WILMINGTON, MA, Dec. 17, 2004 -- A new water treatment facility in Robstown, Texas, supplied by Koch Membrane Systems Inc. (KMS) is nearing completion.
The facility is part of the Nueces County Water Control and Improvement District #3 (WCID#3) encompassing Robstown and the Corpus Christi region. At the heart of the new water treatment plant are KMS ultrafiltration (UF) membranes that are capable of removing 99.99% of viruses and bacteria, the highest removal rate of any filtration technology. With construction and delivery of the equipment complete, start-up of the plant is slated for early 2005. The water treatment system is designed to produce 6.6 million gallons per day (mgd) of potable water, with expansion to 10.6 mgd possible in the future.
Rudy Blahuta, general manager of the Nueces County WCID#3 said: "Once we identified the need to increase plant capacity, we quickly realized that ultrafiltration membranes were the answer. We knew ultrafiltration would be the best way to consistently provide superior water to our customers and ensure regulatory compliance into the future."
The Corpus Christi office of Naismith Engineering, Inc. (NEI) has been working with the WCID#3 on a variety of projects since 1980. According to Rendell Webb, P.E. and NEI president, "In recent years, WCID#3 has continued to modernize its facilities and broaden the expertise of its operations staff by using current technology. The new state-of-the-art membrane plant will be another major step in this direction."
The feed source for the plant, the Nueces River, is subject to large variations in water quality due to rain and other seasonal events. Therefore, the system has been designed by KMS to run in multiple operational modes. This system flexibility will help minimize operating costs and improve system performance. Lou Portillo, president of Ion Engineering Inc. of San Antonio, and his staff were involved in the overall process design of the system, as well as pilot testing in 1999. "Based on my extensive experience with KMS ultrafiltration systems, I have every confidence the people of Nueces County will get a system which produces high quality water 365 days a year," Portillo said.
About Koch
Koch Membrane Systems Inc. (www.kochmembrane.com), of Wilmington, Mass., was established as a privately held company under the name "ABCOR" in 1963, to develop and commercialize processes and equipment based on separation and purification technologies. With annual sales approaching $100 million, it's a member company of the Koch Chemical Technology Group LLC.
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