden's Alfa Laval acquires Tranter
-- Global water quality, scarcity drive water infrastructure needs - Water-Stocks.com
-- United Utilities to help deliver Scottish Water's 2006-10 capital investment program
-- Pioneering UK scientist Dr. Tom Palin dies
-- ICS creates wastewater solution for OHSU medical building
-- EffTec enters license agreement with Garratt-Callahan Co.
-- E.ON Benelux purchases Itron's MetrixIDR Retail
-- EPA awards ICF International US$32 million contract
-- Ofwat takes hard line on Thames Water's failure to achieve leakage target
-- UN commission signs unprecedented water accord with Republic of Korea
-- 'Storing Water' premiers on KCET July 9; Fourth in 'California's Water' series
-- Robbins & Myers to deploy software to streamline Moyno engineering automation
-- Siemens maintains leadership in U.S., global patents
-- CH2M HILL receives Singapore Regional Headquarters Award
-- CONTECH Stormwater Solutions names New England stormwater consultant
-- EWA celebrates its silver jubilee - 25 years for European water protection
-- Amiantit's Indian venture wins $22.5M in power, petroleum piping contracts
-- American Galvanizers Association names 2006 Galvanize the Future scholarship winners
-- Chemical makers ordered to pay $178 million for contaminating water
-- Calif. DWR recommends $21.5M in water desalination grants, schedules public workshop
-- North Dakota's EERC signs UAE agreement for Mid-East environmental opportunities
-- $18 million 'Smart Water' centre in the pipeline for Australian university
-- Beijing's planned water supply faces pollution threat
-- Sanyo Electric, Institut Technologi Bandung to collaborate on water purification R&D
-- World Bank provides $110M for water resources, disease reduction in Senegal River Basin
-- Afghanistan: World Bank supports water, agriculture sectors
-- H2O Innovation concludes agency agreement with WATCO, wins contract in UAE
• New approaches needed for sustainable water, World Urban Forum told -- VANCOUVER, Canada, June 22, 2006 -- Innovative approaches needed to quickly provide sustainable water and sanitation to serve Asia's cities, a senior official of Asian Development Bank told a session at the World Urban Forum. About 700 million people in Asia and the Pacific are without safe water supplies and some 2 billion have inadequate or no toilet facilities, said Arjun Thapan, deputy director general of ADB's Southeast Asia Department. He was speaking at a Trialogue Session on Water, Sanitation and Human Settlements, held to discuss new approaches to developing strategic partnerships and introduce new delivery mechanisms that give the poor a central place in the decision making process...
• Alfa Laval acquires Tranter -- LUND, Sweden, June 22, 2006 -- Wichita Falls, TX-based Tranter, a supplier of plate heat exchangers, has been acquired by Sweden's Alfa Laval, according to the latest issue of the PCE Newsletter from Process Cooling & Equipment magazine. The company had a turnover in 2005 of about SEK 900 million [US$116 million] and has approximately 470 employees globally in research and development, manufacturing and sales. Alfa Laval paid about US$155 million in cash. The June 21 e-newsletter also notes that St. Paul-based Colder Products Co., a provider of quick-disconnect couplings, promoted Rick Garber to vice president of marketing. Garber, who developed Colder's radio frequency identification (RFID) capabilities and has become an advocate for smart technology, will oversee all of Colder's global marketing and sales support efforts...
• Worsening global water quality, scarcity problems drive need for improved water infrastructure, filtration, treatment and delivery - Water-Stocks.com -- Web portal presents insights from water industry experts on the sector's worldwide challenges, opportunities and the impacts of China and India's surging development -- POINT ROBERTS, WA, & DELTA, British Columbia, Canada, June 22, 2006 -- Water-Stocks.com (WS), an investor and industry news portal for the water sector, presents perspectives by water sector specialists Steven Maxwell, managing director, TechKNOWLEDGEy Strategic Group; William Brennan, portfolio manager of the Praetor Global Water Equities Fund, and industry participant Hendrx Corp. Current trends and opportunities in the water business surround the pressing needs for improved water infrastructure, filtration, treatment and delivery, in particular as issues of quality and scarcity worsens worldwide...
