City of Regina 150 Million WWT Project

By: PETER KENTER -- Daily Commercial News.

Feb. 2010 - The City of ty of Regina, Canada  has issued an RFP for engineering services to support an upgrade to its wastewater treatment plant. Until now, the city had been working up to the major plant improvement in stages, concentrating on such smaller projects as a new forcemain and pumping station retrofits. With a construction budget estimated at $120 to $130 million, this project would represent the most significant investment in wastewater infrastructure in the citys history.

"The mechanical wastewater treatment plant was built 50 years ago, but isn't up to the standards of the new federal wastewater guidelines," says Vicki Campbell, Manager of Wastewater Treatment, City of Regina. "The mechanical plant does a good job of removing solids, biological waste and some nutrients. What we need is a different process to remove more of the nutrients from the wastewater. Nitrogen is the challenge for us with the current technology. We'll need a massive expansion of some sort, hopefully using the existing facilities as much as possible." Go go full article.

Wastewater overflow floods at Greenbelt WSSC station

Residents in the 8000 block of Mandan Road in Greenbelt got a smelly surprise Sunday morning when a sanitation sewer valve broke and pumped 100,000 gallons of wastewater into the area.

The sanitary sewer overflow occurred after a valve broke on a discharge pipeline at the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission Greenbriar Wastewater Pumping Station, located at 8021 Mandan Road in Greenbelt. According to WSSC spokeswoman Lyn Riggins, the water was leaked into an unnamed tributary that leads to Beaverdam Creek.

"In a matter of speaking, [the tributary] is almost like a ditch. It's a very small area that it went into, and it's unlikely that it made it into Beaverdam Creek," Riggins said. Go to full article

Toledo looking at selling WWT Plant to raise money

By Rob Wiercinski 
TOLEDO, OH (WTOL) - In these economically troubling times, the City of Toledo is reviewing its assets for potential sale, flushing out any and all money-making opportunities. One of those valuable city assets is the Wastewater Treatment Plant located along Summit St. Go to full article

Taking Green to the Extreme

By Diane Mastrull, Inquirer Staff Writer

At Manhattan's tony southern tip, the Visionaire is an architectural stunner, a captivating 35-story presence along the Hudson River, with a curved waterfront wall of windows that offers entrancing views of the Statue of Liberty and the Verrazano Narrows Bridge from condos priced as high as $7.5 million.

The rooftop "sky garden" boasts landscaped planting areas, built-in grills, and cabanas. The lobby features a 12-foot-long aquarium filled with colorful tropical fish.

But on his first visit Wednesday, it was the basement that Don Shields, an engineer with a subsidiary of Voorhees-based American Water, couldn't wait to see.

There, in a corner, a compact jumble of pipes, tanks, and tall, spaghettilike membranes were processing - out of sight of the monied residents above - that which flows when a toilet is flushed.

Most significant about the system, which Shields helped design, is that it was recycling the water that carried all those unmentionables to the processing site. Once separated from impurities (human waste, but also such accidental flushables as Matchbox cars and Lego pieces) and disinfected, the water is sent back to the building's toilets and cooling towers.

Water from showers and washing machines also is scrubbed and purified for reuse by the highly automated system, which can recycle 25,000 gallons per day.

"Wastewater excites? Yes, it does," said an unapologetic Shields, vice president of construction for American Water's Applied Water Management Group. "We're doing something here that's unique."

Designing, installing, and managing wastewater-recycling systems are just part of a long list of efforts by American Water to promote more sustainable living. It advocates not only conserving of the natural resource the company depends on, but also maintaining a more minimalist approach to electric use and finding better uses for the byproducts of water purification and wastewater management than occupying landfills and sewer systems. 

Changes at wastewater treatment plant will save city $1.5 million

By Carissa Marsh cmarsh@theacorn.com

It pays to be green.

