WaterBriefs: Intelligent Automation Corp. selected for 2007 M2M Top 100

In other news below:
-- LAN experts picked to speak at first ever WaterWorks Conference
-- Dow to acquire Wolff Walsrode from Bayer
-- First Chinese coal mine selected for EESTech Inc. HCGT power station
-- SulphCo wins jury trial in Reno, Nev.
-- Grundfos strengthens its position in the UK
-- Ethanol booming business for Alfa Laval Group
-- Electro-Sensors receives nomination for extraordinary customer service, support
-- Alliance report evaluates water project spending over next year
-- SEMARNAT invites SSWM unit to co-locate permitting operations in state offices
-- TWDB approves $51.4 million for water-related projects in Texas communities
-- Arizona Water Institute funds 11 projects

• Intelligent Automation Corp. selected for 2007 M2M Top 100 -- Global leader in aviation diagnostic and water security systems named one of top 100 companies offering machine-to-machine (M2M) technology solutions -- POWAY, CA, Dec. 18, 2006 -- Intelligent Automation Corporation (IAC), a global leader in aviation diagnostic and water security systems, announced today that it has been named to the prestigious 2007 M2M Magazine's M2M 100 list of the most important and influential companies offering machine-to-machine (M2M) technology solutions. The M2M 100 list (click here) provides a snapshot of the market as it exists today and the companies with the greatest impact on its direction. More than 300 companies were considered for the 2007 M2M100 by the magazine's editors and its editorial advisory board. Previous honorees include Honeywell, IBM, and GE. The IAC 1090 Intelligent Aquatic Biomonitoring System (iABS) achieved worldwide attention for its innovative use of bluegill fish in a computer-based system designed to protect drinking water from contamination and potential terrorist attack. The system is in use in major metropolitan cities and at military installations through the U.S...
Also see: "Lincoln, CA, awards WPCS unit $3.3 million wireless project for water infrastructure"

• LAN experts selected as speakers at first ever WaterWorks Conference -- Experts nationwide to address critically important water infrastructure issues at Houston event -- HOUSTON, Dec. 18, 2006 -- Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam Inc. (LAN) is pleased to announce that its Vice President, Rafael Ortega, PE, will speak at the first ever WaterWorks Conference to be held at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston on Jan. 30-31. Ortega, who is also the chairman of the WaterWorks Conference Planning Committee, is among an elite group of nationally renowned speakers who will share their expertise and insight on the critically important water infrastructure market. Ortega will give two presentations on Jan. 30. His first presentation titled, "Defining the Needs," will focus on meeting the overwhelming future demands of the water infrastructure industry, both distribution and transmission, and the challenges facing it. His second presentation titled, "Immediate Response to Catastrophic Failures," will touch on the lessons learned from the accidental puncture of a critical waterline and the different ways of dealing with these types of failures...

• Dow to acquire Wolff Walsrode from Bayer -- Acquisition underscores Dow's commitment to Performance businesses; Will create US$1 billion Water Soluble Polymers business for Dow -- MIDLAND, MI, & LEVERKUSEN, Germany, Dec. 18, 2006 -- The Dow Chemical Company and Bayer Group today announced that they have reached agreement for Dow to acquire Bayer's Wolff Walsrode business group, primarily involved in cellulose products. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2007, subject to regulatory approval. Financial terms have not been disclosed. For Dow, the agreement underscores the company's commitment to strengthen its Performance businesses portfolio as part of its goal to dampen earnings cyclicality while driving growth. Wolff Walsrode, with 2005 revenues of more than US$400 million, would become an integral part of Dow's Water Soluble Polymers business, creating a US$1 billion performance business for Dow...
Also see:
-- "Dow Chemical wins Wildlife Habitat Council's Corporate Lands for Learning of the Year Award"
-- "Dow ADSORBIA media removes arsenic from Harrah's Atlantic City construction site"

• First Chinese coal mine selected for EESTech Inc. HCGT power station -- SYDNEY, Australia, Dec. 18, 2006 -- Renewable energy and water purification specialist EESTech Inc. and the Liaoning Fuxin Coal Group of Northern China have selected the HaiZhou coal mine as the first coal mine in China to use the HCGT power plant technology. EESTech representatives and engineers from the Liaoning Fuxin Coal Group last week selected the location and site for the first 10 megawatt HCGT power plant. Geological surveys will now commence in preparation for construction in early 2007. These works follow EESTech Inc being awarded a contract with Liaoning Fuxin Coal Group of Northern China to build a 10-megawatt power plant as stage one of a two-stage power project using the HCGT technology. HCGT uses coal waste and ventilated air methane (VAM) to produce electricity. This can significantly reduce fugitive methane gas emissions from underground coal mines and potentially save the coal mining industry millions of dollars annually in reduced expenditure for managing waste coal...

