Around the Water Cooler
German Professor Wins 2003 Stockholm Water Prize
The Water Environment Federation (WEF) has named Professor Peter A. Wilderer of Munich, Germany, as the 2003 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate. According to Professor Anders Stigebrandt, chair of the international Nominating Committe, Professor Wilderer was awarded the prize "for development and demonstration of integrative approaches to water and wastewater management across the spectrum of fundamental research, applied research, technology implementation and sustainable water management."
Professor Wilderer is a professor at the Technical University of Munich and director of the Institute of Advanced Studies on Sustainability. For more than 30 years he has promoted and developed holistic, interdisciplinary research in the pursuit of sustainable water use and sanitation. Professor Wilderer will receive the prize from King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden at a ceremony in the Stockholm City Hall on August 14, 2003, during the World Water Week in Stockholm. The Laureate will receive a $150,000 award and a crystal sculpture.
Established in 1990 by the Stockholm Water Foundation, the Stockholm Water Prize is presented annually in honor of outstanding achievements in water science, management, action or awareness building. For photos and more information about the 2003 Stockholm Prize Laureate, you can go to www.siwi.org. For more information about WEF, please visit www.wef.org.
New Hires & Promotions
, The Public Health and Safety Company
TM, has announced the appointment of David Purkiss to general manager, Water Distribution Systems (WDS). Purkiss has been with the not-for-profit, non-governmental organization for 15 years, most recently serving as managing director of WRc-NSF Ltd. in the United Kingdom. Prior to this, he served as general manager for the NSF Drinking Water Additives Program. In his new position, Purkiss oversees the Water Distribution and Treatment Systems Certification Program. This program includes certification of drinking water treatment chemicals, plumbing products, pool and spa equipment and municipal water distribution products. Purkiss holds a bachelor of science in biochemistry from Michigan State University. NSF provides public health and safety-based risk management solutions and is based in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Vortechnics Inc., a stormwater treatment systems provider based in Scarborough, Maine, has promoted Amy E. Anzelc to regional sales manager of its central U.S. territory. Based out of the company's regional sales office in Austin, Texas, Anzelc serves a broad region spanning 13 states, including Louisiana, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Anzelc joined Vortechnics in early 2000 as a technical support engineer and provided customers with industry-leading expertise in the fields of stormwater treatment system design and regulatory guidance. She holds a bachelor's degree in construction management technology from the University of Maine.
ProMinent Fluid Controls Inc. of Pittsburgh has named Garth deBruyn as executive vice president and general manager of ProMinent North America. In 1990, deBruyn joined the Canadian subsidiary ProMinent Fluid Controls Ltd. and became its general manager. Beginning February 12, 2003, he also began to oversee the strategic direction of operations for the U.S. subsidiary, ProMinent Fluid Controls Inc. A professional engineer with more than 22 years experience in water and wastewater treatment, deBruyn was instrumental in pioneering the successful ProMinent customer chemical feed solutions systems business for both countries.
Pentair Water Technologies has appointed Scott R. Levin as president of the Pentair Pump Group. He will be responsible for the Ashland, Ohio, operations of the Pump Group; Aurora Pump in North Aurora, Illinois; and Fairbanks Morse Pump Co. in
Kansas City, Kan. Levin, who will be based in Ashland, began his business career in corporate treasury positions with Exxon Corp. This was followed by 14 years with United Technologies Corp., a global diversified manufacturer of high technology products for aerospace, building and automotive industries. Following United Technologies, Levin served as executive vice president and chief financial officer and chief executive officer for Imperial Home Décor Group Inc. in Cleveland. Most recently, Levin worked for Alixpartners, LLC, a leading turnaround firm in the U.S. specializing in performance improvement of financials, operations and systems for a wide range of industries.
Purafil Inc., manufacturer of gas-removal air filtration systems headquartered in Doraville, Ga., recently named David Nicholas executive vice president and chief operating officer. Nicholas will oversee daily operations, develop new business strategies and secure marketing opportunities to expand the company's international and domestic markets. He began working at Purafil in 1997 as vice president of sales and marketing. Before joining the company, Nicholas was a production engineer and business manager at Dow Chemical Co. He later became president and CEO of Air Quality Sciences Inc. Nicholas earned his bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from Tennessee Technological University in 1980. His post graduate education includes a focus in marketing studies at Louisiana State University and industrial marketing at the Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University.
PCI Membrane Systems Helps Cut Wastewater Costs at Raison Processing Plant
A new membrane filtration system from PCI Membrane Systems Inc., Cincinnati, has helped National Raisin, Fowler, Calif.-based packers of Champion Raison, cut wastewater costs and open up a new source of income.
Processing about 50,000 tons of raisins per year, National Raisin generates 60,000 gallons per day to 80,000 gallons per day of wastewater. During washing, some of the sugar in the raisins also dissolves into the water -- creating high biological oxygen demand (BOD) levels. Land application (irrigation) of water with high BOD requires an expensive permit. Sending the high BOD water to the municipal wastewater plant is also subject to an additional charge.
