EPA seeking comments on proposed guidelines to control construction site pollution

WASHINGTON, DC, Nov. 19, 2008 -- EPA is seeking comments on its proposed guidelines to control the discharge of pollutants from construction sites. The proposal would require all construction sites to implement erosion and sediment control best management practices to reduce pollutants in stormwater discharges.
"This proposal builds a foundation for cleaner streams and greener neighborhoods through improved treatment technologies and prevention practices," said Benjamin H. Grumbles, EPA's assistant administrator for water.

Click here for more information about the proposal.

Siemens Establishes Mobile Water Treatment Services In Middle East

Siemens Water Technologies has established its mobile water treatment solutions in the Middle East with its first installation outside North America, where the company services thousands of municipal and industrial customers. Siemens will supply the system to Saudi Aramco in Saudi Arabia. The 50m3/hr system uses media filtration, followed by reverse osmosis, to treat and purify groundwater for use as drinking water. The mobile water treatment units began operation on June 15, 2008, and will be on site for about three years. Unlike other treatment systems, which require the investment of capital expense, manufacturing time, and installation, the containerized mobile water systems provide numerous advantages, such as rapid response for emergency or unplanned maintenance, minimal field construction costs and the flexibility to upgrade or change a treatment process if source water chemistry changes.
The Siemens mobile water system at Saudi Aramco will supply 50 m3/hr of treated water to supplement an existing drinking water supply during construction of a new permanent system. The company selected a mobile unit instead of a permanent treatment system, because the fully integrated, containerized system can be installed quickly with minimal construction time. By using the Siemens water treatment system, Aramco has improved the quality and quantity of available drinking water from the existing wells. "The protection of this vital resource is an important responsibility and one of Saudi Aramco's highest priorities," said Mr. Mazen Snobar, Community Services Executive Director at Saudi Aramco. "We are greatly honored to work with Siemens Water Technologies, a leader in mobile water systems."
Unlike the systems in North America which, are built inside trailers (on wheels), expansion of the mobile treatment concept into Saudi Arabia involved designing treatment systems to be built in international-standard ISO containers. All of the necessary interconnecting piping, power distribution, and instrumentation are complete within the container, including PLC controls for fully-automatic operations. Chemical feed systems are also integrated in the container, when required. This configuration allows Siemens to adapt fully-integrated treatment systems into transportable containers built to withstand rigorous use and transportation. Once on site, a single-point connection for water inlet and outlet and a single-point connection for the power supply are all that is required.
As part of the company's new Middle East mobile services offering headquartered in Saudi Arabia, the mobile fleet is available in various treatment configurations, such as Pretreatment, Membrane Separation/Reverse Osmosis (RO) and Combination Pretreatment and RO. Mobile water treatment services provide temporary treatment solutions for short-term, emergency and supplemental water needs across a wide range of industrial and drinking water applications.
The Siemens Industry Sector (Erlangen, Germany) is the world's leading supplier of production, transportation and building systems. Integrated hardware and software technologies combined with comprehensive industry-specific solutions enable Siemens to enhance the productivity and efficiency of its customers in industry and infrastructure. The Sector comprises six Divisions: Building Technologies, Industry Automation, Industry Solutions, Mobility, Drive Technologies and Osram. In fiscal 2007 (ended September 30), Siemens Industry generated sales of approximately EUR40 billion (pro forma, unconsolidated) with around 209,000 employees worldwide.
With the business activities of Siemens VAI Metal Technologies, (Linz, Austria), Siemens Water Technologies (Warrendale, Pa., U.S.A.), and Industry Technologies, (Erlangen, Germany), the Siemens Industry Solutions Division (Erlangen, Germany) is one of the world's leading solution and service providers for industrial and infrastructure facilities. Using its own products, systems and process technologies, Industry Solutions develops and builds plants for end customers, commissions them and provides support during their entire life cycle.
SOURCE: Siemens Water Technologies

PepsiCo India told by Delhi High Court to redesign Aquafina label

NEW DELHI — PepsiCo India has been ordered by the Delhi High Court to remove the picture of a snow-capped mountain from the label of its Aquafina-brand bottled water.

High Court justices said the image conveys a misleading impression to buyers that the bottle contains mineral water from mountainous regions, which it does not. Publicly supplied water further treated by PepsiCo is the source of Aquafina bottled water.

To read the full report, click here.

Utility to mine wastewater for Nitrogen and Phosphorus source as fertilizer

TIGARD, OR — Clean Water Services, Washington County’s sewage utility, is planning to mine wastewater for phosphorus and ammonia (nitrogen source), and then resell it as fertilizer, according to a November 16 Associated Press article.

The company says it will install $2.5 million worth of equipment in its wastewater treatment plant by the spring of 2009 with the goal to produce 40 tons of fertilizer per month, which will be sold to farms and nurseries.

The company currently pays to have these nutrients removed from its machines, according to the article.

Officials said in the article that they hope the system will pay for itself within five years.

To read the full article, click here.

Water Issues seen as likely priorities under Obama

WASHINGTON — Water issues will be a top priority for President-elect Barack Obama’s new administration, according to a November 12 article in Earth News, the online news source for environmental advocacy group Environmental Information Coalition.

According to the article, Obama promised during his campaign to increase federal funding for water infrastructure, which has declined 70 percent over the last two decades. As recent as last week, Obama said that a $60 billion to $100 billion economic stimulus package aimed at promoting economic recovery through the funding of infrastructure projects would be a top priority following his inauguration, the article said.

To read the full article, click here.