Also see: "U.S., India researchers describe findings in cholera studies"
• United Utilities to help deliver Scottish Water's 2006-10 capital investment program -- Scottish Water Solutions Limited (SWS), a joint venture company in which United Utilities Contract Solutions (UUCS) is a major partner, has been awarded a significant contract, worth around GBP 760 million [US$1.39 billion], to help manage and deliver a substantial part of Scottish Water's 2006-10 capital investment program. As a partner in SWS, UUCS will be involved in the design, build and management of a range of projects to upgrade Scottish Water's treatment works, water mains and sewer network infrastructure. SWS will work closely with Scottish Water to optimize capacity and resource planning and benefit from the sharing of best practice. The contract begins with immediate effect, with delivery of the investment program due by March 2010. In addition, there is potential for SWS to secure further program management related work, over this period, with an estimated value of around GBP 200 million [US$365.66 million]...
• Pioneering UK scientist dies -- ERLANGER, KY, June 21, 2006 -- The death has been announced of Dr. Tom Palin, pioneer of the DPD method for measuring chlorine in water. Dr. Palin, an official advisor to the American Water Works Association, was also responsible for what the Manual of British Water Engineering Practice calls one of the key historical developments -- the fact "that breakpoint chlorination was first used in England at the City of Coventry in 1943"...
• ICS creates wastewater solution for OHSU medical building -- Intelligent Community Services (ICS) -- a Beaverton, OR-based corporation specializing in niche utility solutions, commercial and residential system integration, and infrastructure design and implementation -- is providing an innovative wastewater treatment for the new South Waterfront Medical Office Building of Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU). ICS is designing, building, and permitting a membrane bioreactor (MBR) wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) within the 400,000-sq.-ft. medical office building and laboratory. This is the first of two OHSU buildings to be served by the Membrane Bio-Reactor WWTP. The two medical office buildings will be connected to OHSU's main campus, located on the hill to the west, by tram...
• Efficiency Technologies Inc. enters license agreement with Garratt-Callahan Co. -- TULSA, OK, June 21, 2006 -- Efficiency Technologies Inc. (EffTec), a wholly-owned subsidiary of American Resource Management Inc., announced that it has entered into a licensing agreement with Garratt-Callahan Company. Garratt-Callahan Company will offer EffTec's EffTrack™ chiller efficiency tool to its customers nationwide.
Also see:
-- "EffTrac centrifugal chiller energy efficiency software case studies"
-- "Municipal utility saves $500,000 in equipment replacement cost with Garratt-Callahan formula 1014-1 for corrosion control"
• E.ON Benelux purchases Itron's MetrixIDR Retail --
SPOKANE, WA, June 21, 2006 -- Itron, a leading technology provider and critical source of knowledge to the global energy and water industries, announced today the sale of its MetrixIDR Retail forecasting software to E.ON Benelux Energy B.V. E.ON Benelux provides utility service to customers the Netherlands and Belgium, and is part of the E.ON Group, the third-largest energy provider in Europe. Its power stations have a total capacity of 1,850 megawatts. After evaluating several different possible forecasting tools, E.ON Benelux chose Itron's energy forecasting software. MetrixIDR generates sub-hourly, hourly or daily energy forecasts for lists of delivery points or portfolios of electric and gas retail customers. By combining historical load data with weather and calendar information, it provides forecasters the ability to create forecast models for a large number of customers, manage a changing customer base, and monitor forecast-accuracy over time. This can help utilities enhance operations, ensure revenue and reduce operational costs...
Also see: "Xcel Energy, Progress Energy win 2006 Edison Award: Itron partners with both utilities on award-winning projects"
• EPA awards ICF International US$32 million contract -- ; Firm to administer EPA Region 9 Environmental Services Assistance Team Program -- FAIRFAX, VA, June 21, 2006 -- ICF International announced today that it was awarded a two-year contract with a potential five-year extension, valued at up to US$32 million, by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to manage the Region 9 Environmental Services Assistance Team (ESAT) program. Under the contract, ICF will provide on-site analytical support to the EPA at its Regional Laboratory in Richmond, CA...
