April 2000
Fieldale Farms, a major Georgia-based poultry processor was facing local water restrictions that required them to cut water usage.
WATER PROJECT TO RECEIVE US$37 MILLION IN FUNDS The Groundwater Replenishment System, a proposed Orange County water project that would take highly treated wastewater and purify it to distilled water quality, will receive US$37 million in funding. Proposition 13 is the first state water bond to specifically earmark funds for Orange County projects and to specify that 60% of the money in key funding categories must be spent in Southern California. Specifically, the bond will provide US$250 million for the Santa Ana River Watershed, which will directly and indirectly benefit Orange County water by improving the quality of Santa Ana River water. The Santa Ana River recharges the county’s groundwater basin, which provides North-Central Orange County with 75% of its water. Also included is US$6 million for environmental and water quality improvements to Upper Newport Bay, LJS$4 million for a Huntington Beach Pollution Study and competitive loans and grants to individual cities and water districts throughout Orange County to help fund water quality, water conservation, water recycling, watershed protection and pollution prevention programmes. The Groundwater Replenishment System would take highly treated wastewater that is now discharged to the ocean and purify it to distilled water quality through 100% reverse osmosis, microliltration and ultraviolet disinfection technologies. The water
Filtration
will then be recharged into the county’s vast groundwater basin. Groundwater Replenishment System water will also be used to prevent seawater intrusion into the groundwater basin as the county continues to use more groundwater each year.
CONSULTANTS AWARDED US$123 MILLION CONTRACT Consulting engineer firms CH2M Hill Singapore Pte Ltd and PWD Consultants Pte Ltd have been contracted to design and manage construction of the Changi Wastewater Treatment Plant (WTP) in the Republic of Singapore. The plant is part of the Ministry of the Environment’s (ENV) Deep Tunnel Sewerage System (DTSS) project, recognized as one of the world’s largest wastewater projects. When complete, the DTSS will provide sufficient capacity to convey, treat and dispose of wastewater for the next 100 years. The project’s major elements are two deep tunnel systems and two wastewater treatment plants that will eventually replace six existing sewage treatment works. The Changi WTP is part of the first phase of the DTSS, which also comprises construction of a sea outfall, North and Spur Tunnels with link sewers. When this initial phase is completed by 31 December 2007, capacity will reach 800 000 m3 per day.
WORLD BANK FUNDS ALBANIAN WATER PROJECT The World Bank has approved a US$lO million credit for the Albanian Water Supply Urgent Rehabilitation Project, which will support the government’s efforts
Industry Analyst
to improve the services of worth approximately US$50 water supply in Durres, Fier, million over the next three Lezhe and Saranda. years. The project will focus on repairing components of the SUEZ LYONNAISE water supply systems which COMBINES WATER are prone to failure or which ACTIVITIES have extremely high operation costs or health risks. Work at 1 Suez Lyonnaise des Eaux is the Durres-Wells Pumping Sta- transferring all its water tion, for example, will include activities to a single entity to building seven new wells in unify the Water Division’s Fushe Kuqe to replace existing three main branches: Lyonones and then replacing pumps naise des Eaux, Nalco and in the wells and in the pumping Degremont. station. The total cost of the The company hopes that project is US$14.6 million, the revised structure will reinincluding US$4.6 million from force its leading position in the Albanian government. water-related services worldwide. The aim is to give the VIVENDI UNIT water businesses the resources necessary for their developEXPANDS SWISS ment. The new Water Division ACTIVITIES serves 100 million people throughout the world and proOTV, part of Vivendi Water, in partnership with the convides its services to 60 000 sulting firm Bonnard & industrial customers. In 1999, Garde1 and the Swiss compait generated ES.1 billion in nies LOSAG and ALPHA revenues and employed 60 000 Techniques de l’Environpeople in 120 countries. nement, has won a a3 million contract to upgrade a wastewater treatment plant in Berne, Switzerland. When completed in 2004 STRATEGIC BUY the facilities will meet new TRANSFORMS discharge standards to be enforced by January 2005. OTV STORA ENS0 has already installed its Biostyr Stora Enso is to acquire and Ac-tiflo processes in Consolidated Papers in a Geneva, Altenrhein, NeuchC a.9 billion transaction, cretel, Colombier, Pianscarolo ating a company that will be and Lyss. the largest producer of paper and board by capacity worldKVAERNER wide - 15 million tonnes. In Europe, Stora Enso is SECURES one of the two largest producANGLIAN WATER ers of lightweight coated and DEAL SC paper used in magazines, In the UK, Anglo-Norwegian and coated fine papers. Consolidated Papers has similar engineering and construction group Kvaerner has signed a strengths in North America three year framework agreeand its marketing network will provide additional distribution ment with Anglian Water. The deal means that for approximately 900 000 Kvaemer is now one of the tonnes of paper currently utility’s preferred contractors exported by Stora Enso to the and can bid for a share of its USA. The two companies anticipate annual pre-tax operUS$2.25 billion capital programme. The new framework ating synergies of approxiagreement is expected to be mately US$l 10 million.