In other news below, see:
-- WEF launches new, improved website
-- Registrations open for national water tasting contest
-- ISS Inc. enhances SCADA to better secure national infrastructure
-- ENSR online seminar covers MON MACT compliance strategies, deadlines
-- Baker wins planning, GIT IDIQ contract for Savannah Corps of Engineers
Skanska wins contracts in Atlanta, NYC valued at over $100M
STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Aug. 24, 2005 (waterindustry.org) -- Skanska reported Aug. 16 that it was awarded the contract for construction of a new combined sewer overflow plant in Atlanta valued at US$47 million and Aug. 9 that it was hired to upgrade the 26th Ward Water Pollution Control Plant in Brooklyn in New York, a contract worth US$60 million.
Atlanta's West Area Combined Sewer Overflow Treatment Plant is being constructed to improve treatment of sewage and storm water in west Atlanta.
Skanska will be carrying out large-scale civil engineering work, including basins and landscaping work, as well as constructing the buildings to house the facility's control and operations centers. The project also includes extensive installations of process equipment, piping and electrical and regulatory systems.
Work will begin in September and is scheduled to be completed in the end of 2007. It will have a capacity of 322,000 cubic meters per day (85 mgd) and will be linked to the West Area Tunnel, a planned reservoir designed to handle high flows of storm water.
The treatment plant will be constructed by Skanska USA Civil's unit Atlantic Skanska, which within the last year has secured three water treatment plant projects in the Greater Atlanta area, with a combined value of $103 million.
Atlantic Skanska is based in Atlanta and is engaged in civil engineering construction projects in the southeastern U.S.
The N.Y. project will update equipment and modernize the facility to increase its reliability and enable it to meet regulatory requirements.
The scope of work covers upgrading of all stages in the treatment process, including replacement of pumps, valves, fans and piping, as well as repairs to basins and tanks. Also included in the contract are control rooms, a power substation and a building for chemicals handling, as well as the installation of control and regulatory equipment.
Work is scheduled to begin immediately and be completed in May 2008. Skanska USA Civil's Gottlieb Skanska operating unit will lead the project, which will be carried out jointly with Slattery Skanska.
This is Skanska's fourth major environmental project in New York during the past few years. Skanska was recently contracted to construct a water quality facility in Brooklyn (US$136 million) and is currently carrying out major expansions of two wastewater treatment plants - the North River Water Pollution Control Plant (US$46.6 million) and the wastewater plant at Newtown Creek, for which Skanska's share of the contract amounts to US$222 million.
Skanska USA Civil (www.usacivil.skanska.com) specializes in such infrastructure projects as construction of bridges, highways, power generation and public transit systems as well as water treatment and water pollution control plants. With operations in the eastern US, Colorado and California, the company has some 4,400 employees. Skanska USA Civil posted sales in 2004 of about SEK 12 billion.
[US$1 = SEK 7.6]
Water Environment Federation launches new, improved website
ALEXANDRIA, VA, Aug. 24, 2005 -- The Water Environment Federation (WEF) today announces the launch of its new and improved website, www.wef.org. Designed to be the primary resource for information about water and wastewater issues, the site highlights WEF's mission to preserve and enhance the global water environment through its commitment to educate WEF members, industry professionals, the general public, media and public policy makers.
With a network of 76 member associations in 30 countries, its members are practitioners, scientists and academicians who work to protect public health and ensure sustainable water resources by addressing water quality challenges on a daily basis.
"The Water Environment Federation was created over 75 years ago to continually assess and study the quality of our global water environment," said WEF Executive Director Bill Bertera. "With its timely and relevant information and ease of use, this new website will serve as a definitive resource for those interested in learning more about water and the role they play in its preservation."
WEF launched its newly designed and restructured Website to meet the growing demand for information on water quality issues including water reuse, groundwater depletion and global sanitation needs, among others. Highlights of the site include:
-- Better visual and structural navigation
-- A more accurate and feature-reach Search function
-- A consolidated Marketplace for online purchases
-- A daily updated News Center
-- Premium content for WEF members
Information is organized within five focus areas: public education; government affairs and global policy development; training and professional development; publications and technical information; and membership and career information. Other highlights include discussion forums, links to other water quality/environmental websites, information about WEFTEC®, WEF projects, co-sponsored events and an extensive job bank and resource center.
Founded in 1928, the Water Environment Federation is a not-for-profit technical and educational organization with members from varied disciplines who work toward the WEF vision of preservation and enhancement of the global water environment.