• Ofwat takes hard line on Thames Water's failure to achieve leakage target -- BIRMINGHAM, UK, June 21, 2006 -- Responding to today's announcement by Thames Water that it has failed to achieve its leakage target for 2005-06, Ofwat said: "We view as very serious Thames Water's significant failure to achieve its leakage target for 2005-06 by 34 Ml/d. This follows its failure to achieve its 2004-05 target by a smaller margin of 10 Ml/d. Given its current leakage performance we are concerned that the company may not meet future leakage targets or its security of supply commitments." Thames Water's leakage targets were 860 Megaliters per day (Ml/d) for 2005-06 and 905 Ml/d for 2004-05. A Megaliter is the equivalent of one million litres. It would take 2.5 megaliters of water to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool...
Also see:
-- "Defra - Water Saving Group outlines progress on action plan on long term water supply"
-- "Ofwat consults on Agbar's acquisition of Bristol Water"
-- "Ofwat proposes financial penalty on Severn Trent Water for customer services failures"
-- "Yorkshire Water pleads guilty to charge of supplying water unfit for human consumption"
• UN commission signs unprecedented water accord with Republic of Korea -- NEW YORK, June 20, 2006 -- The United Nations regional commission for development in Asia today announced it had reached an historical agreement with the national water utility of the Republic of Korea to promote regional cooperation in water resources and risk management in natural disasters. In the resulting Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) and the Korea Water Resources Corporation (K-water) agreed to identify opportunities for direct investment and training related to water resources within the region. The agreement, which was signed by Kim Hak-Su and K-water president Kwak Kyul-ho at the commission's headquarters in Bangkok, also covers regional risk management to reduce the impact of disasters such as floods, droughts, typhoons in the Asia-Pacific region...
• 'Storing Water' premiers on KCET July 9; Fourth in 'California's Water' series -- SACRAMENTO, CA, June 20, 2006 -- "Storing Water," the fourth episode of the "California's Water" public television series produced by Huell Howser, is set to air July 9 at 7:30 p.m. on KCET and will then be available statewide on PBS stations. Check your local listings for details. The segment, sponsored by MWH Americas Inc., focuses on surface water reservoirs and the multiple roles these man-made structures play in providing flood control, hydroelectricity, water supply, water quality improvements, recreation, and other benefits. It takes viewers to Shasta Dam, the state's largest reservoir, and the Coleman fish hatchery, the largest salmon hatchery in the contiguous 48 U.S. states, which uses water released from Shasta. The segment also looks at more recent off-stream storage reservoirs built in the last 10 years, like Diamond Valley and Los Vaqueros reservoirs, which are designed to meet a variety of needs...
• Robbins & Myers to deploy software to streamline engineering automation, improve fulfillment at Moyno -- Leading equipment manufacturer chooses RuleStream to automate complex engineering processes for custom products -- WAKEFIELD, MA, June 20, 2006 -- RuleStream Corp., leading provider of knowledge and decision management solutions to the discrete manufacturing industries, announced that Robbins & Myers Inc has selected RuleStream software to streamline engineering processes, increase quotation accuracy and improve customer response time. Robbins & Myers' Moyno division is a leading innovator and manufacturer of progressing cavity pumps, grinders and pump systems...
• Siemens maintains leadership in U.S., global patents -- Intellectual Property Owners Association ranks German company ninth in U.S. patents granted in 2005 -- NEW YORK, June 21, 2006 -- The Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO) ranked Siemens ninth on its list of top U.S. patent owners in 2005 Siemens was granted 1,345 U.S. patents last year in key infrastructure areas such as healthcare, transportation, energy, water, automation and business technologies. Globally, Siemens was the third largest applicant in 2005 for "international patent applications" via the PCT filing system of the World International Patent Organization (WIPO). The European Patent Office (EPO) also again ranked it as Germany's largest patent applicant and Europe's second largest patent applicant for 2005. Siemens develops 34 new inventions every business day. Among the patents it was awarded in the past year was one for Siemens water technology company, USFilter, for a new method of treating wastewater that will help reduce chemicals needed to treat and clean wastewater and lower treatments plant operating costs...
