• Water treatment plant to be South Dakota's largest ultrafiltration membrane facility
TREVOSE, PA, April 8, 2010 -- The Mid-Dakota Rural Water System faced a major challenge when it decided to increase the water treatment capacity at its plant north of Pierre, S.D. Due to the poor soil conditions at the site, expanding the operations with conventional treatment technology was not feasible. The water district turned to GE's ZeeWeed* advanced filtration technology for a solution.
The ZeeWeed immersed membrane technology was used to retrofit the existing filter cells at the plant. Under the contract, GE will supply four trains of ZeeWeed-1000 immersed membranes, which is expected to increase the water treatment plant's drinking water capacity from 9 million gallons per day (MGD) to 13.5 MGD. Once the project is completed in November of 2011, the Miller water treatment plant will be the largest ultrafiltration membrane facility in the state.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), South Dakota uses about 500 MGD, and approximately 54 percent of this water comes from ground water and 46 percent from surface water. The biggest water uses in the state are irrigation and public supply. According to the USGS report, there has been an increase in the number of people obtaining water for household purposes from public water systems and a decrease in the number of people using private wells.
"We were searching for a reliable and efficient way to increase our supply of drinking water," said Kurt Pfeifle, general manager of the Mid-Dakota Rural Water System Inc. "We're very pleased that GE is able to supply a technology solution that meets our requirements."
GE's innovative ZeeWeed membrane technology uses immersed hollow-fiber membranes to separate particles from water using microscopic pores. This technology produces high quality drinking water by removing virtually all harmful pathogens and suspended solids. ZeeWeed membrane technology is an approved product under ecomagination, GE's corporate-wide initiative to solve tough environmental challenges such as abundant sources of clean water, cleaner, more efficient sources of energy and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
"This water treatment project, the first for GE in South Dakota, is a great example of how membrane technology can be used for plant expansions," said Steve Watzeck, president of engineered systems -- water & process technologies for GE Power & Water.
ZeeWeed is an advanced filtration technology that separates particles, bacteria and viruses from water or wastewater. Nearly 1,000 plants worldwide use this technology to produce superior quality drinking water and to meet or exceed stringent wastewater treatment and water reuse standards.
* Trademark of General Electric Company; may be registered in one or more countries.About GE
GE (NYSE: GE) is a diversified infrastructure, finance and media company taking on the world's toughest challenges. From aircraft engines and power generation to financial services, health care solutions, and television programming, GE operates in more than 100 countries and employs about 300,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.ge.com.
GE serves the energy sector by developing and deploying technology that helps make efficient use of natural resources. With nearly 85,000 global employees and 2009 revenues of $37 billion, GE Energy www.ge.com/energy is one of the world's leading suppliers of power generation and energy delivery technologies. The businesses that comprise GE Energy -- GE Power & Water, GE Energy Services and GE Oil & Gas -- work together to provide integrated product and service solutions in all areas of the energy industry including coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear energy; renewable resources such as water, wind, solar and biogas; and other alternative fuels.
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