WaterBriefs: Aqua New Jersey unveils new water treatment plant using UV technology

In other news below:
-- WEF Wastewater Security Workshop schedule released
-- DistribuTECH 2007 opens call for papers
-- Wilo EMU launches nationwide pump and mixer service on 24/7 basis
-- Nearly 4,000 power plant air pollution projects planned or under custruction
-- ITT becomes gold sponsor of Aquatech Amsterdam
-- Quebec city picks Bentley water software to integrate data from diverse networks
-- PUC Staff Report: Nashua's plan to take Pennichuck not in public interest
-- Bottled Water: More than just a story about sales growth
-- MHI to replace steam generators for Belgium's Electrabel Doel nuclear power plant
-- Public meeting held on draft environmental report for proposed Lake Perris projects

Aqua New Jersey unveils state-of-the-art water treatment plant using UV technology
PHILLIPSBURG, NJ, April 14, 2006 -- State and local officials joined representatives of Aqua New Jersey Inc. on March 24 for a ribbon-cutting ceremony and presentation at a new $2.6 million water treatment facility that supplies drinking water for Phillipsburg and Lopatcong, Pohatcong and Greenwich townships. Construction began last summer on state-of-the-art water treatment facility that employs ultraviolet (UV) light treatment to enhance water quality for approximately 10,600 Aqua customers. The new plant is capable of treating 10.5 mgd and is the first in New Jersey to employ UV disinfection for this particular type of application. The facility's UV disinfection system requires no added chemicals and is a cost-efficient alternative to a traditional filtration plant.

Expected to attend were:
• Aqua America Chairman and CEO Nicholas DeBenedictis
• Aqua New Jersey President and CEO Sharon Schulman
• Phillipsburg Mayor Harry Wyant
• New Jersey Board of Public Utilities Commissioner Connie Hughes
• New Jersey Assemblyman Michael Doherty (invited)
• New Jersey Assemblywoman Marcia Karrow (invited)
• N.J. Department of Environmental Protection Acting Commissioner Lisa Jackson...

• WEF announces no-cost 'Wastewater Security Workshop - 2006 Series' schedule -- ALEXANDRIA, VA, April 14, 2006 -- In 2006, the Water Environment Federation, through a cooperative agreement with EPA, will provide seven 3-day workshops at no-cost in various locations across the U.S. on security and emergency response planning. As a follow-up to the workshops, WEF will provide no-cost webcasts to all attendees as a "refresher" course and an opportunity to ask follow-up questions. Publicly owned water treatment (POTWs) operations treating 2.5 mgd or greater are invited to attend and will be eligible for travel reimbursement. While not required to submit their Vulnerability Assessment (VA) or Emergency Response Plan (ERP) to the EPA, publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) managers and operators are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity to receive no-cost, hands-on training on this important topic. Even if you have participated in a WEF security training in the past, this new program will be of benefit to you as it is equally relevant in preparing for, and responding to, man-made threats or natural disasters...

• DistribuTECH 2007 opens call for papers -- TULSA, OK, April 10, 2006 -- The leading utility industry event encompassing automation and control systems, IT, T&D engineering, power delivery equipment and water utility technology; no other event can provide you with more of the current resources, tools and networking opportunities in today's utility industry than DistribuTECH. DistribuTECH is the one event for all your industry solutions. DistribuTECH 2006 visited beautiful Tampa, on Florida's sunny West coast. From Feb. 7-9, 2006 over 4,000 utility engineers, executives, aggregators, consultants, researchers and other industry insiders gathered to debate automation and control systems, equipment, power delivery, T&D systems and water technology. DistribuTECH 2007 promises to be just as successful as the conference returns to the West Coast Feb. 4-6, 2007. In preparation for DistribuTECH 2007, the call for papers has gone out to interested industry experts. If you would like to submit an abstract for consideration, the form is available online at www.distributech.com...