• CH2M HILL receives Singapore Regional Headquarters Award -- DENVER, June 20, 2006 -- Colorado-based CH2M Hill, a global full-service engineering and construction firm announced June 16 it received the prestigious Regional Headquarters Award from the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB). CH2M Hill has been in Singapore for 10 years, serving as its regional headquarters to support its expansion plans in the region. The company aims to double its Singapore staff to more than 300 over the next five years...
Also see:
-- "CH2M Hill picks Singapore as springboard for Asian expansion"
-- "CH2M Hill hosts ribbon cutting ceremony for new Shanghai office"
-- "CH2M Hill earns two top rankings in ENR Engineering News annual listing - Top Program Managers, Top Construction Managers-for-Fee"
• CONTECH Stormwater Solutions names New England stormwater consultant -- John Stiver will be responsible for Maine, New Hampshire and
Massachusetts -- WEST CHESTER, OH, June 20, 2006 -- CONTECH Stormwater Solutions Inc. announces that John Stiver, P.E., is now the Stormwater Consultant for Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. In this role, Stiver will help customers meet their water quality goals by providing cost-effective stormwater and detention/retention technologies that meet regulatory requirements. Stiver joined CONTECH Stormwater Solutions in 2000 as a consultant in California. A Certified Professional in Storm Water Quality, he has also taken a leading role in building product awareness and relationships with engineers, contractors and regulators in the south eastern United States where regulations are still evolving.
• EWA celebrates its silver jubilee - 25 years for European water protection -- HENNEF, Germany, June 20, 2006 -- European Water Association celebrates silver jubilee this month. The association was founded on June 22, 1981, after a meeting at Munich's international trade fair IFAT with delegates from 11 national associations in Europe decided to exchange their experience and knowledge through an international association. Initially, it was an independent organization and at that time was known as the European Water Pollution Control Association (EWPCA). On Nov. 6, the EWA will hold a jubilee ceremony at the Representation of the Free State of Bavaria to the EU. The influential EWA Brussels Conference on European Water Management Policy will take place on Nov. 7...
• Amiantit's Indian joint venture wins $22.5 million in contracts to supply pipe systems for oil refineries, power projects and tank systems for petroleum retail outlets -- 90% sales growth forecast for 2006 due to India's huge demand for GRP pipe systems and storage tanks -- DAMMAM, Saudi Arabia, June 20, 2006 -- Amiantit Fiberglass Industries India Ltd. (AFIIL), Saudi Arabian Amiantit Co.'s joint venture in partnership with the Salgaocar Group of Goa, India, said the record forecast is driven by India's booming industrial sector. Orders from two of India's leading oil refineries highlight the type of large scale contracts that AFIIL is winning. In March AFIIL completed a $6.5 million contract from Essar Oil for engineering, supply and installation supervision of glass reinforced plastic (GRP) pipes for the sea water intake and outfall system at its upcoming refinery in Vadinar, Gujarat. The project started in October 2005 and was finished to the client's satisfaction in only six months. This has been followed by an even bigger order from India's largest petrochemicals and refining company which specified Amiantit GRP pipes for its sea water intake and outfall system. Worth $10 million, this supply contract is for a complete system and is to be completed within 2006. In addition, an order valued at $2.5 million for GRP intake pipes for a 2x125 MW power plant has been received. AFIIL has also been awarded new orders worth $3.5 million for the supply of double wall GRP underground fuel storage tanks to Dutch oil major, Shell India which has a license to open 2,000 retail outlets. Amiantit's Goa plant is the world's biggest manufacturer of GRP single and double wall storage tanks and previously received the world's largest ever order for 5,000 single wall GRP underground fuel storage tanks from Reliance, the first 2000 of which were delivered in the record time of only nine months...