Earlier this month a representative from Southern California Edison presented Simi Valley Mayor Paul Miller with a check for nearly $60,000 for making energy-efficient changes to the city’s wastewater treatment plant.
According to Ron Fuchiwaki, director of public works, the city worked together with Edison to find the most energy-efficient components for the Water Quality Control Plant’s recent upgrade, including blowers that circulate air to enhance the treatment process.
“Although the blowers were initially more expensive, in the long run they will provide the best product for the city,” Fuchiwaki told the City Council.
The efficiency of the new fans will result in the city’s saving $71,000 in electricity costs annually. And over the life of the equipment, the savings to the city will exceed $1.5 million, he said.
Though the project cost $170,000, Mayor Pro Tem Glen Becerra, who works for Edison, said it’s a good investment.
“This program will start making money for the city to the tune of $70,000 a year. In about a year and a half, it will have itself paid off, which is phenomenally fast,” Becerra said. “That’s the people’s money we are maximizing.”
What’s more, the city was able to apply for a rebate from Edison for the blower replacement. Rudy Gonzales, region manager for SCE, presented Miller with a check for $58,560.
“On behalf of Southern California Edison, I’d like to commend the city on its vision in the area of sustainability and energy efficiency,” Gonzales said.
“On behalf of the council, thank you so much,” Miller responded. “We like being recognized. We like the money.”
Gonzales said he’s glad the city has taken advantage of some of the programs Edison offers and encouraged residents and businesses large and small to get in on the savings too.
For residential rebate and savings opportunities and energy management solutions for businesses, visit www .sce.com.

Changes at wastewater treatment plant will save city $1.5 million | www.simivalleyacorn.com | Simi Valley Acorn

Alaska mulls wastewater limits

State mulls wastewater limits - Juneau Empire: "State mulls wastewater limits
Public meeting on cruise ship discharge rules set for Wednesday in Juneau

By Kim Marquis | JUNEAU EMPIRE
Cruise lines should be able to comply with new, temporary rules for wastewater discharge limits, since the state dropped them to mirror results produced by cruise ships currently operating in the state.
Alaska had some of the strictest environmental standards in the industry, put in place by voters in 2006. The rules placed limits on the amount of pollutants, such as ammonia, copper, nickel and zinc, that could be in wastewater discharged from cruise ships.
Cruise lines complained the limits were too tough to meet, so legislators last year gave them more time to comply. Lawmakers also said the standards could be temporarily lowered.
The standards are written into a general permit cruise lines must acquire to do business in the state."

Wastewater Business Opportunities in Latin America

Buenos Aires, Argentina, 02/15/2010 - Industries consume significant volumes of water and are required to treat their wastes. Water demand maintains a direct relationship with investments; the more direct investments are made in the region, the more water and water services are likely to be needed.

New analysis from Frost & Sullivan (environmental.frost.com), Opportunities in the Latin American Industrial Water Market, finds that finds that the steel industry in the region which is considered one of the most dynamic and in constant growth due to the potential of its main markets, consumes approximately 21 percent of the total water demand in Latin America and has a noticeable increasing trend for the forthcoming years.

"Apart from infrastructure, the main investments in Mexico are taking place in electricity, drinking water, and water sanitation," says Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst David Olvera Mora. "Tourism infrastructure is expected to continue growing in urban networks and tourism complexes, as well as, in dual-purpose establishments that combine hotel facilities with residential apartments."

In the biofuels sector, major investments have traditionally taken place in Brazil, but other countries in the region are beginning to receive investments in this segment as well; Colombia, the Dominican Republic, and Peru are among these nations. Investments in the natural resource segments- mining, agroindustry, and tourism have been enhanced in Mexico and the Caribbean basin. Besides, there are transnational corporations (TNC) subsidiaries producing certain product lines for the global market in South America as well. There are also high levels of investment in the motor vehicle industry, mass consumer goods, telecommunications, and construction verticals.

Many countries in Latin America lack improved water and wastewater infrastructure. Most opportunities revolve around expansion and upgrading of existing water supply and wastewater networks. The demand for such solutions in the industrial sector in the region is concentrated in the oil and gas, chemical and petrochemical, mining, food and beverage as wells as the paper and pulp industries.

