In other news below:
-- Calif. water district files lawsuit against Diamond Farming, Bolthouse Farms
-- Calif. DWR improves water data library
-- Serious fraud office investigates Ofwat's concerns about Severn Trent Water
-- Mixed blessings on UK water companies' leakage, water efficiency performance
-- Whatman sweeps 2005 IBWA Supplier Awards
-- RushNet Inc. secures additional bottler for e-water
-- Cytec completes expansion for mining chemicals product line
-- Third of First Nations adults consider household water unsafe to drink: RHS report
California's water system vulnerable to long overdue earthquake
NEW YORK, Nov. 1, 2005 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- According to David Wanetick, managing director of The Wall Street Transcript, "Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma are painful reminders of the ruthless destruction that natural events can wreck on crucial infrastructure. Statistically, California is long overdue for another significant earthquake. The impact of a 1906-magnitude earthquake could have catastrophic ramifications for California's water purity and deliverability."
Among the destruction that an earthquake could have on California's water system are:
-- All of the major aqueducts that cross the San Andreas Fault are expected to be moved 20 to 30 feet.
-- An earthquake that damages levies could result in salt-water intruding into utility pumps.
-- The San Francisco Bay Area's water is served by one transmission line. Estimates indicate that, in the event of an earthquake, this transmission line could remain out of service for up to 60 days and the economic impact would be in the range of $28 billion.
-- Electricity outages after an earthquake could both prevent the treatment and delivery of drinking water even if the pipes are intact and also will prevent the treatment of wastewater before it is discharged.
-- Earthquake preparedness has taken a bit of a backseat because the same emergency managers that are needed to respond to earthquakes are also responding to the terrorism threats.
Wanetick continued, "It is important to note that California is not alone in its vulnerability to earthquakes as there have been at least 26 American cities that experienced significant earthquakes and that are at risk for another earthquake. We are pleased that several of our speakers will deliver critical insight into the vulnerability of the nation's water systems to earthquakes as well as provide best practices for preparing for such eventualities."
Further information about Water Systems' Vulnerability to Earthquakes is available at: www.verticalpulse.com.
This conference is being chaired by IncreMental Advantage. This conference features presentations and panel discussions delivered by CEOs of leading publicly-traded water companies, venture capitalists, regulators, environmental lawyers, securities analysts as well as a case study on Chilean Water Management.
Speakers include representatives from: Aguas Santiago Poniente SA; American States Water Company; California State Water Resources Control Board; California Water Service; Enersis Group; Expansion Capital Partners; Firelake Capital Management, LLC; Foundation Capital; Janney Montgomery Scott LLC; Morrison & Foerster; Pure Cycle Corp.; San Jose Water Company; Southwest Water Company; Stanford Washington Research Group; Technology Partners; Terrapin Partners, LLC; Underground Solutions; and, The York Water Company.
Further information about this conference can be obtained from www.twst.com/conferences.
---
Among other recent headlines:
• Rosamond Community Services District files lawsuit against Diamond Farming, Bolthouse Farms -- Lawsuit in response to 1999, 2001 actions is crucial step in protecting community's water supply and quality of life, Rosamond says -- ROSAMOND, CA, Oct. 31, 2005 -- The Rosamond Community Services District (RCSD) filed a lawsuit today against corporate giants Diamond Farming Company and Bolthouse Farms over access to the Antelope Valley's groundwater basin. The District's action, designed to protect the community's current and future water supply, is in response to existing lawsuits filed by Diamond and Bolthouse in 1999 and 2001, respectively, against Rosamond and other public agencies...
• Calif. DWR improves water data library -- SACRAMENTO, CA, Oct. 31, 2005 -- The Department of Water Resources (DWR) has launched an improved version of its Water Data Library (WDL) at http://wdl.water.ca.gov/, which makes information retrievals easier and more powerful. The WDL is a web site which provides access to current and past hydrologic data throughout California. It is a valuable source of information that resource planners, water managers, scientists and engineers can use to develop water plans and manage water supplies. The public can use the site to find out about local and regional water supply conditions. A source of groundwater level data and hydrographs for more than 35,000 wells, WDL also contains data for nearly 1,500 water quality monitoring sites and over 300 surface water flow and stage monitoring locations...
