Utility Orders Belt Filter Presses
Ashbrook has been selected by Jefferson County, AL, to supply 12 Winklepress® high solids belt filter presses for the Valley Creek WWTP in Bessemer. The plant is expanding operations, with one phase of the project planned as construction of a sludge dewatering facility to house the presses and their control panels. The expansion, which has an anticipated startup date of April 2001, was designed and will be coordinated by F.W. Dougherty Engineering & Associates. Total project cost is $21,427,950.
"Ashbrook is proud that the Jefferson County manager and engineers chose our Winklepress high solids belt filter presses," said Bob Williams, President of Ashbrook. "Our entire team will be working the plant personnel to optimize their dewatering processes, giving them optimal results."
New State/EPA Non-Point Source Partnership Formed
States and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have joined together to form a new state/EPA Non-Point Source Partnership.
The partnership will provide a framework for states and EPA to work together to identify, prioritize, and solve non-point source problems. The states and EPA initiated the new partnership at a national non-point source meeting sponsored jointly by The Association of State and Interstate Water Pollution Control Administrators (ASIWPCA) and EPA.
The states and EPA have established seven work groups to focus on non-point source topic-specific needs, including: watershed planning and mplementation; rural non-point sources; urban non-point sources; non-point source grants management; non-point source capacity building and funding; information transfer and outreach; and non-point source results. Each workgroup is comprised of a chair and co-chair (one EPA/one state), as well as other EPA and state representatives. A state/EPA Steering Committee, comprised of the chairpersons of each individual work group, has also been established to oversee the new partnership.
Roberta Savage, Executive Director of ASIWPCA, and Elizabeth Fellows, Director of the Assessment and Watershed Protection Division at EPA, co-chair the partnership's Steering Committee.
Each of the work groups has identified its respective needs and priorities, and has developed individual action plans as to how it intends to address the priority needs over the next several years.
The State/EPA NPS Partnership plans to communicate workgroup activities and accomplishments through active use of the periodical NPS News-Notes (which will soon be available on-line); non-point source list-servers; future EPA web site updates; interaction at stakeholder meetings; and other means.
Both EPA and ASIWPCA are excited about the new partnership, believing that this effort will capitalize on, benefit from, and support, the newly enhanced and upgraded non-point source management programs. Interest by the states and EPA is evidenced by the huge and active memberships that each of the work groups have achieved.
"By anticipating program needs and using our collective resources and expertise to address them in a coordinated manner, states and EPA will be able to greatly enhance non-point source management programs," Savage said.
Tank Companies Merge
CST Industries of Kansas City, KS, has announced the merger of Columbian Steel Tank Co and Peabody TecTank. The newly formed business has been named Columbian Tec Tank. The Peabody assets were recently acquired from A.O. Smith Corp. Columbian Steel Tank was acquired by CST last year.
CST Industries Chairman and CEO Don Wagner said Columbian TecTank merges the strengths of the two companies.
"The merger allows us to focus
on innovative tank design and manufacturing technology. Our goal is to provide the highest quality, most economical storage tanks for our target markets," he said.
Columbian TecTank provides bolted and shop-welded tanks in coated carbon steel, aluminum and stainless steel. It has production faclities in Kansas City, Parsons, KS, and Winchester, TN. Product applications include tanks for municipal water supply and wastewater treatment.
Counter Terrorist Working Group Develops Water System Software
The Technical Support Working Group, the Federal Interagency group focusing on developing new technologies for countering terrorism, in cooperation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), has sponsored the development of two Infrastructure Protection software tools that address water supply and water source contamination and consequence management.
The first product, PipelineNet, is a Geographic Information System (GIS)-based software tool with integrated data base capability that can be used to model the flow and concentration of contaminants in a city's drinking water pipeline infrastructure. It contains a pipe network hydraulic model (EPANET), maps, and a US Census Population database. The PipelineNet model estimates the population at risk due to the introduction of contaminants in the public water supply and graphically maps this population.
The PipelineNet model permits the user to model the flow and concentration of a biological or chemical agent within a city or municipal water system. This model assesses the effects of water treatment on the agent, models the flow and concentration of an agent through the water distribution system within a city or municipality, and calculates the population at risk.
For non-emergency purposes, PipelineNet can be used by municipalities to plan and monitor water treatment management, model present and future demand predictions, assist fire departments with assessment of fire flow requirements, plan and design new distribution systems and expansions, and assist complying with drinking water regulations. PipelineNet is in operational use in Salt Lake City, UT.
The second product, RiverSpill, is a GIS-based software tool with integrated data base capability that is used to track and model the flow and concentration of contaminants in water supplies. RiverSpill has been developed and is operational in Ohio and Utah.
