BOYNTON BEACH, FL, July 26, 2005 -- A new reverse-osmosis (RO) desalination system, supplied by Aquious -- Water Equipment Technologies (WET), is now online at the Five Forks Groundwater Treatment Facility in James City County, Va. The plant provides nearly two million gallons a day (2.0 mgd) of potable water. The output is blended with water from other sources so the facility is able to provide county residents and businesses with a total of 2.5 mgd. Designed and built for easy expansion, the facility is expected to satisfy the area's water needs until at least 2013, at the current growth rate. Aquious is the advanced liquid separation unit of ITT Industries.
The Five Forks Groundwater Treatment Facility, designed and engineered by Buchart Horn Inc. and WATEK Engineering Corp., contains five on-site wells that draw brackish water from the Middle and Lower Potomac Aquifers. During the desalination process, the brackish well water is forced, under high pressure through a semi-permeable reverse-osmosis membrane leaving behind salt and minerals. From every gallon drawn from the wells, the system yields 0.8 gallon of potable water. The remaining 0.2 gallon of concentrate is then discharged into the James River via a 12-inch underground pipeline. This concentrate discharge does not adversely affect the quality of water in the James River.
Aquious-WET provided four RO modules or "trains", each capable of producing up to one million gallons per day (MGD) for a total of 4.0 MGD. Two trains are fully piped and operating, while the other two are available for plant expansion. County officials decided to purchase all four trains immediately, so they would be assured of having identical equipment when Phase II of the Five Forks project doubles plant capacity around 2010.
In addition to the RO units, Aquious-WET provided the variable frequency drives for the submersible well pumps, and a pilot unit to be used for the testing of membrane options and pre-treatment and post-treatment chemicals. Aquious-WET has also supplied the instrumentation, controls, computer-programming services for the plant wide SCADA system from well head to potable water distribution.
Michael D. Vergakis, chief engineer of water services for James City Service Authority (JCSA) said the County is pleased with the design and performance of the equipment supplied by Aquious-WET. "Although we have only been running the plant a short time, and we are still working through start-up and completing punch-list items," he comments, "the plant is running every bit as well as we had hoped it would run. JCSA is looking forward to a long-term relationship with Aquious for support of the existing plant, as well as the Phase II Expansion. In fact, we are exploring options for moving forward ahead of schedule on the expansion."
"With our own manufacturing facility and in-house research and development group," explains Jorg Menningmann, General Manager of Aquious-WET, "we are able to engineer filtration materials and systems that exactly match the customer's application requirements. Expertise in systems design, installation, commissioning, training and technical support services are the cornerstones to our commitment to our customers and our continued success."
Aquious-Water Equipment Technologies (http://wetpurewater.com), a unit of ITT Industries, is a world leader in the design, manufacture and installation of seawater and brackish water reverse osmosis (RO) systems. Designed to perform in harsh and corrosive environments, these systems are reliable and durable in even the most demanding applications. Aquious-WET systems are used in a variety of ways on 5 continents. Their applications range from industrial use in textile plants, food processing and beverage plants to providing potable water in hotels and private developments.
ITT Industries Inc. (www.itt.com) supplies advanced technology products and services in key markets including: fluid and water management; defense communication, information technology and services; electronic components; and other specialty products. With headquarters in White Plains, N.Y., the company generated $6.8 billion in 2004 sales.
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