Severn Trent Water International Ltd., a unit of Severn Trent Plc., was renamed Severn Trent Services International in a corporate reorganization that builds on the experience of four divisions – Severn Trent Services’ North American Contract Operations Division, Severn Trent Italia, C2C and Severn Trent Water. The Birmingham, England–based unit now offers worldwide contract operating services as well as its existing utility management services and contract management portfolio.
Meanwhile, Severn Trent Services (STS) won two Mexican contracts, the most recent to design and build a 1–mgd desalination plant for the Maravia Country Club Estates in La Paz, Baja California Sur. The work will be done by the STS’ Torrance, California, USA, office, which supports the UATTM line of membrane filtration systems. The second was for an RO/EDI system commissioned in June 2007 for a Sharp Electronics flat screen plasma TV manufacturing plant also in Baja California. That system includes UAT RO membrane filtration, an EDI module, multi–media and granular activated carbon filtration, and a water softener for pre–treatment.
Lastly, STS was chosen by the U.S. cities of Bristol, Tennessee, and Bristol, Virginia, for a 5–year public–private partnership (PPP) for operations and maintenance of the cities’ 15–MGD activated sludge WWTP. Alternative operating approaches recommended by Severn Trent will save nearly 20% annually, with total savings over five years estimated at $2 million.
North Carolina MBR, wastewater PPP go to Veolia
Veolia unit Kruger Inc. received a contract from Carolina Water Services of Charlotte, NC, to furnish its NEOSEP membrane bioreactor (MBR) process to upgrade the existing Monteray Shores WWTP, increase capacity and improve effluent quality.
The North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources has approved the facility to treat an average daily flow of 0.52 MGD and requires it to achieve an effluent BOD <5, TSS <3, TN <4, and TP <1. The NEOSEP process incorporates Kruger’s biological treatment expertise with Toray PVDF flat sheet membranes with a nominal pore size of 0.08 μm.
In other news, the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) chose Veolia Water North America–Central LLC to manage a regional wastewater system serving the greater Milwaukee area under a 10–year contract valued at about $400 million.The public–private partnership represents the nation’s largest such PPP wastewater contract and is expected to save it about $35 million over the contract term.
MIOX assists in Mexico flooding disaster recovery
MIOX Corp. joined forces with the FEMSA Foundation, the charitable division of Mexico–based FEMSA beverage company, to provide clean water to victims of recent floods in the Mexican state of Tabasco.
MIOX, an Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA–based water disinfection equipment manufacturer, donated equipment and trained personnel to the non–profit foundation to assist in disaster recovery in Tabasco after torrential rains following Tropical Storm Noel at the end of October.
According to FEMSA Foundation director Dr. Vidal Garza Cantú, about 90% of FEMSA employees in the region suffered significant damage to their homes and even the FEMSA bottling facilities were “stop and go.”
The donated MIOX water purification equipment can provide approximately 100,000 liters of treated water per day to a total of 6,700 disaster victims, and can be run off of standard AC power, batteries, or photovoltaic power. The MIOX systems were used successfully in response to Hurricane Katrina, as well as the tsunami relief efforts in Thailand and Sri Lanka.
Siemens to supply FGD, ZLD and nutrient removal systems for wastewater in USA, Mexico, Kuwait
Siemens Water Technologies was selected by the Washington Division of URS Corp. to provide a system to treat wastewater from a flue gas desulfurization (FGD) scrubber being constructed at Allegheny Energy’s Hatfield’s Ferry Power Station near Masontown, Pennsylvania, USA. The system will de–saturate the wastewater and remove suspended solids and heavy metals from the scrubber waste stream so the water can be safely discharged.
The company also supplied a zero liquid discharge (ZLD) system for automotive wastewater recycling at the International Truck and Engine Corp. assembly plant in Escobedo, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. The plant, in the middle of Mexico’s northern desert, requires several thousand gpd of water to produce more than 200 medium and heavy trucks daily. The system employs Memtek® crossflow tubular membranes for softening during pretreatment.to ensure water is acceptable for the manufacturing processes
In addition, Siemens will provide a high–performance nutrient removal system for the 47.5–mgd Kubd wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) outside of Kuwait City, Kuwait. The solution, based on its new biological process optimization program, BioFlowsheet+ Solutions, will help the WWTP meet required effluent levels. Siemens signed the contract for about €5.2 million with Kuwaiti contractor Mushrif Trading & Contracting Company.
Field Notes
USA: Water Advocates commended the U.S. Congress for funding the late Sen. Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005. An omnibus appropriations bill passed by the House and Senate in mid–December included $300 million for safe drinking water and sanitation supply projects to implement the Act, which makes it a major goal of U.S. foreign policy to help halve the proportion of people without access to sustainable drinking water and sanitation by 2015.
CANADA: Eco–Tec was awarded the contract for a biogas purification system by Régie de gestion des matières résiduelles de la Mauricie (RGMRM) of Quebec. The integrated process includes the capture, purification and use of biogas as an alternative energy source for greenhouses. RGMRM is a municipal organization that operates most of the municipal landfills in the Mauricie region in Quebec.
USA: Paul Overbeck was appointed new executive director of the International Ultraviolet Association (IUVA) effective Jan. 1. This follows retirement of founding director Jim Bolton after eight years of distinguished service. Overbeck has had an accomplished career within the water industry, holding senior management and executive positions. He’s also current executive director of the International Ozone Association Pan–American Group – a position he’ll retain.
USA/CANADA: Degrémont Technologies–Infilco won two contracts for a combined $80 million for the design and installation of Thermylis HTFB (High Temperature Fluid Bed) systems for biosolids disposal. Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, ordered three thermal oxidation lines to treat 262 dry U.S. tons/day of sludge at its Mill Creek WWTP; while, in Canada, the Duffin Creek WWTP will handle 230 dry U.S. tons/day with two treatment lines for Pickering, Ontario.
USA/CANADA: GE Water & Process Technologies’ ZeeWeed UF membranes were chosen for a 100.4–mgd retrofit and expansion of the Lorne Park Water Treatment Plant (WTP) in Region of Peel, Ontario, Canada. Once completed, the facility, built beneath a community park on Lake Ontario, will be the world’s largest municipal water treatment plant to use ZeeWeed membranes. The membranes also were picked for a 30–mgd tertiary UF upgrade of the 110–mgd Clark County Water Reclamation Facility in Nevada. They’re to be used with a new ozone treatment system to help protect water quality in Lake Mead and the Lower Colorado River, which serves Las Vegas as well as Southern California and Arizona.
USA: Engineering consultant CDM became a platinum sponsor of Engineers Without Borders USA (EWB–USA). To date, 30 CDM employees have helped communities in the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Mexico, and Togo.
USA: Denmark–based Grundfos Group purchased Peerless Pump Co., its largest acquisition to date. Based in Indianapolis, Indiana, with five other North American facilities, Peerless has over 400 employees and annual sales of $110 million.
