Black & Veatch to improve Hong Kong water supply reliability

• Expansion will triple plant capacity and create new jobs

HONG KONG SAR, June 24, 2009 -- The Hong Kong SAR Water Supplies Department has selected Black & Veatch for a large expansion project at the Tai Po Water Treatment Works. Black & Veatch will design and oversee construction of the project that will improve water reliability for the area's approximately 7 million residents.

Tai Po Water Treatment Works, Hong Kong.

"This expansion will more than triple the capacity of the water treatment works, providing up to 800 million liters per day of reliable water supply to the people of Hong Kong," said Alan Man, Vice President and leader of Black & Veatch's Hong Kong water business. "In addition, the Water Supplies Department estimates this project will create approximately 2,100 jobs in the local construction industry."

"This project further strengthens Black & Veatch's position as a leader in water and wastewater in Hong Kong," said Ralph Eberts, Senior Managing Director of Black & Veatch's Asia Pacific water business. "Tai Po Water Treatment Works is an innovative and essential part of the area's water infrastructure and represents our commitment to providing sustainable water solutions to the people of Hong Kong."

The existing Black & Veatch-designed facility was completed in 2005 and sits on a steep hillside location. The company's innovative design took advantage of the slope and height of the location, stacking the plant's layout based on successive water treatment stages. In addition, Black & Veatch used space-saving technologies to ensure that planned expansions could be confined within the small footprint. The design was recognized internationally when it received the International Water Association's prestigious Global Grand Prize in 2006.

Technical Notes:

• The project will expand the water treatment work's capacity from 250 million liters per day (MLD) to 800 MLD
• The original design of the water treatment works accommodates local Fung Shui requirements to ensure the facility is in tune with the environment
• The hillside site measures approximately 300 by 400 meters (990 by 1,320 feet)
• The facility was the first major treatment works in Hong Kong to use space-efficient dissolved air flotation for water clarification
• It represents one of the largest installations of aerated biological filtration for ammonia removal in the world, significantly reducing chlorine usage

Black & Veatch is a leading global engineering, consulting and construction company specializing in infrastructure development in energy, water, telecommunications, management consulting, federal and environmental markets.

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