The packer decided it was more economical to remove the sugar from the washwater. In addition, if the grape sugar concentration in the wash water was high enough, it could be sold to local distilleries to make grape alcohol.
After considering evaporation, spiral reverse osmosis (RO), and tubular ceramic membrane ultrafiltration, they selected polymeric tubular RO membranes from PCI Membrane Systems. The company's membrane filtration plant incorporates 80 Model B1 filtration modules and can be expanded to meet future demands. The annual savings on Champion Raisins' sewer bill amounts to around $300,000 -- enough to keep the system return-on-investment within the original plan of three years.
PCI Membrane Systems Inc., a unit of ITT Sanitaire, is a leader in application of membrane filtration systems. In addition to the Fyne Process water-treatment system, the company specializes in filtration systems based on tubular membranes for liquids containing suspended, colloidal or viscous materials.
2003 National Wetlands Awards Winners Announced
Eight outstanding wetlands educators, activists, scientists and conservationists were selected as recipients of the 2003 National Wetlands Awards for their contributions to the conservation and restoration of America's wetlands.
The National Wetlands Awards Program honors individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary effort, innovation and excellence in wetlands conservation through programs and projects at the regional, state or local level.
This year's winners include John Beal (Wash.), David Carter (Iowa), Bryce and Brad Evans (Mo.), Paul Scott Hausmann (Wis.), Maggy Hurchalla (Fla.), Neil Johnston (Ala.) and Graeme Lockaby (Ala.). The award winners will be honored at a ceremony on May 20th on Capital Hill.
The programs' cosponsors are the Environmental Law Institute, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, USDA Forest Service, USDA National Recourses Conservation Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service. The 2003 award recipients were chosen by a high-level selection committee comprised of cosponsor representatives.
For more information on the National Wetlands Award winners, please visit the NWA Web site at www.eli.org/nwa/nwaprogram.htm.
Pace Analytical Acquires Spectrum Labs Product Testing Services
Pace Analytical Services Inc., Minneapolis, has acquired the assets of Spectrum Labs Inc., a water treatment material and device testing laboratory located in St. Paul, Minn. This laboratory performs testing with regards to methods guidelines established by the National Science Foundation, the American Water Works Association, the American Society for Testing and Materials and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
Pace Analytical will continue to operate this nationally recognized water treatment device testing laboratory at the current location in St. Paul and will retain Timothy Shannon, product testing manager, and his staff to operate the facility. Thomas Halverson will serve as director of business development for this acquisition. Halverson previously worked as the operations manager for Spectrum Labs for a period of 10 years, from its inception in 1990 until 2000 when he was hired by Pace Analytical.
Pace Analytical Services Inc. is a privately held analytical measurement and services firm with 10 laboratories nationwide. The company serves industrial clients, engineering and consulting firms and government agencies, Visit www.pacelabs.com for more information.
Haestad Methods Offers Accredited Training Courses
Haestad Methods, Waterbury, Conn., has a training schedule for 2003 that applies to computer modeling software products for water distribution, sanitary sewers, stormwater systems, detention ponds and culvert design. New courses have been added to include pertinent civil engineering topics, such as geographic information systems (GIS) modeling, WaterObjectsTM for software customization, water security, Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) compliance issues and engineering ethics.
Every month, engineers from companies all over the world attend accredited training sessions administered by Haestad Methods. At these training programs, engineers learn how to apply cutting-edge software technology to real-world design situations. Each course includes a balanced mix of background principles and hands-on computer modeling.
Professionals interested in attending Haestad Methods' training programs can view course agendas and registration information by visiting www.haestad.com/education. Upcoming training classes are scheduled in central locations, including Phoenix, Charlotte, Seattle and Baltimore.
Contech Acquires Metal Pipe and Geosynthetic Business of Rinker Materials
CONTECH® Construction Products Inc., a civil engineering site solutions and stormwater management products and services company headquartered in Middletown, Ohio, has purchased the corrugated metal pipe and geosynthetic business of Rinker Materials (Hydro Conduit) located at Pinellas Park and Ft. Pierce, Fla. Formerly operated as Southern Culvert, the facilities and personnel will merge into CONTECH's nationwide sales and manufacturing team.
According to Patrick Harlow, president and CEO of CONTECH, "Our cultures are the same -- we are both value driven with a desire to provide our customers unparalleled quality and service. Therefore, Southern Culvert will transparently mesh with CONTECH's national organization, strengthening our position as the U.S. leader of civil engineering site solutions and stormwater management products and services." Harlow went on to say: "Now that the recession has subsided and the construction economy is improving, the Southern Culvert acquisition will be the first of five culvert companies that CONTECH intends to acquire this year."
Southern Culvert, a leading construction products firm in the southeastern United States, provides customers with corrugated steel and aluminum pipe, silt fence and special fabricated structures. The facilities also serve as distribution points for plastic drainage pipe, geotextiles, geogrids, turbidity barriers, water control gates, gabions and safety bars for mitered pipe.
This article originally appeared in the 05/01/2003 issue of Environmental Protection.