• SulphCo wins jury trial in Reno, Nev. -- SPARKS, NV, Dec. 18, 2006 -- SulphCo Inc. announced today that the court case filed against it in Nevada State Court in Reno, NV, EcoEnergy Solutions Inc. v. Rudolf W. Gunnerman, et al., concluded on Friday following a two week trial, with the jury dismissing all of the plaintiff's claims against the company. The company will be filing a motion with the court under Nevada law seeking judgment in favor of the defendants for attorneys fees and costs incurred by them in connection with the trial. Dr. Rudolf W. Gunnerman stated "We are happy to put this matter behind us so that we can continue to focus management's time and resources on bringing our Sonocracking^® technology to the world market..."
Also see:
-- "SulphCo study evaluates value of crude oil upgraded with Sonocracking technology"
-- "Progress reported at new ultrasound oil processing facility in UAE"

• Grundfos strengthens its position in the UK -- BJERRINGBRO, Denmark, Dec. 18, 2006 -- Grundfos has acquired British shower pump manufacturer Watermill Products Ltd. The company's expected turnover in 2006 is US$6.82 million. Watermill is a well-run family business based in Edenbridge, Kent, and has more than 20 years of experience in the market. The United Kingdom is one of Grundfos Group's largest and most well established markets. It already has both a sales company and a production company in the UK with altogether 500 employees and an annual turnover of US$194.78 million...
Also see:
-- "Grundfos wins Europe's EFQM Excellence Award for quality management, social responsibility"
-- "Grundfos sponsors World Exhibition EXPO Zaragosa 2008"

• Ethanol booming business for Alfa Laval Group -- STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Dec. 18, 2006 -- (BUSINESS WIRE)--Alfa Laval -- a world leader in heat transfer, centrifugal separation and fluid handling -- has received an order for equipment to two new, major ethanol plants in the US. The order value is about SEK 140 million [US$20.22 million]. Deliveries will take place during 2007. The United States is currently the world's largest producer of fuel ethanol with currently 19 billion liters per year. According to U.S. legislation the amount of ethanol that must be blended into the gasoline is to be almost doubled from 2006 to 2012. The Alfa Laval Group's order intake related to fuel ethanol has been tripled during 2006 and the U.S. represents a huge part of this increase. Alfa Laval has received a large number of substantial orders to the US ethanol industry during the last couple of years. The U.S. sales comprises mainly of decanters and heat exchangers but also high speed separators for a completely new application in the corn-based ethanol process with an interesting potential in the U.S. The new order contains decanter centrifuges, condensers and other heat exchangers for the two plants...

• Electro-Sensors receives nomination for extraordinary customer service, support -- MINNETONKA, MN, Dec. 15, 2006 -- Electro-Sensors Inc. is proud to announce it has been nominated for a place on Machine Design magazine's Customer Service Honor Roll. Minnetonka, MN based Electro-Sensors manufactures machine monitoring and motor control products, and was one of 16 finalists whose customers nominated it for the award. Readers were asked to select those companies whom they felt were "the best of the best" in terms of excellent customer service and support. Electro-Sensors is a leading manufacturer of machine monitoring and motor control technologies worldwide, including a compleat line of level and speed control systems for industrial machinery...

• SMA Sales president to lead Sumitomo Machinery Corp. -- Ronald J. Smith promoted to chief executive officer of Sumitomo Machinery Corp. of America -- CHESAPEAKE, VA, Dec. 15, 2006 -- Sumitomo Drive Technologies senior management announces the promotion of Ronald J. Smith to the position of CEO/President for Sumitomo Machinery Corporation of America (SMA) effective Jan.1. His 25 years of power transmission industry experience include 16 years at SMA. Smith advanced through the SMA Sales organization to become the Chief Operating Officer/President in 2004. Since coming to Chesapeake headquarters, he led SMA through successive years of record growth and prosperity...
Also see:
-- "Randy Satterfield Promoted to SMA Eastern Division Vice President of Sales"
-- "Sumitomo Machinery Corp. of America Celebrates 40th Anniversary"