• American Galvanizers Association names 2006 Galvanize the Future scholarship winners -- CENTENNIAL, CO, June 20, 2006 -- The American Galvanizers Association (AGA) recently announced the winners of the 2006 Galvanize the Future essay contest. Nearly 70 entries were received from architecture and engineering students across North America. The first place award and winner of $2,500 was Andrew Lynch, an 18-year-old mechanical engineering student at the University of Kentucky-Lexington. His precise writing style, technical voice, and research of the galvanized coating earned him the top prize...
• Chemical makers ordered to pay $178 million for contaminating water -- FRESNO, CA, June 19, 2006 -- Three chemical manufacturers were ordered to pay the city of Modesto $178 million for contaminating its water with suspected carcinogens. Jurors in San Francisco Superior Court found the companies acted with malice because they failed to tell dry cleaners how to use the chemicals perchloroethylene or trichloroethylene without harming the environment, according to the Associated Press. The jury levied more than $175 million in punitive damages and $3.2 million in actual damages for groundwater contamination. Vulcan Materials Co. was ordered to pay $100 million in punitive damages, Dow Chemical Co. was ordered to pay $75 million and RR Street & Co. Inc. to pay $75,000. Pittsburgh-based PPG Industries and Occidental Chemical Corporation, of Dallas, were ordered to contribute to the $3.2 million awarded in compensatory damages. Modesto filed the lawsuit in San Francisco Superior Court in December 1998, but the case didn't go to trial until February...
Also see:
-- "Dow says it will vigorously contest Modesto verdict in both trial and appellate courts"
-- "What's driving municipal membrane filtration growth"
-- "Calif. DWR recommends $21.5 million in water desalination grants, schedules public workshop"
• North Dakota's EERC signs UAE agreement for Mid-East environmental opportunities -- GRAND FORKS, ND, June 14, 2006 -- The Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) at the University of North Dakota and the EERC Foundation announced today they have signed a memorandum of understanding with the United Eastern Group of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to jointly pursue business opportunities in the Middle East. UAE is one of the most prosperous countries in the Middle East located between Saudi Arabia and Oman on the Persian Gulf. Once initial research projects are established, the ultimate goal is to create a complimentary facility to the EERC in the UAE. In partnership with the United Eastern Group, the EERC and the EERC Foundation will develop, operate, and transfer their unique market-driven business model and provide the technical expertise to the new UAE Energy & Environmental Innovation Centers. The centers will research, develop, demonstrate, and commercialize sustainable energy, environmental, and water technologies....
• $18 million 'Smart Water' centre in the pipeline for Australian university -- A smart water facility to be built at Griffith University will develop innovative solutions to Queensland's growing water supply challenges -- SOUTHPORT, Queensland, Australia, June 14, 2006 -- The Queensland Smart Water Research Facility will be based at Griffith's Gold Coast campus and will bring together scientists, water authorities and cutting-edge water technology companies under the one roof. Research will focus on sustainable water supplies, safeguarding water quality and exploring alternative water sources. Queensland Premier Peter Beattie and Minister for State Development, Trade and Innovation, Anna Bligh, announced the $10 million [US$7.33 million] Smart State Innovation Building Fund grant. Griffith University and Gold Coast City Council will contribute $4 million each [US$2.93 million] to create the $18 million [US$13.19 million], state of the art facility...
• Beijing's planned water supply faces pollution threat -- BEIJING, China, June 14, 2006 -- Beijing's future water resources are already under threat from pollution. The source of the problem is a river over a thousand kilometers from the capital originating in central China's Shaanxi Province. The Han River flows 600 kilometers east to the Danjiangkou Reservoir, which, in five years time, will contain 33.9 billion cubic meters of water to cater to the needs of thirsty Beijing, Tianjin and parts of Hebei Province, all in north China. The Han River contributes over 70 percent of the reservoir's water, so any changes of its quality or volume would have a direct bearing on drinking water of the nation's capital...
