WaterBriefs: Calgary water unit goes live with SPL enterprise software

In other news below:
-- Liqui-Cel system installed in Japanese electronics plant
-- Hach issued patent for water distribution monitoring technology
-- Dow announces global price increase for ion exchange resins
-- Stormwater360 donates $50,000 to environmental groups
-- MWH awarded contract with Nevada wastewater authority
-- SDWA wall chart now available from HDR Inc.
-- Rotork's EH Actuators installed at Ohio water treatment plant
-- Springfield, Mass., purchases CarteGraph asset software
-- Severn Trent Services wins contract for two British soft drink plants

Calgary water unit goes live with SPL Enterprise Asset & Work Management -- Sophisticated solution required to drive strategic infrastructure management and planning for Canadian city's Water Services Business Unit -- SAN FRANCISCO, CA, March 6, 2006 -- SPL WorldGroup today announced that the city of Calgary's Water Services Business Unit is live with the SPL^® Enterprise Asset & Work Management (EAM) solution. This implementation is part of a larger initiative to more strategically manage their infrastructure asset management planning in the face of record population growth.

Calgary has been the fastest growing municipality in Canada with a population increase of more than 26% in the past 10 years. As Canada's fourth largest city, and home to the second highest number of corporate headquarters in the country, infrastructure asset management and planning has become a top priority to support its rapidly expanding economy and increased housing demands. Calgary has taken progressive measures to ensure the health of its infrastructure assets. An enterprise-wide asset management system for their core city services of water and wastewater had been identified as a primary need for higher level master planning to ensure the longevity of the system, as well as maintaining optimal services at an affordable rate.

"The city of Calgary Water Services Business Unit needed a strategic, high level, enterprise-wide system to give us a consolidated and comprehensive vision and solution to our asset management needs," commented Jennifer Sharp, water services asset manager. "Through careful evaluation, the SPL platform was chosen by our team to become our enterprise-wide system. We recently went live with SPL's EAM solution in most of our Water Services divisions and are presently working towards a complete SPL conversion within our Business Unit for early 2006."

"Calgary Water Services has an impressive multi-year asset management plan," commented Dave Mulit, president of SPL Synergen. "Their objectives reach far beyond simple asset management to the optimization of the physical and financial performance of infrastructure assets. Their clear priority is to provide a high level of service and sustainability to their residents over the long run. We're proud of the fact that they recognized our abilities and chose SPL as the cornerstone of their strategic asset management master plan."

Calgary will ultimately have 400 users on SPL EAM, tracking a broad range of more than 2 million plant and linear assets.

Launched in 1986, SPL Enterprise Asset & Work Management is a best-of-breed software solution from SPL WorldGroup that is designed to optimize capital resources for asset intensive industries.

SPL (www.splwg.com) delivers the proven software applications that help utilities around the world achieve competitive advantage and excellence in business performance, while ensuring a lower total cost of technology ownership. The company's solutions in customer care and billing, enterprise asset and work management, mobile workforce management, and outage and distribution management are specifically designed for energy, water, and service companies. Working with systems-integration and technology partners around the world, it has an unparalleled record of implementation success. SPL focuses on clients' return on investment and fosters long-term relationships based on confidence and trust.

Among other recent headlines:

• Liqui-Cel membrane contactor system installed in major Japanese electronics plant -- CHARLOTTE, NC, March 3, 2006 -- Membrana announced that its Liqui-Cel Membrane Contactor technology has been selected as the technology of choice for gas control in Japanese electronics plant. The 520 m³/hr unit from will be used for oxygen removal and hydrogen diffusion in functional water system, which uses reduced O₂ and increased H₂ content to improve cleaning performance of megasonic irradiation equipment to enhance semiconductor wafer processing...

• Hach issued patent for water distribution monitoring technology -- LOVELAND, CO, March 6, 2006 -- Hach Homeland Security Technologies division announced today it was issued U.S. Patent 6,999,898 for the proprietary analytic technology in its Event Monitor™ Trigger System -- the diagnostic software for Hach's innovative water distribution monitoring system. The patented technology -- which analyzes deviation vectors in water parameters -- is the first of its kind to be applied to water quality monitoring. It's the only technology verified by the EPA-funded ETV testing program that's able to detect, alert and classify a wide variety of contaminants as well as detect, alert, classify and learn real-world events in water distribution systems. This allows water utilities to streamline plant and system operations, reduce system maintenance costs, improve water quality and customer satisfaction, and ultimately protect against intentional or accidental contamination...

• Dow announces global price increase for DOWEX ion exchange resins -- MIDLAND, MI, March 6, 2005 -- The Dow Chemical Company is increasing the price of all ion exchange resin, adsorbent and catalyst products. The price increase will average 5% across the product line, globally. It's effective April 1 or as contracts will allow. The price increase reflects a need to continue to offset high costs in energy and raw materials...

• Stormwater360 donates $50,000 to environmental organizations -- Profits shared with environmentally focused non-profits -- WEST CHESTER, OH, March 6, 2006 -- Stormwater360 has donated $50,000 to 13 non-profit organizations selected during its Year-End Giving Campaign. The company designates a portion of its year-end profits to environmentally focused non-profit organizations. Voting for these philanthropic awards was conducted via an online survey sent to more than 20,000 recipients. Heal the Bay of Santa Monica, Calif. was the winner, receiving over 25% of the total votes cast. Others included: Ballona Wetlands Foundation, Orange County CoastKeepers, Santa Monica BayKeeper (Calif.), Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Potomac River Association, Md., Environmental Coalition of South Seattle, Friends of Casco Bay, Maine., James River Association, Va., Stroud Water Research Center, Pa., Tualatin Riverkeepers, Ore., Upper Chattahoochee RiverKeepers, Ga., and The Friends of the Grand River, Ontario...