• Wilo EMU launches nationwide pump and mixer service on 24/7 basis -- THOMASVILLE, GA, April 13, 2006 -- Wilo EMU makes comprehensive 24/7 service available, nationwide. The comprehensive list of services available from the WILO EMU Team includes: on-site testing, repair, rebuilding, maintenance, on-site 24/7 emergency service, an instant loaner program, as well as economical maintenance and service contracts to meet long-term needs...

• Nearly 4,000 power plant air pollution projects planned or under custruction -- NORTHFIELD, IL, April 13, 2006 -- Utilities around-the-world have initiated over 3,800 air pollution control projects for completion within the next eight years. In the McIlvaine online database "Utility Environmental Upgrade Tracking System" and the companion "World Power Generation Projects," McIlvaine identifies these projects for 3,900 existing coal-fired plants and 790 new plants under construction or planning. Nine hundred and fifty boiler units already have scrubbers and another 950 are planned. More than half these planned units are in China and the U.S. However India will also be a major purchaser. There are more than 830 selective catalytic reduction systems in operation (SCR). But more will be added in the next 8 years than are now in place. China has just begun its NOx control program. So it faces the challenge of retrofitting SCR to existing plants and adding SCR for new plants...

• ITT becomes gold sponsor of Aquatech Amsterdam -- 2006 event planned for Sept. 26-29 in Amsterdam RAI -- AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands, April 13, 2006 -- Amsterdam RAI has announced a new partnership with ITT, a world leader in engineering and manufacturing. Under the terms of the agreement, ITT will be the exclusive gold sponsor for this year's edition of Aquatech Amsterdam, the world's leading trade event for process, drinking and wastewater. Aquatech Amsterdam 2006 will be held between 26 and 29 September in the Amsterdam RAI Congress & Exhibition Centre, The Netherlands. The agreement was signed by Bjorn von Euler, ITT corporate communication director, and Ids Boersma, international exhibitions director at Amsterdam RAI. The signing took place symbolically in the Europa hall of the Amsterdam RAI, which will become the focal point for the world's water industry in a few months time...

• City of Trois-Rivieres selects Bentley water resources software to integrate data from diverse networks -- WaterGEMS' and SewerGEMS' interoperability eliminates software incompatibility problems while maintaining data integrity -- EXTON, PA, April 13, 2006 -- Bentley Systems Inc. yesterday announced that the city of Trois-Rivieres, Canada, has selected Bentley's water resources modeling software to support the operation and management of the city's newly consolidated infrastructure. Due to recent mergers among six municipalities in Quebec, the water, sewer, and storm drainage networks of the city of Trois-Rivieres encompass nearly 2,000 kilometers of piping. To successfully operate and manage these independently designed networks as a single massive network, the city needed to: 1) Seamlessly integrate the data from three separate network models and diverse databases, and 2) Develop accurate hydraulic models of the networks in order to meet the new water management requirements imposed by Quebec's Environment Quality Act...
Also see: "Bentley offers municipalities software subscription for mapping, engineering"

• PUC Staff Report: Nashua's plan to take Pennichuck not in public interest -- MERRIMACK, NH, April 13, 2006 -- Written testimony submitted today by the expert staff of the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission (PUC) offered important third-party endorsement to what Pennichuck has been saying for years -- the city of Nashua's proposal to take Pennichuck Water Works by eminent domain is not in the public interest, the company reported today. The expert staff testimony by itself does not bring the case to a close, but it is a serious blow to the City of Nashua's efforts to takeover the utility. Although the full Commission has yet to rule on Nashua's proposal, recommendations of the PUC's staff are weighed heavily by the Commission. The PUC staff's testimony in this case confirms many of Pennichuck's arguments regarding the significant deficiencies in the City's case. The staff's testimony was unequivocal in stating that the proposed taking of Pennichuck is not in the public interest. "After consideration of all of this evidence, Staff does not believe the proposed taking is in the public interest," stated the testimony...

