WaterBriefs: Turnpoint Solutions selected by Fulton County Water Services Division

In other news below:
-- San Diego County Water Authority selects Dudek to create wetlands mitigation banks
-- Elster gains first U.S. systemwide deal for electric, water meter automation in Texas
-- Severn Trent wins contract extension after filtration project for UK's United Utilities
-- Chinese river defender to speak at Wilson Center
-- Hercules acquires remainder of China paper technologies joint venture
-- Denver Water selects Exstream Software's Dialogue
-- Carter/VerPlanck names sales-oriented VP to lead new Tenn. office
-- SmithGroup finishes U.S. Arid-Land Agricultural Research Center
-- Aquarion Water Company taps SAP to transform enterprise IT systems
-- Calgon Carbon sells solvent recovery business

Turnpoint Solutions selected by Fulton County Water Services Division
ATLANTA, GA, April 25, 2006 -- Turnpoint Solutions LLC announced at the billing and CIS event of American Utility Week that it was recently selected as part of an IT consulting consortium team chosen by the Fulton County Water Services Division.

Turnpoint is providing strategic consulting services in support of Fulton County's strategic operations and customer service IT enhancement programs now under way. Working closely with Fulton County Water Services team members, the company is providing consulting services for a review of asset operations, maintenance, customer fulfillment, and billing business processes. Fulton County Water Services Division serves customers in unincorporated Fulton County.

The effort involves business process benchmarking, process transformation workflow mapping, functional requirements development, and IT systems selection services for planned tenders for procurement of new IT systems in support of asset management, customer care and billing.

In a separate initiative, Fulton Commissioners recently approved work on a $137 million dollar development initiative for the Johns Creek water reclamation project. Johns Creek will deploy membrane bioreactor (MBR) technology in its largest commercial application to date in North America. When opened in approximately three years, the Johns Creek campus will incorporate educational components regarding the importance of water quality and conservation in the Chattahoochee River...

Turnpoint Solutions executive vice president of business development Leo Hagood remarked, "Like many other leading utilities, Fulton County Water Services has placed environmental and technology leadership squarely at the center of its strategic plans. While focusing on the application of IT systems, Fulton Water Services Division is also moving to implement industry best practices for improved asset maintenance, system reliability, and customer care."

Assistant Director of Fulton County Public Works Chris Browning concluded, "Turnpoint Solutions and its project team have a broad range of industry experts who support Fulton County's strategic objectives for this project. Turnpoint's utility and mobile work management consultants have a unique combination of IT system expertise and end-user business process experience that has been vital to our project success to date."

Fulton County lies in north-central Georgia in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. Fulton County encompasses 529 square miles and stretches over 70 miles from one end to the other. North Fulton includes the cities of Alpharetta, Roswell, and Mountain Park. South Fulton includes the suburban cities of College Park, East Point, Fairburn, Hapeville, Palmetto and Union City, GA. Atlanta lies between them. The Chattahoochee River, the source of drinking water for Fulton County, is one of the smallest water sources in the country relative to the size of the population it supports. Fulton County Water Services Division provides stewardship over the water resources and water, wastewater, and sewer services for Fulton County's water and sewer customers.

Turnpoint Solutions (www.turnpoint-solutions.com) is a leading provider of business domain and process driven IT consultancy services for the mining, transportation, and utility industries. We work with clients to develop innovative yet attainable business transformation strategies and we focus on the strategic application of technology in the areas of asset management, customer care and workforce optimization. By combining vertical industry subject matter expertise, vendor/technology experience, and proven program management we ensure that our client's technology investments deliver measurable, sustainable competitive advantage.

