CH2M Hill VP elected president of International Desalination Association

DENVER, Oct. 31, 2007 -- Lisa Henthorne, a CH2M Hill's vice president and global director of desalination has been named President of the International Desalination Association (IDA).

During her two-year term as president, Henthorne will be responsible for developing a new strategic plan for the association and developing relationships with regional affiliate associations. Henthorne has been active with IDA for a number of years as a North American representative on the Board of Directors and serving as co-chair for the 2007 World Congress.

"Concerns about global warming, energy consumption and increased demand for potable water sources are causing a dramatic expansion of the desalination industry," said Henthorne. "These changes present an exciting opportunity for IDA to play a more centralized role in speaking for the industry to increase public awareness of the many benefits of desalination, including drought-proof reliability, expandability, availability and potentially unlimited production."

A recognized expert with more than 20 years of experience in technology assessment, pre-treatment evaluation, pilot testing, and design optimization for seawater desalination systems, Henthorne holds three U.S. patents in water treatment technology.

"This appointment is a testament to Lisa's leadership in the desalination industry and will allow her to share her expertise on the most innovative technologies and uses for desalination with the larger industry," said Tom Searle, president of CH2M Hill's Water Business Group. "Lisa has been an invaluable resource on CH2M Hill's desalination work worldwide moving the industry forward through research and technology applications to provide sustainable drinking water solutions. We are proud to have her represent our firm as president of IDA."

At the request of the U.S. Department of State, she helped develop and implement a research and training program for the Middle East Desalination Research Centre in Oman. She has served as a technical advisor on many of CH2M Hill's most challenging desalination projects, including the world's first commercial 16-inch diameter seawater reverse osmosis plant for PowerSeraya in Singapore, seawater desalination projects in the United Arab Emirates using innovative ultrafiltration and dissolved air flotation pretreatment, and Sydney Water's feasibility study to evaluate seawater desalination in Australia as an option to augment their water supply.

CH2M Hill is currently working on desalination projects in the Middle East, Australia and North America. The firm was recently awarded a one-year, $4.5 million contract to provide a range of support services for the Yuma Desalting Plant, the largest reverse osmosis desalination plant in the United States. In addition, CH2M Hill is completing desalination pilot and demonstration studies in China, the United Arab Emirates and the United States.

IDA is a non-profit association of over 1,300 members in 58 countries committed to the development and promotion of the appropriate use of desalination and desalination technology worldwide.

Headquartered in Denver, Colo., employee-owned CH2M Hill is a global leader in engineering, construction and operations for public and private clients. The firm's work is concentrated in the areas of transportation, water, energy, environment and industrial facilities.

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