Also see: "Seventy percent of Huaihe's main tributaries seriously polluted"
• Sanyo Electric, Institut Technologi Bandung to collaborate on water purification R&D -- TOKYO, Japan, June 13, 2006 -- Sanyo Electric has agreed with Indonesia's Institut Technologi Bandung (ITB) to collaborate in the research and development of aquaoasis, a water purification solution for household use. ITB is an engineering college and a leading authority of water quality research in Indonesia where the coverage of the water supply system is about 40% even in urban areas. Under this collaboration, the two partners will strive to develop a system that will be able to supply clean water to households in areas where no supply of reliable water (good enough to drink) is available. Specifically, Sanyo will be in charge of development and sales of the new system while ITB will be responsible for performance evaluation and analysis. The partners have already begun testing the new system with the aim of commercializatino by this fall...
• World Bank provides $110M for water resources development, disease reduction in Senegal River Basin -- WASHINGTON, DC, June 8, 2006 -- The World Bank Board of Executive Directors approved three International Development Association (IDA) credits and one grant in the amount of US$110 million to support the development of water resources in the four riparian countries of the Senegal River Basin. The three countries that received IDA credits are Mali ($30.08 million), Mauritania ($31.78 million) and Senegal ($30.08 million) while Guinea received an IDA grant of $18.04 million. Part of the funding will be used to fight water-related diseases, notably malaria and schistosomiasis -- which are two of the most severe health problems affecting those living in the river basin...
Also see:
-- "Guinea-Bissau: World Bank supports program to rehabilitate national infrastructure"
-- "Global Environment Facility Appoints New CEO: Monique Barbut Chosen after International Search"
-- "Afghanistan: World Bank supports water, agriculture sectors"
• H2O Innovation concludes agency agreement with WATCO, wins contract in UAE -- QUEBEC CITY, Canada, June 6, 2006 -- H2O Innovation 2000 Inc. is pleased to announce the signature of an agency agreement with Water Technologies & Contracting Company S.A.E. (WATCO), an Egyptian company active in water and wastewater treatment such as desalination, disinfection, softening, as well as biological and chemical treatments, mainly in Egypt and in the United Arab Emirates. Following the signature of this agency agreement, H2O wins its first contract throughout its agent WATCO: a project of US$140,000 dedicated to Abu Dhabi. The impressive development of luxurious hotel complexes all along the Red Sea represents the main market that WATCO and H2O are aiming at. WATCO will be an exclusive agent of H2O's products in the territory...
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In earlier newsbriefs, see: "WaterBriefs: New record set for low energy use in desalination with Filmtec membranes" -- Also in this report (June 19, 2006): Severn Trent executive authors chapter in new marketing book; Sen. Lieberman lauds AbTech filtration technology to clean urban runoff; SecureWave passes 1.5 million license mark; Just-acquired Engelhard touts developing nations work; Global water treatment equipment, supplies market analyzed to 2010; Preservation Sciences presents Navy test results at MegaRust 2006; Now part of Linde AG, BOC pushes science, new contracts; Intelligent pump systems driving force for mature European market; YSI instruments chosen for WEFTEC's Operations Challenge; Reedy Creek Improvement District picks ArcFM; ISCO opens Alberta distribution site; NanoLogix files for six patent on hydrogen bioreactors advances; ADA Technologies shoots for $1M arsenic-reduction prize; Alfa Laval pulls in Mid-East LNG heat exchanger order; USW decries more Teflon chemical in N.J. drinking water; Ark. utility places order with Nighthawk Systems; Altair Nanotechnologies CEO testifies to Senate committee; Ind. firm wins $270K in small business environmental contracts; EPA cites Lanxess; JohnsonDiversey to remove APEOs; BSI2000 announces homeland security sale; Jordan Valley secures big order for new semiconductor systems; TTCM China outlines six wastewater projects worth $25.5M; Congressman announces $2M for NanoDynamics in Buffalo; JMAR receives BioSentry order from Princess Cruises...
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