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The following is a transcript from the August 4, 2011, edition of the WaterWorld Weekly Newscast.
Hi, I'm Angela Godwin, digital media editor for WaterWorld magazine, bringing you this week's water and wastewater news headlines. Coming up...
• UV water treatment facility opens in CA
• Water agreement inked for Weber Siphon project
• Registration now open for online water expo
• Hach contest deadline nears
• Honk Kong billionaire buys UK's Northumbrian Water
[story1]
A new UV water treatment facility has come online in Tracy, CA.
The Tesla Treatment facility is the third largest facility of its kind in North America, with the capacity to treat 315 million gallons of water per day for 2.5 million Bay Area residents.
The $114 million dollar plant, designed and built by Stantec and PCL, respectively, features 12 ultraviolet reactors, providing enhanced treatment against waterborne pathogens such as cryptosporidium and giardia.
The facility, which was completed in only 28 months, will help the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission meet and exceed EPA's Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule.
[story2]
A new pact between Washington state and federal officials outlines how water rights from the Weber Siphon project will be distributed.
Some 100 parched communities will benefit from the siphon, which will draw about 82,500 acre feet of water per year from Lake Roosevelt.
Under the agreement, 25,000 acre-feet will be allocated for municipal and industrial use.
Odessa farmers, who have been struggling with declining water supplies, will have access to 30,000 acre feet under a separate contract and will be among the first to receive water from the project.
The Weber Siphon is about 75% complete and is expected to come online in early 2012.
[story3]
Registration is now open for VirtualH2O, the completely online water industry conference and exhibition.
Taking place on September 13 from 9 AM to 6 PM eastern, the free event will bring together water professionals from around the world to learn from and network with industry peers.
On the virtual exhibit floor, equipment providers will showcase their latest products and be available via live chat to interact with attendees.
The conference program features two dozen presentations, including four live, interactive roundtable webcasts. Conference topics will include energy efficiency, green infrastructure, security, water reuse, asset management, and much more.
And, attendees who complete a conference session will receive a certificate of attendance that can be used to apply for professional development hours with their respective state organizations.
For a more details on the conference or to register, visit virtualh2oevent.com.
[story4]
If you haven't yet entered Hach's "See the BIG Picture" contest, you only have until August 31 to submit your entry.
The contest offers one municipal and one industrial wastewater treatment plant the chance to receive $50,000 dollars worth of Hach equipment by creating a video or PowerPoint explaining how they could improve their treatment process with new equipment.
The contest is designed to help municipal wastewater treatment plants and industrial sites understand the benefits of increasing their nutrient monitoring to optimize nitrogen and phosphorus removal.
For more information about the contest, visit hach.com/bigpicture.
[story5]
In international news...
Britain's Northumbrian Water has a new owner. Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing, via his holdings company CKI, made a successful bid to buy the water utility for $3.9 billion dollars.
Northumbrian Water is one of 10 regulated water utilities in England and Wales.
As part of the takeover, CKI will sell off the Cambridge Water unit to a division of HSBC.
Over the past year, Li -- nicknamed 'Superman' by the Hong Kong media -- has acquired a number of utility assets in countries around the world.
The Northumbrian Water purchase is his company's third investment in the UK in 18 months.
For WaterWorld magazine, I'm Angela Godwin. Thanks for watching.
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