Registrations open for national water tasting contest
BERKELEY SPRINGS, WV, Aug. 24, 2005 -- It's time, once again, to plan for the Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting. The 16th annual event welcomes more than one hundred waters from across the country and around the globe on Saturday, Feb. 25. Held in the historic spa town of Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, it is the largest and longest running water tasting competition in the world.
Travel Berkeley Springs is now accepting registrations for the award winning event. Municipalities and bottled water companies are encouraged to enter now at www.berkeleysprings.com/water.
Water can be entered in five categories: Municipal, Bottled Non-carbonated, Purified Drinking Water, Bottled Sparkling and the People's Choice Package Design. The entry deadline is Jan. 15, 2006.
"Water: Our Legacy," the event's seminar, addresses industry issues on Friday, Feb. 24, from 1-5 p.m. Last year's featured speakers included Rick Eades, a geologist with the Canaan Valley Institute, Stephen R. Kay, International Bottled Water Association and J. Scott Shipe, with the American Water Works Association. The seminar is free and open to the public.
All day Saturday, the public will have an opportunity to vote for the People's Choice award for best packaging. They will also be able to taste water along with the distinguished panel of media judges.
Watermaster Arthur von Wiesenberger, noted expert and author from Santa Barbara, CA, directs the challenge of evaluating a product where tastelessness is the most sought after quality. The unique event, dubbed the "granddaddy of water tastings," by von Wiesenberger, is held at Coolfont Resort. Produced by Travel Berkeley Springs, it is free and open to the public.
Past judges include representatives from Spa Magazine, USA Today and USA Weekend Magazine, Washington Post and Times, Southern Living and Canada House and Garden Magazines, National Geographic Channel and Books, the Baltimore Sun and the Philadelphia Inquirer. The event was featured on a National Geographic Today television special and was selected as one of Southeast Tourism Society's Top 20 Events for February 2003.
The water tasting weekend begins on Thursday, Feb. 23, with preliminary tastings at Coolfont. Special events and activities continue everywhere in Morgan County through Sunday, Feb. 26.
Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting is the crown jewel of the award-winning Winter Festival of the Waters which features three months of special activities, sales, and accommodation packages. For more information and a free calendar of events, call Travel Berkeley Springs 800-447-8797 or check www.berkeleysprings.com winner of the Stars of Industry award for best Website at the 2000 Governor's Conference on Tourism.
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ISS Inc. enhances SCADA to better secure national infrastructure
ATLANTA, Aug. 24, 2005 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Internet Security Systems Inc. (ISS) announced it is offering customers increased protection for SCADA systems. SCADA, which stands for supervisory control and data acquisition, is the control system used to run most utilities, including electricity and water, as well as transportation infrastructure.
The disruption of SCADA networks can cause large-scale black-outs, loss of water supply and the halting of major transportation systems, making them an attractive target for hackers and terrorists. In addition to improving the overall security landscape for customers, ISS' SCADA protection will help power companies comply with the recently signed energy bill, which allows the federal government to enforce new cyber security standards at these companies.
"Eighty-five to ninety percent of our nation's critical information systems are owned by the private sector," said Tom Noonan, president and CEO of Internet Security Systems and a founding member of President Bush's National Infrastructure Advisory Council. "It is therefore crucial that utilities organizations and IT vendors work together to close gaps in the security of this infrastructure."
Working in conjunction with SCADA experts like network security consulting firm, Digital Bond, ISS has developed protection algorithms for SCADA protocols in the company's Proventia® Intrusion Prevention Appliances. This new protection builds upon existing ISS prevention capabilities for shielding SCADA systems from a wide variety of Internet and operating system threats. ISS will also continue to offer companies comprehensive SCADA security assessment, design and deployment assistance through its Professional Security Services group, as well as 24/7/365 expert monitoring and management through its Managed Security Services group.
"We are pleased that Internet Security Systems is incorporating SCADA intelligence, related to tools we developed under a Department of Homeland Security research contract, into its overall offerings," said Dale Peterson, lead researcher on Digital Bond's SCADA IDS research project. "Due to their inherent vulnerabilities, it is critical that special attention be placed on the security of SCADA protocols."
Most SCADA systems being used today were developed many years ago, before businesses became dependant on computers and the Internet, and were therefore not developed with online security in mind. As SCADA systems are increasingly being connected to the Internet in order to increase operational efficiency and allow for remote access, ISS cautions that security concerns will continue to rise.
"At ISS, we've been consulting with major utilities companies for years in order to assess and help protect against SCADA vulnerabilities," said Ray Gazaway, vice president of Professional Security Services at ISS. "By adding new protection algorithms that are specifically tailored to SCADA protocols to our intrusion prevention products, we are elevating the commitment among the IT security industry to work diligently alongside the government to protect vital components of our national infrastructure against future attacks."