• MWH awarded contract with Nevada wastewater authority -- Rapid population growth drives need for expanded wastewater treatment capacity in Clark County -- BROOMFIELD, Colo., March 6, 2006 -- MWH Global today announced that it has been retained by the Clark County Water Reclamation District (CCWRD) in Nevada to provide program management services for a number of capital improvement projects (CIP) scheduled to be designed and constructed over the next three years. Upon completion, the improvements will provide additional wastewater conveyance and treatment capacity for the rapidly growing population in the District and will help meet EPA water quality standards. The total program management contract awarded to MWH is $11 million. The CCWRD's investment in the CIP program is projected to be $961 million over the next five years...

• SDWA wall chart now available from HDR Inc. -- OMAHA, NE, March 6, 2006 -- The 11th edition of the Safe Drinking Water Act wall chart is now available from HDR. The company has printed and distributed nearly one million charts to water utilities, schools and individuals around the world since 1994. The poster-sized chart provides an easy-to-use reference to all drinking water regulations including a detailed listing of contaminants and maximum contaminant levels, health effects and monitoring requirements. Emphasis this year is on simultaneous compliance with multiple regulations, in particular two new rules established by the Environmental Protection Agency in January. The rules are the Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule and the Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule. Both regulations add monitoring requirements and have expedited implementation schedules...

• Rotork's EH Actuators promote improved reliability, safety at Ohio water treatment plant -- LEEDS, UK, March 6, 2006 -- Rotork's innovative EH electro-hydraulic range of heavy-duty valve actuators has proved to be a success in water and waste treatment plants. A recent upgrade project at the Hap Cremean water treatment plant, serving Columbus, OH, is a good example. Here, the EH actuators installation has prevented re-occurrence of a potentially serious contamination problem caused by hydraulic oil spillage. The plant provides an average 70 mgd of water, using six high service pumps, each with a 20 mgd capacity to deliver the water. Each pump is fitted with a 30" ball valve that must be closed in event of a pump failure to prevent water from backflowing into the treatment works. These valves were originally equipped with linear hydraulic cylinders and quarter-turn linkages, all six of which were powered by a central hydraulic power unit located a distance from the valves on a lower floor level. A leak from the hydraulic circuit resulted in 50 gallons of the 1,000 gallon oil system escaping. Apart from the obvious mess and inconvenience, the oil also presented a potentially serious risk of contamination to the plant. The plant's operators decided to replace the entire existing hydraulic system and chose Rotork EH actuators for the upgrade...
Also see: "Rotork acquires Italian valve gearbox manufacturer"

• Springfield, Mass., purchases CarteGraph asset management software -- DUBUQUE, IA, March 6, 2006 -- CarteGraph Systems Inc. announced that the city of Springfield, the third largest city in Massachusetts, chose CarteGraph software for a cost-effective, integrated asset management solution. Springfield joins hundreds of other entities utilizing this software to achieve better efficiencies in their organizations. After reviewing other software systems, the city chose CarteGraph Software Suite based on software features, their new ArcGIS-embedded solution, its ease of use, and because it was the most cost-effective solution. The city purchased 20 concurrent licenses and looks to expand as implementation continues...

• Severn Trent Services wins contract for two Britvic Soft Drinks plants in England -- Company to replace carbon filtration vessels at Beckton facility and provide turnkey water treatment plant at Widford plant -- FT. WASHINGTON, PA, March 3, 2006 -- Severn Trent Services has been awarded a contract by Britvic Soft Drinks, one of the two leading soft drink manufacturers in Great Britain, to provide water treatment equipment and services for the company's facilities in Beckton and Widford, England. Contract work began in August 2005 with work scheduled for completion at the Beckton site in January 2006 and at the Widford site in March 2006. The contract is valued at just under $2 million. Britvic is the U.K. bottling and distribution franchise for PepsiCo's Pepsi and 7up beverages...
Also see: "Severn Trent Services releases latest 'Water & Wastewater Solutions' e-newsletter"

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In earlier newsbriefs, see: "WaterBriefs: USGS report details pesticides in nation's streams, groundwater" -- Also in this report (March 3, 2006): Pakistani group sets up endowment with sustainability prize; Adventus Americas targets groundwater bioremediation; Atlanta to host AMTA Technology Transfer Workshop in May; NASCAR's Busch teams with Las Vegas water district for training program; Hundreds of new coal-fired ethanol plants to add to water equipment market; Canby, Ore., awards long-term partnership for water treatment services to Veolia Water; Pentair renames Enclosure Group as Technical Products; Met-Pro's Duall Division receives equipment order totaling over $1.2 million; N.J. American Water adds to customer base through bulk water sales; BSI2000 wins security contract for state of Colorado; U.S. Energy Corp., Crested Corp. re-acquire Mount Emmons molybdenum mine; New York City receives 'best practices' plan for infrastructure; Americas come to New Orleans for 4th Latin American Leadership Forum on March 28; ACWA presents Legislative Leadership Award to Rep. Lois Capps for MTBE fight; South Bay mayors launch Clean Bay Campaign due to multiple water pollutants; California auto recycling group wins award for program to protect water; USW says DuPont contaminated Va.'s James River with 'likely' carcinogen...

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