For emergency response and consequence management purposes, both products can be connected to the Internet via a modem or cellular accessible network to enable multiple inputs and assessments from various locations in a large-scale disaster situation.
Both systems are operational in the Windows 95/98/2000/NT environment on either laptop or desktop computers. The minimum requirements are 64Mb Ram, 40 Mb of free disk space. A CD-ROM drive is also required. The RiverSpill system also requires ArcviewTM (version 3.2 or higher) with the Network Analyst (version 1.0).The developer, SAIC, will make RiverSpill available to Federal, State, and local water systems. SAIC, working under contract with on-site engineers and the digitized Reach File database, will integrate the necessary data into the RiverSpill model and deliver an immediately usable software package to the user. Subsequent to this delivery, SAIC will provide technical support to the user to ensure that the software is functioning correctly.
For additional information, refer to Technical Briefs on these technologies on the TSWG web site at www.tswg.gov.
Companies Team to Bring AMR to Water Company
Itron Inc. has announced it will team with Badger Meter to provide Long Island Water Corp. (LIWC), a wholly owned subsidiary of American Water Works Co., with a territory-wide automatic meter reading (AMR) system to automate data collection from all of the utility's 73,000 accounts.
By deploying Itron AMR technology, LIWC will eliminate the need for its meter readers to access customer properties. Once the system is installed, LIWC vehicles equipped with on-board Itron computers and RF transceivers will automatically collect accurate meter readings simply by driving down the street.
The AMR system will integrate new Badger water meters with Itron AMR meter modules, mobile data collection technology and software that will interface with LIWC's customer information and billing systems. The total value of the contract to Itron is approximately $7.4 million. Installation of the system is scheduled to begin the second quarter of this year. Increased meter reading efficiency, operational cost reductions and improved customer service and satisfaction were the principal drivers in LIWC's decision to implement AMR technology.
"AMR technology from Itron and Badger Meter will enable Long Island Water Corporation to achieve significant improvements in our operational efficiency and help us strengthen our relationship with our customers," said John Mirando, vice president and manager for LIWC.
"Changes in lifestyles with two-breadwinner families, single-parent households and concerns about security prevented us from obtaining actual meter readings, which are essential for proper billing," Mirando said. "This results in estimated bills and leads to customer dissatisfaction. AMR will allow us to bill customers for actual usage, reduce costs and improve efficiency. That's a huge step forward in how we run our business and how we serve our customers."
Black & Veatch Leads Large Membrane Plant Design-build
Black & Veatch is leading a joint venture with Dillingham Construction to design and build a $30 million, 20 million gal/day (mgd) water treatment plant using membrane technology for California Water Company of San Jose, a private water company serving cities in California, Washington, and New Mexico.
When completed in 2003, this facility will provide drinking water for northeast Bakersfield, CA, and parts of Kern County. It will also be the largest membrane water treatment plant on the west coast of the United States.
Competitive cost, reduced space requirements, reliable operation with less operator attention, and higher quality water, especially with respect to removal of microbes, such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium, are advantages of membrane filtration compared to conventional media.
A highly unusual aspect of this design-build project is that construction will be done by the "open book" method, which gives a cost-saving incentive to all parties. The joint venture partners provide to the owner a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP). If actual costs of purchased equipment and subcontracts are lower than the GMP, the savings are shared between the design-build team and the owner.
City Contracts for Storm Water Work
The city of Wentzville, MO, has awarded a contract to Woolpert LLP to perform an inventory of the city's existing storm water system. The multi-step inventory will provide Woolpert with information needed to recommend solutions to control flooding and stream erosion problems.
Surveyors will use global positioning systems to obtain the elevation and location of storm water inlets, manholes and piping. The results of the survey will be integrated into Wentzville's geographic information system.
The storm water systems will be modeled using computer software to determine the extent of the storm water problems. Woolpert then will develop solutions and construction cost estimates to address the problems. A computer maintenance management system also will be implemented to help Wentzville schedule maintenance of its storm water system.
A strategy will also be recommended to deal with EPA's NPDES Phase II regulations that require communities to implement a plan that addresses storm water quality issues.
Montgomery Watson, Harza Announce Intent to Merge
Montgomery Watson and Harza Engineering have announced that the two international engineering firms signed a memorandum of understanding to join forces, creating one of the world's largest engineering and construction consulting organizations with more than 5,000 employees in 30 countries.
The merger of two companies will produce an international organization with more than $680 million in annual revenue, and with 231 years of combined experience. Montgomery Watson Harza, as the new company is to be called, combines Montgomery Watson's leadership in water and wastewater with Harza's expertise in the energy, water and infrastructure markets.