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Among other recent headlines:

• San Diego County Water Authority selects Dudek to create wetlands mitigation banks -- Firm to design habitat preservations in two San Diego County locations -- ENCINITAS, CA, April 25, 2006 -- Dudek, a leading Southern California engineering and environmental consulting firm, today announced its selection by the San Diego County Water Authority to help plan and design two wetlands mitigation banks to be comprised of created and enhanced wetlands habitat in San Diego County. The new wetlands project, one of the largest restoration projects in San Diego County, will mitigate environmental impacts resulting from pipeline and facility construction projects within the water authority's service area. The project, posing unique soil salt and hydrological challenges, encompasses a 32-acre site in Tijuana River Valley Regional Park near the California/Mexico border and a second location along the San Luis Rey River in North San Diego County...
Also see:
-- "Dudek's Ray Miller receives AWWA '2006 Outstanding Service Award'"
-- "Huntington Beach selects Dudek to provide civil engineering services"

• Elster announces first U.S. systemwide commitment for electric & water meter automation in Fredericksburg, Texas -- EnergyAxis System offers state-of-the-art technology to help improve billing efficiencies, time management, and customer service -- RALEIGH, NC, April 25, 2006 -- Elster Electricity LLC announces its first EnergyAxis^® System deployment in the Lone Star State city of Fredericksburg, TX. This is Elster's first commitment for a complete system wide deployment of both electric and water meter automation in the United States. The EnergyAxis System is an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) system for residential, commercial, and industrial electric and water metering applications. Deployment will take place in stages over a three-year period encompassing approximately 5,290 electric meters and 5,071 water meters installed at residential and commercial locations. The City expects to improve billing efficiencies with more accurate and timely bills...
Also see: "Salt River Project reduces field orders and realizes operational benefits with Elster Electricity's EnergyAxis System"

• Severn Trent Services awarded contract extension after successful filtration project for UK's United Utilities PLC -- Company installs TETRA DeepBed filters at eight wastewater treatment sites, handling combined flow capability of 573,353 m³ per day -- FORT WASHINGTON, PA, April 25, 2005 -- Following successful completion of contracts to install TETRA^® gravity filters at eight wastewater treatment sites for United Utilities PLC, Severn Trent Services has been awarded a contract extension for an additional two years. The United Kingdom's United Utilities is responsible for the operation of regulated water, wastewater and electricity distribution networks in northwestern England. The work, part of a framework agreement that includes a number of ongoing capital improvement projects, was begun in 2003. The contract value thus far under the framework is over GBP 7.2 million [US$12.88 million]...

• Chinese river defender wins Goldman Environmental Prize -- Asia winner Yu Xiaogang to speak at the Wilson Center on April 28 -- WASHINGTON, DC, April 25, 2006 -- Yu Xiaogang, founder of the environmental nongovernmental organization Green Watershed, has won the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize for his efforts to document the socioeconomic impact of dams on Chinese communities and create groundbreaking watershed management programs. Due to his reports, China's government paid additional restitution to villagers displaced by existing dams and now conducts "social impact assessments" for major dam developments. At the Wilson Center on April 28th, Xiaogang will discuss his work promoting a greater voice for citizens in dam-building and river protection in southwest China. Xiaogang was a key participant in a 2005 project by the Wilson Center's China Environment Forum on river basin governance. The $125,000 Goldman Environmental Prize, now in its 17th year, is awarded annually to six grassroots environmental heroes and is the largest award of its kind in the world...
Also see:
-- "U.S. Department of State seeks written comments on the 'Water for the Poor' Act: ECSP director speaks at town hall meeting; Written comments due April 30"
-- "Pell Center event to examine global water scarcity, possibilities for cooperation: ECSP director Dabelko, Wilson Center Scholar Kameri-Mbote billed as keynotes"
-- "Environment, population key to security, say experts: Addressing environmental degradation and population dynamics may lower risk of conflict, some tell Environmental Change & Security Program Report"

• Hercules expands China presence by acquiring remainder of paper technologies joint venture -- WILMINGTON, DE, April 25, 2006 -- Hercules Inc. has reached an agreement to acquire the remaining 40% ownership interest of its consolidated joint venture, Shanghai Hercules Chemicals Company Ltd. from its partner Shanghai Chlor-Alkali Chemical Co. Ltd. Effective immediately, Hercules will assume day-to-day operations. Completion of the acquisition is subject to normal clearance from the appropriate Chinese government and regulatory agencies. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

• Denver Water selects Exstream Software's Dialogue to create personalized communications for over 250,000 customer accounts -- LEXINGTON, KY, April 25, 2006 -- Exstream Software Inc. announced today that its Dialogue enterprise personalization software has been selected by Denver Water, a utility offering continuous water supply to the city and county of Denver and many surrounding suburbs. Using Dialogue's flexible connector technology, Denver Water plans to integrate the personalized document creation solution with its new customer information system (CIS) to deliver statements, bills and other customer correspondence that include targeted messages, variable graphics, the use of color, and data-driven charts such as comparison of water usage from year to year. Dialogue's ability to streamline document creation processes and create more effective customer communications will allow the utility to reduce document production costs, meet changing municipal regulatory requirements on demand, and improve the overall customer experience with more relevant communications delivered through the preferred channels -- from a single document design...

