Kansas City, Mo., Nov. 8, 2001 — For the first time, Binnie Black & Veatch's (BB&V) expertise in both the application of membrane technologies and the planning and design of distribution systems has been rewarded with two prestigious research projects by AWWA Research Foundation (AWWARF), which is sponsored by some 1,000 U.S. and international water utilities.
The two projects, one on membrane filtration in water treatment, and the other on the implications of retention time on water quality in distribution systems, will be managed by BB&V, part of parent company, Black & Veatch, the US-based global engineering, construction and consulting firm. Black & Veatch has completed many research projects for AWWARF over the years.
For both projects BB&V has assembled integrated teams of international experts from utilities, vendors and universities.
"One of the reasons we won this project was because of our expertise in membrane plant design and integration," said Jonathan Pressdee of BB&V, who will lead the membrane project team as principal investigator and project manager. "The utilities that are participating in this study reflect the international interest in membrane technology for drinking water treatment."
The countries represented by the nine participating utilities and 10 water plants include the U.S., the Netherlands, Belgium, France and the UK.
He added: "Our research findings will be a complete assessment of the water industry's experience with the integration of membranes into existing treatment plants. It will provide the global water industry, especially utility management, engineers, regulators and operations staff, with a practical and easily accessible tool kit which will enhance the industry's knowledge base and understanding of all aspects of membrane integration."
Other members of the membrane project team are Dr Holly Shorney of Black & Veatch's Europe Division, Dr Jan Peter van der Hoek of Amsterdam Water Supply and Dr Srinivas Veerapaneni of Black & Veatch, Kansas City. They will serve as co-principal investigators to provide technical direction for the global nature of the project.
The second project will provide a better understanding of how to improve water quality by managing retention time in distribution systems. The project team will evaluate methodologies, protocols and tools available for analyzing age-related water quality parameters and will make recommendations for the best practice application of these tools.
Malcolm Brandt of BB&V, the principal investigator and project manager on the retention time project, is supported by co-principal investigators, Alan Hess of Black & Veatch, who has 15 years utilities operations experience, and by Dr David Holt, the Thames Water Utilities R&D manager responsible for the company's water quality research management program. BB&V is undertaking the project in association with Thames Water Utilities.
"The quality of water in distribution is affected by the time water is allowed to reside within the network of pipes and storage," said Brandt. "Because the impact of retention time on water quality is so important for compliance, public health and customer satisfaction, the water industry has recently focused on developing a better understanding of the subject. The purpose of this research is to establish the feasibility of managing retention time to control water quality."
He added: "We have assembled a 15-strong core team, including academics and utilities staff. Ten utilities will provide current experience and system data and evaluate analysis methodologies, protocols and tools devised through the project."
Frank Rogalla, Redhill-based head of Proteus, Black & Veatch's global water and wastewater process team, said: "Having a UK-led team win two projects sponsored by AwwaRF, mainly financed by US utilities, illustrates the success of our approach: bringing together teams of international experts from various origins to combine ideas into new, creative solutions."
About Black & Veatch
Binnie Black & Veatch is a specialist in total project delivery in civil and process engineering, managing major environmental infrastructure projects in the UK, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Central and South East Asia and India.
For more information on BB&V, visit the company's Web site at www.bbv-ltd.com
BB&V is a subsidiary of Black & Veatch, a global engineering, construction and consulting firm specializing in infrastructure development in the fields of energy, water and information.
Founded in 1915, Black & Veatch serves its clients with conceptual and preliminary engineering services, engineering design, procurement, construction, financial management, asset management, information technology, environmental and management consulting services.
Headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., USA, the employee-owned company has more than 90 offices worldwide. Black & Veatch is ranked 63rd on the Forbes "500 Top Private Companies in the U.S." listing for 2000. With revenues of $2.4 billion in 2000, Black & Veatch employs 9,000 professionals worldwide and serves clients in more than 100 countries on six continents. The company's Web site address is: www.bv.com.
About American Water Work Association
For additional information about the American Water Works Association Research Foundation, visit www.AwwaRF.com.