Montgomery Watson, one of the 500 largest privately held companies in the United States according to Forbes and number 18 on Engineering News Record's annual list of top 500 design firms, specializes in water, wastewater and environmental infrastructure design, construction, finance, operations and maintenance.
Privately held Harza Engineering Company, with over 1,000 employees and ranked 61st on the Engineering News Record list, commands significant global market share in hydroelectricity and infrastructure design, as well as highly competitive engineering practices in several environmental and energy-related sectors of the industry.
When finalized, newly-named Montgomery Watson Harza will maintain corporate headquarters in Pasadena, CA, with major business divisions headquartered in Denver, Chicago, London, and Singapore.
"Montgomery Watson's merger with Harza Engineering Company expands the size and scope of our combined companies' operating capabilities around the globe, brings together two highly talented international staffs to serve our clients on a global basis with broadly different areas of expertise, and significantly adds to the financial strength and stability of the resulting organization," said Murli Tolaney, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Montgomery Watson.
"The growth achieved through this merger brings a wealth of opportunities for our clients and employees alike," said Refaat Abdel-Malek, Harza's President and CEO. "Expanded services and expertise benefit everyone, and our staff will have increased room to grow over the coming years."
Group Awarded $1.1 Million
Contract in Kentucky
The Pipeline Services Group of Severn Trent Services, formerly known as Pitometer Pipeline Services, has been awarded a $1.1 million contract with Sanitation District #1 of Northern Kentucky to perform manhole inspections and surveys on an estimated 10,000 sewer manholes.
The scope of work includes the inspection of 105 diversion and/or regulator structures in a portion of the system that is a combined storm and sanitary sewer, as well as the inspection of 100 lift station wet wells. The work will be conducted from the Cincinnati Metro Area office in Erlanger, KY.
The Pipeline Services group offers a wide range of products and services designed to diagnose, maintain, and support water and wastewater treatment system assets. Its water and sewer system evaluation and rehabilitation services are carried out through 17 offices in the U.S. and include Hydra-Stop, a leading linestopping and linetapping equipment provider.
City Breaks Ground on New Treatment Plant
The City of Del Rio recently broke ground on a new 16 mgd water treatment plant, just east of the San Felipe Springs.
After the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission (TNRCC) designated the San Felipe Springs water source as sub-standard, the city took action to construct the water treatment plant. This is just one component of the city's planned $44.63 million water improvements project.
"This groundbreaking ceremony marks a very special day for the city of Del Rio and Val Verde County," said Mayor Dora Alcala. "As mayor, one of my top priorities has been to ensure that the citizens of Del Rio have clean water. Today, this becomes a reality thanks to support from leaders at both the state and federal levels, as well as from our partners, the North American Development Bank (NADB), and the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB), and the city's council members and utility commissioners."
Texas Congressman Henry Bonilla helped secure grant funding for the project through the bank's EPA-funded Border Environment Infrastructure Fund (BEIF). With his assistance, the NADB committed to providing the city with $14.18 million in grants. Of that amount, $13.32 million will be allocated to construction assistance, with the remaining $847,725 dedicated to transition assistance.
"Congressman Bonilla, along with Mayor Alcala and her staff have worked hard to bring this project to fruition," said Raul Rodriguez, NADB's managing director. "We are proud to be a partner in making this project sustainable and affordable for the city of Del Rio."
The project includes replacing existing untreated water pumping facilities, expanding the distribution system
pump and transfer facilities and rehabilitating wells to provide additional groundwater supply.
In addition, last month the city began replacing its Bedell ground water storage tanks and booster stations, which had been leaking up to 500 million gallons of drinking water per year. Construction of the water treatment plant should be completed in approximately 18 months.
"The TWDB is very pleased to have had the opportunity to provide $25.5 million in loans to support this much-needed new water treatment plant," said Craig D. Pedersen, TWDB's Executive Administrator. "We congratulate everyone involved in making this project a reality. We know it will benefit the citizens of the city of Del Rio for many years to come."
Company Launches Website
Launched in March, the new McCrometer web site offers a wide variety of technical resources and comprehensive product information along with an enhanced navigational system. Users can browse the site at http://www.mccrometer.com.
The new interface facilitates ease of navigation as well as quick access to product information including technical specs and model data. An interesting innovation, McCrometer products are displayed in a 360° field-of-view with built-in user control. Audio/visual product and technology presentations are also available online.
To address McCrometer's four primary industries of focus: Water and Wastewater, Oil and Gas, Process Control and Agricultural Irrigation, the site has expanded segmented areas relative to each industry enabling visitors to quickly locate targeted information and applications specific to their needs.