• Carter/VerPlanck names sales-oriented VP to lead new Tenn. office -- NASHVILLE, TN, April 24, 2006 --Carter/VerPlanck (C&V), a provider of products and process lines for the water and wastewater treatment industries, confirmed today that it has named Teresa Sullivan, P.Eng., as vice president. Sullivan will lead C&V's expansion efforts in Tennessee. The new office is located in Hendersonville, just outside of Nashville. Sullivan's responsibilities will include the day-to-day operation of the Tennessee office, sales and business development initiatives. Prior to joining C&V, she worked for Zenon Environmental for eight years in a variety of positions, most recently regional manager over business development and sales activities for its membrane water and wastewater treatment equipment in the Central and Southwest U.S. regions...

• SmithGroup-designed U.S. Arid-Land Agricultural Research Center completed in Arizona -- PHOENIX, April 24, 2006 -- The SmithGroup-designed U.S. Arid-Land Agricultural Research Center for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), where scientists will conduct experiments to improve agricultural techniques in dry and drought stricken regions, has reached completion in Maricopa, AZ, south of Phoenix. The new $20.3 million, 100,000 sq. ft. U.S. Arid Land Agricultural Research Center is the consolidation of the U.S. Water Conservation Laboratory and Western Cotton Research Laboratory, previously located in Phoenix...

• Aquarion Water Company taps SAP to transform enterprise IT systems -- U.S. Top-10 ranking water utility selects mySAP Business Suite to improve customer service, reporting and analytics -- BRIDGEPORT, CT, April 25, 2006 -- SAP America, Inc., a subsidiary of SAP AG, today announced that Aquarion Water Co., the largest investor-owned water utility in New England and among the ten largest in the United States, has selected SAP software to support NextGen, the water utility's enterprise-wide IT transformation project. NextGen will see the replacement of the company's disparate legacy systems to create a strategic foundation for business efficiency and future growth. Aquarion will use applications from mySAP™ Business Suite and the SAP^® for Utilities solution portfolio to fuel its entire enterprise with the goal of improving capital and operating efficiency, enhancing the quality of customer service and improving the effectiveness of managerial reporting...

• Calgon Carbon sells solvent recovery business -- PITTSBURGH, April 25, 2006 -- Calgon Carbon Corp. announced today that it has completed the sale of the assets of its solvent recovery business to MEGTEC Systems, Inc., a subsidiary of Sequa Corp. Under a separate multi-year contract, Calgon Carbon will continue to supply the activated carbon needs of the divested business. The solvent recovery unit provides turnkey on-site regenerable solvent recovery systems, distillation systems, on-site regenerable volatile organic compound concentrators, vapor-phase biological oxidation systems, and related services on a worldwide basis...

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In earlier newsbriefs, see: "WaterBriefs: Ex-NSA deputy director Crowell keynotes PCSF's June meeting" -- Also in this report (April 24, 2006): CDS Technologies Inc. joins StormwaterAuthority.org; JEA enterprise software upgrade allows link to Oracle; Ex-USACE director joins MWH executive team; Army Corps' $27 million NY/NJ Urban Wetlands Program springs into gear; American Rivers announces 'Most Endangered Rivers of 2006'; King Innovation recognized as O'Fallon, Mo., manufacturer of year; Ecolab antimicrobial now EPA-registered to reduce pathogens in fruit, veggie waters; EPA 'cap-and-trade' program damages Pa.'s competitiveness, endangers environment; Calif. high school student first recipient of ITT student water journalism award; Waterlogic International to acquire Mutual of Omaha's innowave...

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