• Will spending on water projects increase, decrease or stay the same over the next 12 months? -- DUBLIN, Ireland -- Research & Markets has announced the addition of the "Water Industry Benchmark Survey" to its offerings. This report presents the findings of a recent Alliance survey on emerging trends and technologies in the water industry. The survey was conducted from Nov. 1-8, and a total of 357 Alliance members participated -- including 122 who work for companies involved in the water industry...
Also see:
-- "Analyze Trends in the Bottled Water Market in Chile"
-- "Analyze the Key Factors Influencing the Bottled Water Market in Austria"
-- "South African Water and Wastewater Equipment Market Poised for Strong Growth as a Result of Socio-Economic, Legislative and Economic Changes"
-- "Lower Prices Lead to Intense Competition in U.S. Membrane Separation Systems Market Giving System Providers Little Scope of Error"

• SEMARNAT of Puebla invites SSWM unit to co-locate permitting operations in state offices -- ETI accepts invitation for multi-year project headquarters from Secretaria de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales -- CARLSBAD, CA, Dec. 12, 2006 -- Sub-Surface Waste Management of Delaware Inc. (SSWM) announced that its Mexico subsidiary company Environmental Tec International, S.A. de C.V. (ETI) has been invited and has accepted an offer by the State of Puebla's Secretary of the Environment and Natural Resources, Francisco Castillo Montemayor, to open a headquarters office within the State's Department of Environment and Natural Resources offices in the State capital of Ciudad Puebla. ETI recently started its contract assignments for the State of Puebla to craft and launch a statewide, fee based, environmental pollution control permitting and compliance program for waste generators impacting air, soil and water media. The program will identify generators, quantify discharges and establish permit fees and standards for waste discharge limits...

• TWDB approves $51.4 million for water-related projects in Texas communities -- AUSTIN, TX, Dec. 12, 2006 -- The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) today approved financial assistance totaling $51,440,000 as follows:
• $10,000,000 from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund -- Disadvantaged Community Program for water system improvements for the City of Los Fresnos (Cameron County);
• $37,850,000 from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund for wastewater system improvements for the City of Palestine ($30,945,000) (Anderson County), the City of Rio Grande City ($2,885,000) (Starr County), and the City of Edinburg ($4,020,000) (Hidalgo County);
• $390,000 from the Texas Water Development Funds for water system improvements for Caney Creek Municipal Utility District (Matagorda County); and
• $3,200,000 from the Rural Water Assistance Fund for water system improvements for Central Bowie County Water Supply Corporation ($2,200,000) (Bowie County) and La Joya Water Supply Corporation ($1,000,000) (Hidalgo County).
The TWDB is the state agency charged with collecting and disseminating water-related data, assisting with regional planning and preparing the State Water Plan for the development of the state's water resources, and administering cost-effective financial programs for the construction of water supply, wastewater treatment, flood control and agricultural water conservation projects...
Also see:
-- "Texas Water Development Board submits Biennial Report on Seawater Desalination"
-- "TWDB submits report on Rainwater Harvesting Potential and Guidelines for Texas"
-- "TWDB approves $99,410,021 for water-related projects in Texas communities"
-- "Texas Water Development Board formally adopts the 2007 State Water Plan"

• Arizona Water Institute funds 11 projects -- FLAGSTAFF, AZ, Dec. 12, 2006 -- The Arizona Water Institute has announced that 10 Northern Arizona University faculty will receive funding in the first year of the institute's collaborative grants program. The initial grants total $461,000. Of the 11 projects funded by the institute, NAU is participating in seven. Among the NAU projects funded are:
• An evaluation of treatment options to remove pharmaceuticals from wastewater. This is a key problem for Arizona, since the medicines that people take are now being found in wastewater discharges, in groundwater, and in multiple species of fish and amphibians.
• Funding to work in partnership with the Nature Conservancy and the Verde Partnership on assessing the water needs for habitat protection on the Verde River.
• Funding to share a state-of-the-art water quality laboratory at the Department of Health Services in Phoenix. This will reduce the cost of providing access to important laboratory testing devices for all three universities.
• Two projects supporting water management on Indian reservations, one to develop a climate and water supply monitoring network on the Navajo Nation, and another to support the development of water-management and water-quality plans in cooperation with tribes through the Inter-tribal Council.
• An evaluation of the conservation requirements developed by the Arizona Department of Water Resources within the management plans for Active Management Areas.
• The development of the Arizona Hydrologic Information System, which is a new way to access water related data through the internet.
The initial investment from the Arizona Water Institute was matched by $381,000 from other sponsored projects at the universities and more than $282,000 from outside partners and agencies. All of the projects involve partners from community groups, state agencies, tribes, utilities and private industry. Funds for these awards are from a legislative appropriation to the three universities...

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