• Serious fraud office investigates Ofwat's concerns about Severn Trent Water -- LONDON, Oct. 31, 2005 -- The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has started an investigation into Severn Trent Water. Ofwat had previously alerted the SFO to its concerns about the reliability of certain regulatory information provided to it by Severn Trent Water. Ofwat has been conducting its own investigation following allegations made by an employee of Severn Trent Water. Ofwat began its investigation into the allegations in January 2005. The matter reported to the SFO concerns data on leakage that came to light during Ofwat's investigation...
• Mixed blessings on water companies' leakage, water efficiency performance -- BIRMINGHAM, UK, Oct. 31, 2005 -- Water consumers in Essex and Suffolk will benefit from improved performance by their water company on security of water supply, it was stated in a news release filed by Consumer Council for Water to the Government News Network. According to Ofwat's new report on security of supply leakage and water efficiency, Essex and Suffolk Water has moved from a position of significant deficit to marginal deficit, measured against ideal levels...
• Whatman sweeps 2005 IBWA Supplier Awards -- International Bottled Water Association recognizes company's website design, product marketing efforts -- FLORHAM PARK, NJ, Oct. 31, 2005 -- Whatman plc, a global leader in separations technology, announced that the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) has honored the company with awards for Best Supplier Advertising and Marketing and Best Supplier Website. In presenting the awards, which recognize excellence in the bottled water industry, the IBWA cited the clear design and insightful descriptions that characterize the Whatman website, as well as the company's poignant advertising campaigns. The IBWA also praised the Whatman Microbiology Challenge, a quiz that appears on the Whatman website, (www.whatman.com), which offers microbiologists a chance to test their knowledge and win free products...
• RushNet Inc. secures additional bottler for e-water -- BLUE ISLAND, IL, Oct. 31, 2005 -- RushNet Inc. is pleased to announce the company has negotiated with a major water bottling firm and secured additional production of e-water™, a wholly owned RushNet product. Currently, e-water is bottled by a state-of the-art firm in Corona, California and capably serves the West and Southwest regions. The new bottler, with plants in Illinois and Florida, will more efficiently serve the Eastern seaboard, Midwest and Southeast, thereby reducing freight costs to those markets substantially. Furthermore, plans are afoot to oxygenate e-water. The new version, called "e-water O2," will complement existing e-water and is slated for production in early 2006...
• Watts Water Technologies appoints new executive officer -- NORTH ANDOVER, MA, Oct. 31, 2005 -- Watts Water Technologies Inc. has appointed William D. Martino as its chief operating officer and president of North American and Asia Operations. Martino served as president of the Cooper Power Systems Division of Cooper Industries from 1994 through December 2004...
• Cytec completes expansion for mining chemicals product line -- Production of metal extractant products to increase by 50% -- WEST PATERSON, NJ, Oct. 31, 2005 -- Cytec Industries Inc. announced that it has completed expansion of its plant in Mount Pleasant, Tennessee to increase production capacity for metal extractant products that are of critical importance to the copper mining industry. The Mount Pleasant facility, which employs about 145 people, produces a variety of specialty chemicals, including metal extractant products used in copper mining. The expansion will allow the plant to increase its output of these products by approximately 50%...
• Third of First Nations adults consider household water unsafe to drink: RHS report -- OTTAWA, Canada, Oct. 28, 2005 -- Results from the First Nations Regional Longitudinal Health Survey (RHS) 2002/03 show that water quality is an
important concern for First Nations adults. "The RHS findings confirm that serious concerns about First Nations water, recently brought to Canada's attention by the crisis at Kashechewan
First Nation, are widespread," said Jane Gray, RHS National Coordinator...
***
In earlier newsbriefs, see: WaterBriefs: FASC to install sewage processing units at Prince George wastewater facility -- Also in this report (Oct. 31, 2005): RWE Thames Water selects SAP to spur wave of business transformation; Consolidated Water Co. Ltd. to expand production capacity in Cayman Islands; Sumikawa named president of newly integrated Hitachi Plant Technologies Ltd.; ACWA Fall Conference to focus on regional water plans for statewide needs...
###
