P-I-B Water Tower Bids Too High

PORT CLINTON -- Ottawa County may have to change plans for the South Bass Island water tower after contractors' bids were almost twice as much as expected Thursday, officials said.

Although the cost was estimated at $459,000, the three companies that entered bids for the structure made offers of more than $900,000, Ottawa County Commissioner John Papcun said.

Because the offers were more than 10 percent higher than expected, the county legally cannot accept them, Papcun said. Officials can take bids again or modify the project to make it cheaper, Ottawa County Sanitary Engineer Kelly Frey said.

"That estimate was made in February last year," Frey said. "Obviously steel prices have gone up, and gas prices and transportation costs have gone up. Those are three major things."

For more information, visit: Port Clinton News Harold

New Power Plant Runs On Milk-Processing Waste

Oct. 26, 2006 -- FuelCell Energy, Inc., a manufacturer of efficient electric power plants for commercial and industrial customers, announced Oct. 25 it will supply an ultra-clean power plant that will run on a renewable supply of fuel from dairy-processing waste, generating electricity to run a municipal wastewater treatment plant serving California's San Joaquin Valley region.

The city of Tulare chose Danbury, Conn.-based FuelCell Energy's Direct FuelCell (DFC) power plant for its water treatment plant. Because DFC power plants generate electricity without combustion, they dramatically reduce harmful emissions of gas and particulates while generating reliable power right where it is needed.

For more information, visit: IndustryWeek

EU Cites Greece For Contaminated Water

ATHENS, Greece, Oct. 16 (UPI) -- The European Union is threatening to take Greece to court over the content of its drinking water.

The EU contends that more than 18,000 people in various parts of Greece are being forced to drink water that is contaminated with toxic substances, the Web site Ekathimerini.com reports.

Tests by the country's Health Ministry and an unnamed international research body reportedly found nitrate, ammonia and arsenic in the water of 18 municipalities, mostly of them in central Macedonia.

For more information, visit: UPI

Interstate Water War Fought On Outdated Info

COLUMBUS — A top U.S. Army Corps of Engineers official promised to update 50-year-old manuals used to regulate contested river systems in Georgia, Florida and Alabama, a move that could ease water concerns and might even set the stage for a cease-fire in the protracted tri-state water wars.

The commitment came at a field hearing conducted Tuesday by Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, on the effects of the Corps' management of the Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa and Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River basins.

Critics say the Corps is operating with outdated information and releasing too much water downstream to sustain endangered mussels and sturgeons in Florida's Apalachicola River, at the expense of residents farther north.

Brig. Gen. Joseph Schroedel, the new commander of the Corps' South Atlantic Division which stretches from Virginia to Mississippi, said the Corps plans to begin updating its water management manuals in January, but will need some additional funding to complete the job. The old manuals may not accurately reflect the growth along the rivers and the current water needs of towns, industries and recreational lakes.

Chambliss and the other lawmakers assured him they'd find the money.

"I think the most endangered species we're concerned about is Homo sapiens," said U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey, a Republican from Marietta. "We just want some common sense."

For more information, visit: AJC

Aikahi Residents Tire of Foul Stench from Wastewater Treatment Plant

People in Aikahi on Oahu's Windward side have cried foul for decades. Now the State Health Department is joining the chorus. It is fining the city $177,600 for failing to control odor from the Kailua Wastewater Treatment Plant in Aikahi.

According to Rona Adams, who lives in the Aikahi Gardens apartment complex across the street from the sewage plant, the smell is so bad it reduces real estate values and diminishes quality of life.

"Well when you hit the beginning of the parking lot over there, if you are alone in the car, you will smell it and you will know if you've done anything or not," Adams said. "If somebody is in the car, you both go (sniff sniff) and then you're each looking at each other, and then you're looking at the dog."

The state has fined the city for violations at the Aikahi plant before, but now the Health Department says enough is enough. It is not only fining the city, it is ordering the city to clear the air once and for all.

For more information, visit: KGMB9

30,000 Water Bottles Withdrawn From Sale

The makers of Strathmore bottled water have said that a production fault which caused a mould growth in some of its products was not a health threat.

Almost 30,000 bottles were withdrawn from sale after a defective filter at the firm's factory in Forfar, Angus, caused the problem.

The issue, which prompted about 40 customer complaints, affected the still water product in plastic bottles.

The Food Standards Agency said the issue was more about product quality.

For more information, visit: BBC News

Growing Demand for Low-Pressure Membranes in Water Reuse Applications

Water reuse is on the rise as global demand for the world's fresh water supplies increases. By recycling and reusing treated wastewater, communities and industries can save on the costs of clean water, ensure adequate supplies, and help to preserve a diminishing natural resource. The increase in water reuse has been driven largely by innovative treatment technologies that are both cost effective and reliable in removing harmful bacteria and pathogens. Siemens Water Technologies has seen a steady increase in the demand for its water reuse technologies, especially its Memcor membrane products. These hollow-fiber, low-pressure membranes have been used extensively in municipal and industrial applications worldwide, treating both secondary and tertiary wastewater to a high quality standard.

"Since we installed our first tertiary reuse system in the early 1990's, we've seen a significant increase in the global demand for membrane systems," says Chuck Gordon, Executive Vice President of the Water Technologies Systems Unit. "Although membranes are thought of as a drinking water filtration solution, our membranes are increasingly being used for water reuse in areas where potable water is scarce or in industries that need a reliable, high quality water source."

For more information, visit: Siemens