For more details on adequately protecting your organization from SCADA threats, please see the ISS white paper, "Assessment and Remediation of Vulnerabilities in the SCADA and Process Control Systems of Utilities," at: http://documents.iss.net/whitepapers/SCADA.pdf.
Internet Security Systems Inc. (www.iss.net) is the trusted expert to global enterprises and world governments, providing products and services that protect against Internet threats. An established world leader in security since 1994, ISS delivers proven cost efficiencies and reduces regulatory and business risk across the enterprise. ISS products and services are based on the proactive security intelligence conducted by ISS' X-Force® research and development team - the unequivocal world authority in vulnerability and threat research. Headquartered in Atlanta, Internet Security Systems has additional operations throughout the Americas, Asia, Australia, Europe and the Middle East.
ENSR online seminar addresses MON MACT compliance strategies, deadlines
WESTFORD, MA, Aug. 24, 2005 (PRNewswire) -- A new online seminar for US nationwide organic chemical manufacturing facilities is being given by ENSR, a leading nationwide environmental consulting and engineering firm. In the MON MACT regulations, the EPA has identified 208 subject facilities with pressing deadlines for Pre-Compliance Reporting (May 2006) and overall facility Compliance (November 2006).
The Miscellaneous Organic NESHAP (MON) regulates Hazardous Air Pollutant (HAP) emissions from process vents, storage tanks, transfer operations, wastewater sources, leaks, and heat exchanger systems at organic chemical manufacturing facilities -- primarily batch operations not covered under other maximum achievable control technology (MACT) regulations.
ENSR's free online seminar for clients will feature a unique cost-saving multi-disciplinary approach to MON MACT compliance for environmental managers of facilities subject to the regulation. Issues to be addressed include:
• MON MACT compliance requirements and schedules;
• Use of computer simulation or engineering calculations to reduce regulatory demonstration costs;
• Process engineering to identify collection, segregation and control strategies, and options to eliminate or reduce costs for plant modifications and controls;
• Leveraging comprehensive permitting to incorporate existing and future applications and compliance with multiple MACTs;
• Regulatory interpretation and negotiations strategies to maximize exemptions and eliminations to reduce facility time and resource requirements;
• Optimum schedules for testing, reporting, and modifications at your facility.
The online seminar will be held Wednesday, Sept. 14, at 2:00 p.m. ET. Reservations and registration are required by Sept. 6. Please contact Jenn Brown at [email protected] or (978) 589-3088.
ENSR International (www.ensr.com) is a leading environmental services company with 35 years of experience serving industrial and commercial companies and government/municipal agencies from 45 U.S. offices. ENSR is a 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004 Environmental Business Journal award winner.
Baker wins planning, GIT IDIQ contract for Savannah Corps of Engineers
ALEXANDRIA, VA, Aug. 24, 2005 (PRNewswire) -- Michael Baker Jr. Inc., an engineering unit of Michael Baker Corp., announced today the award of a contract from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, to provide master planning and Geospatial Information Technology (GIT) services.
The three-year, $1-million-per-year, Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract directs Baker to provide services to the Savannah District's areas of responsibility in Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. With Baker's strong planning resume and recent GIT success for other Corps Districts, this award positions Baker for transformations of U.S. Army assets and pending Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) activities.
Baker's Joe LaVoie, senior vice president of Federal Programs, said, "Savannah is a leading Corps of Engineers District for military master planning and GIT for the U.S. Army. We are extremely pleased to have been selected to assist them in their mission to enhance military installations in the southeastern U.S."
Michael Baker Corp. (www.mbakercorp.com) provides engineering and operations and maintenance services for its clients' most complex challenges worldwide. The firm's primary practice areas are aviation, environmental, facilities, geospatial information technologies, linear utilities, transportation, water/wastewater, and oil & gas. With more than 4,200 employees in over 40 offices across the United States and internationally, Baker is focused on providing services that span the complete life-cycle of infrastructure and managed asset projects.
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In earlier newsbriefs, see:
-- "WaterBriefs: Tetra Tech awarded $43 million clean water protection contract" -- Also in this report (Aug. 23, 2005): N.H. utility to employ Neptune's field service automation suite; Spartan Environmental appoints Quest as S. Texas representative; Underground Solutions chosen by Clay County, Fla., and Disney World; Itron's new Knowledge Center opens in Oakland; N.J. American Water to enhance water delivery in Gloucester County; PureTech Systems opens new office in Phoenix; Moyno appoints new VP of finance; Vulcan Industries Inc. to close its doors...
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