HOUSTON, Sept. 27, 2005 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Another U.S. Department of the Army public-private partnership for wastewater services has begun at Fort Knox in Radcliff, Ky., home of the U.S. Gold Depository and the Patton Museum. Army officials recently turned over the ownership and operation of the Fort Knox wastewater utilities to Hardin County Water District No. 1 (District) in Radcliff in partnership with Veolia Water North America - South LLC (Veolia Water).
The District now owns and operates the utility system which includes 175 miles of wastewater collection pipelines, 20 wastewater lift stations, a 6-million-gallon-per-day (MGD) wastewater treatment plant (built new in 1996), a water quality test laboratory, 77 miles of storm drainage pipelines, 1,745 sewer manholes and 1,000 storm curb inlets or catch basins. Under a 20-year, $30 million public-private partnership agreement, Veolia Water will operate all the systems on post for the District.
"We are excited about the opportunity to further support Fort Knox with this new partnership agreement with Veolia Water. We will focus on enhancing the systems and providing high-quality services to ensure further economic development in our community," said Jim Bruce, general manager, Hardin County Water District.
The U.S. government issued a request for proposals in September 2001. Bids were first submitted in May 2002, with numerous bid revisions until August 2004. Three competitive bids were received and evaluated before the District/Veolia Water team was selected.
"This very innovative agreement between the federal government, local government and industry will enable us all to work together for the benefit of the community," said Rob Nicholas, area vice president for Veolia Water North America - South LLC. "Our goal is simple - to provide an enhanced level of service and provide high-quality wastewater treatment services. We're extremely honored to have the opportunity to support our troops here at Fort Knox."
Within the first two years of taking over operations, the District has committed to completing $2 million in sewer system improvements at Fort Knox. These projects include completing GIS mapping of the sewer systems, installing an ultraviolet disinfection system at the wastewater plant, installing a new SCADA computer control and monitoring system, repairing and replacing sewer lines and manholes, and completing several engineering studies.
The District was formed in 1952 and has 9,300 retail customers and provides water to two other water systems. The service area includes the City of Radcliff, as well as 120 square miles covering the northwest corner of Hardin County, in addition to the cantonment area on post.
Veolia Water North America (www.veoliawaterna.com) is the leading provider of comprehensive water and wastewater services to municipal and industrial customers, providing services to approximately 14 million people in more than 600 communities. In Kentucky, Veolia Water partners with six other communities besides Fort Knox for water, wastewater or public works services including the cities of Hardinsburg, Pikeville, Hindman, Whitesburg, Wurtland and the Southern Water & Sewer District in McDowell. The company is part of Veolia Water, the No. 1 water company in the world serving, more than 110 million customers.
Veolia Water (www.veoliawater.com) is the Water Division of Veolia Environment, the largest environmental services company in the world, with more than 252,000 employees in more than 80 countries and annual revenues of more than $33.6 billion.
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