"The main challenge in developing our new Web site was not the extended content, but how to facilitate access to the information. We wanted our site to be a real resource for our customers that could be accessed with speed and ease," said Gregg McCall, Vice President of Marketing for McCrometer. "I believe we have achieved this with our innovative interface and our approach of segmentation per industry."
Internet Site to Serve As Valve Commercial Site
A new Internet web site offers valve manufacturers and distributors the ability to post slow moving stock and reach a global buying community. A major benefit to valve buyers is a centralized marketplace to source hard-to-find and emergency valves.
ivalve.com has been designed to serve as a centralized marketplace for valve manufacturers, distributors, engineers and purchasing agents to come together to buy and sell industrial valves. Sellers of valves can post offers to sell in eight valve categories, including: gate, globe, check, ball, butterfly, plug, relief, and control valves.
Buyers enter their valve specifications and the site conducts a search of the seller database automatically searching for a match. Buyers can also post RFQ's; the site connects the seller and buyer regardless of their geographic location. All communication is between the buyer and seller via e-mail, fax or phone.
ivalve.com plans on being a portal for end users, engineering companies and contractors who buy valves. In addition to e-commerce, future features for valve buyers will be a technical chat room, "Ask The Valve Doctor", links to technical papers and conferences, employment opportunities and valve literature.
Yosemite National Park Projects Underway
Richard P. Arber Associates is performing a facility and operation audit of the El Portal and Wawona wastewater plants at Yosemite National Park.
The evaluation will project future wastewater flows and identify the limiting process or processes that restrict the capacity at each of the plants. Recommendations for improving the efficiency of the current processes will be made. The outcome of the audit will help the park plan for future improvements of the wastewater treatment system.
Located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California, Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias were part of the first scenic lands in the U.S. to be set aside for protection. President Abraham Lincoln signed a bill creating an inalienable public trust in 1864, and on October 1, 1890, Yosemite National Park was created.
Richard P. Arber Associates is a professional consulting engineering firm specializing in water and wastewater systems. The firm has been awarded a contract with the National Park Service to perform work for parks throughout the U.S. The company has completed 27 water and wastewater projects with a total construction value of over $40 million for the National Park Service, including projects at Gateway, Grand Canyon, Lake Mead, Big Bend, Mesa Verde, Mt. Rainier, Yosemite, and Golden Gate.
Company Awarded Project To Produce Class A Biosolids
The Pinellas County (FL) Board of Commissioners has awarded Synagro Technologies a contract to design, build and operate a biosolids heat drying/pelletization facility providing service for two wastewater treatment plants.
The contract provides for an initial term of 10 years with an option to renew for an additional 10 years. Based on the agreed upon terms, Synagro could generate revenues of $20 million to $40 million over the life of the contract.
The public/private partnership created by this contract provides Pinellas County and its residents a 20-year solution to their biosolids management needs. Synagro is teamed with Andritz-Ruthner Inc., King Engineering Associates and Danis Environmental Industries for the construction of the facility at the county's South Cross Bayou Water Reclamation Facility. Andritz-Ruthner is the industry leader in heat drying/pelletization technology, with over 55 facilities worldwide. Danis and King Engineering Associates will lend local expertise to the construction and permitting of the facilities.
The facility is expected to be operational in late 2002 and will process 9,000 dry tons of biosolids annually from the county's South Cross Bayou and William E. Dunn Water Reclamation facilities. The facility will convert dewatered biosolids into a Class A fertilizer product, which will be marketed by Synagro in Florida. Synagro currently markets over 150,000 tons of Class A pelletized biosolids annually worldwide.
"Pinellas County Utilities is very pleased to put into place the final piece required to achieve total recycling of its wastewater at the $100 million upgrade to our South Cross Bayou Water Reclamation Facility," said the Director of Utilities for Pinellas County Pick Talley. "The addition of the privatized sludge pelletizing operation being undertaken by Synagro will mean that all of the wastewater coming into the plant will be recycled. This includes reuse of all the 30 million gallons per day of reclaimed water, the methane gas generated during the digestion process that will fuel the sludge drying operation, and the solids product sold to the local Florida fertilizer market. This step will make the South Cross Bayou Water Reclamation Facility one of the most sophisticated wastewater facilities in the country. The social value of total recycling will make the plant a focal point of environmental education for the Pinellas County community of over one million people."
Synagro is a growing company focused on organic residuals management services and has operations located throughout the country. In addition to pursuing acquisitions in key markets, the company is positioning itself as the national provider of biosolids services to municipalities and wastewater privatization projects throughout North America.