As the regulations in the region advance in terms of requirements and enforcement, the above-mentioned industries are expected to increase investments in water and particularly in wastewater solutions and services. Water discharge and desalination are the major trends in the region as well. In terms of competition, the Latin American market still presents a moderate degree of industry rivalry at the development stage.

Buenos Aires, Argentina - 2/10/2010. Although some participants illustrate more incisive market shares, there are opportunities for the different local contractors and companies," adds fellow analyst and Johanna Dueñas. "However, as the industry matures, the rivalry is likely to increase and restrain the ability of the less-capitalized competitors."

Considering the overall scenario, the adoption of a strategy toward a chosen target market is imperative for a company to achieve success in Latin America. Under such competitive conditions, forward planning is critical for a company to survive and progress.

"In order to be successful, companies must formulate appropriate strategies to match technological requirements and segments' demands, monitor customer feedback, improve customer relationship management, focus on value addition, and create product differentiation," observes Dueñas. "Value-added services including consultancy, on-site maintenance, product delivery, and inventory management can help suppliers differentiate and derive the cutting edge over competition."

Participants must focus on remote monitoring and control systems as these services can help reduce the cost of on-site operations. Also, companies must establish their local footprint and increase market penetration. The global economic crisis is encouraging private water and sanitation companies to invest in high growth areas such as the Middle East and Asia Pacific.

Opportunities in the Latin American Industrial Water Market is part of the Environmental Growth Partnership Service program, which also includes research in the following markets: Opportunities in the Latin American Municipal Water Sector, Service: Brazilian Industrial Sludge Treatment Equipment Market, Service: Latin American Fire and Smoke Detection Devices Markets, and Service: World Trends in the Residential Air Treatment Equipment Markets. All research services included in subscriptions provide detailed market opportunities and industry trends that have been evaluated following extensive interviews with market participants.

About Frost & Sullivan


Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, enables clients to accelerate growth and achieve best-in-class positions in growth, innovation and leadership. The company's Growth Partnership Service provides the CEO and the CEO's Growth Team with disciplined research and best-practice models to drive the generation, evaluation, and implementation of powerful growth strategies. Frost & Sullivan leverages over 45 years of experience in partnering with Global 1000 companies, emerging businesses and the investment community from 45 offices on six continents.

Landfill leachate contains pharmaceuticals

A survey from the Maine Department of Environmental Quality has revealed that traces of medications like birth control, antidepressants, and pain relievers were found in the liquid that drains from landfills, the Huffington Postreports.
This contaminated water is known as leachate. Most Maine landfills have systems that collect and transport leachate to wastewater treatment facilities where the liquid is treated and then pumped into rivers.
Expired or unused medications are usually discarded in landfills. This is considered a better form of disposal than flushing, because wastewater treatment facilities in Maine are not equipped to remove medical contaminants from the liquid.
But if the leachate contains traces of medications, those medications will still be present after the water is treated and pumped back into rivers.
While Maine does not draw any drinking water directly from rivers that receive treated leachate wastewater, this could potentially be an issue for other states.
These kinds of toxins can be harmful to some types of aquatic life. But lobbying organization,Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) argue that the amount found in the environment are too small to pose a significant threat to the safety of drinking water.
“The amounts of pharmaceuticals (in the environment) are infinitesimally small. We’re talking about two drops in an Olympic-size swimming pool. Those two drops are much lower than any doses that would have an effect on humans,” said Marjorie Powell, senior assistant general counsel at PhRMA told the Associated Press.
PhRMA does not support a newly proposed bill in Maine that would call for manufacturers to fund the collection and disposal of unused medications.
Meanwhile the Office of National Drug Control Policy has issued suggestions on how to safely dispose of unused prescriptions or expired medications. The organization suggests first checking to see if your local pharmacy has a “take back” program or if your community’s hazardous waste collection program accepts medications. If neither of these programs are available, they recommend removing medications from their original containers, mixing them with undesirable substances such as used coffee grinds or kitty liter and then placing the mixture in a seal-able container or bag before putting them in landfills.
Sources: Associated Press, Huffington Post, and Federal Guidelines: Proper Disposal of Prescription Drugs