WHEAT RIDGE, CO, May 31, 2007 -- Water Remediation Technology, LLC (WRT) has signed a 20-year agreement with Brookwood Water and LaGrange Waterworks, both subsidiaries of Aqua North Carolina Inc., to remove high levels of radium from 11 water wells located in and around Fayetteville, N.C., just south of Fort Bragg and about 100 miles east of Charlotte. Aqua North Carolina is a subsidiary of Aqua America Inc., and provides public drinking water and wastewater services to approximately 240,000 residents in 46 counties throughout North Carolina.
WRT and Aqua North Carolina have begun preliminary discussions about the construction and installation of WRT's water treatment systems, and how state approvals will be obtained to operate the systems and properly handle and dispose of the radium. Officials anticipate the systems will be up and running with all permits in place by October 2007.
Currently, these Brookwood and LaGrange water wells contain from 5.3 to 11 pCi/L (picocuries per liter) of radium. Federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines allow for a maximum presence of only 5 pCi/L. The wells, which produce from 65 GPM (gallons per minute) to 135 GPM of water, provide drinking water to a portion of Fayetteville's 125,000 residents. WRT's treatment systems will remove radium from the water wells to a level below EPA requirements and will ensure residents have safe drinking water. WRT will also be responsible for the environmentally safe handling and removal of the radium from the treatment sites to a licensed and permitted facility, preventing future contamination in the area.
According to the EPA, radium can be found in soil, water and food at low concentrations naturally, but if consumed in high amounts over a period of time, the radioactive material could lead to health problems.
Colorado-based WRT removes radium and other select contaminants from water systems in several other states, including California, Illinois, New Jersey, New York and Wisconsin.
Aqua America Inc. is the nation's largest U.S.-based, publicly traded water company, providing water and wastewater services to approximately 2.8 million residents in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, Texas, New Jersey, Indiana, Virginia, Florida, North Carolina, Maine, Missouri, New York and South Carolina. Aqua America also provides water and wastewater consulting and contract operations and management services to selected clients.
Water Remediation Technology, LLC, based in Wheat Ridge, Colo., is a premier water treatment company in removing radium, uranium, barium, nitrates, arsenic, ammonia and other select contaminants from water or wastewater. WRT provides cost-effective, long-term and complete solutions to safely handle and remove residuals in an environmentally sound manner.
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