• Bottled Water: More than just a story about sales growth -- Stringent federal, state and industry standards help ensure safety, quality and good taste -- ALEXANDRIA, VA, April 13, 2006 /PRNewswire/ -- Newly-released statistics by Beverage Marketing Corp. show that U.S. bottled water sales and consumption continue to rise, as consumers increasingly choose bottled water over other commercial beverages. This upward trend was reflected in 2005 when total bottled water volume exceeded 7.5 billion gallons, a 10.7 percent increase over 2004; and the 2005 bottled water per capita consumption level of 26.1 gallons increased by over two gallons, from the 23.8 gallons per capita the previous year. Additionally, the wholesale dollar sales for bottled water exceeded $10 billion in 2005, a 9.2 percent increase over the $9.2 billion in 2004. These statistics demonstrate continued consumer demand and appreciation for the convenience and good taste of bottled water brands consumed on-the-go, during exercise, at restaurants or meetings, and at home or the office. However, consumers should also know that bottled water safety and quality result from multiple layers of regulation and standards at the federal, state and industry levels...

• MHI to replace steam generators for Belgium's Electrabel Doel nuclear power plant -- TOKYO, Japan, April 13, 2006 -- Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. (MHI) has received an order from Electrabel S.A., one of Europe's front-ranking energy companies, to supply two replacement steam generators (RSG), a core component of pressurized water reactor (PWR) nuclear power plants (NPP). The two RSGs, for the Electrabel Doel-1 NPP, are scheduled for delivery in September 2009. To date, MHI has delivered eight RSGs to Belgium. When the latest order is completed, MHI's RSGs will account for more than half of all SGs operated in Belgium - 10 of a total of 19 SGs at seven NPPs. Doel-1, a 392.5 MW (megawatt) PWR NPP, is located near the port city of Antwerp, approximately 50 kilometers north of Brussels. The replacements will be carried out based on a rehabilitation program for Doel-1. The RSGs, to be manufactured at MHI's Kobe Shipyard and Machinery Works, measure 20 meters in height and weigh roughly 270 tons. SGs play a crucial role in PWRs by transferring the thermal energy generated in the reactor vessel to a secondary coolant and feeding the resulting steam to a turbine system to generate electricity...

• Public meeting held on draft environmental report for proposed Lake Perris projects -- LOS ANGELES, April 13, 2006 -- The public was invited to an open meeting April 18 to comment on draft environmental documentation for proposed projects that would improve water quality at Lake Perris in Riverside County. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. at the Ya'i Heki' Regional Indian Museum at the Lake Perris State Recreation Area. The Metropolitan Water District has prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Report for the Lake Perris Pollution Prevention and Source Protection Program, which proposes two projects to improve water quality at a reservoir that eventually feeds domestic water supplies. The public comment period for the Draft EIR ends May 10. The proposed projects include the installation of an aeration system that will pump oxygen into the lake, making it more suitable for drinking water purposes, and the possible development of new swimming or wading ponds in the park areas adjacent to the reservoir. The wading ponds will help improve the lake's water quality by giving bathers an alternative to swimming in the reservoir. Various state and regional agencies have been working for several years to improve Lake Perris as a drinking water source as well as enhance the recreational offerings at the reservoir, which is visited by more than 1.1 million people every year...

***

In earlier newsbriefs, see: "WaterBriefs: Koch NF, RO membranes certified to NSF 61" -- Also in this report (April 12, 2006): Stormwater360 Becomes CONTECH Stormwater Solutions; CULTEC stormwater systems offer advantages to site contractors; ADS selected for billing network and peak outlet capacity monitoring; Clarkson U. research group assesses land use influence on St. Regis River watershed; North American Galvanizing & Coatings receives wastewater compliance award; Sylvan Source M-600 first ultra-clean water system to earn IAPMO certification; Idaho Power, state sign aquifer recharge agreement; Powell Fabrication expands sales representative, distributor network; PLCopen trade organization appoints Bill Lydon managing director for North America; dlEC announces key engineering addition; Headworks Inc. settles lawsuit against USFilter; Layne Christensen reorganizes water and infrastructure business; Alfa Laval receives order from BASF, Dow Chemical for Belgian petrochemical plant; Delta announces start of revenue from Indramayu facility...

###