Around the Industry — March 2014

Water Treatment for Dummies booklet released

The Healthy House Institute (HHI) and the Water Quality Association (WQA) have announced the availability of Water Treatment for Dummies®, authored by the WQA to help consumers select cost-effective, high-performance water treatment products tested and certified by the experts at WQA as part of the consumer advocacy mission. Water Treatment for Dummies is a concise guide to: Identifying water contaminants and how to treat or remove them, making a case for adding certified water treatment technology to homes and saving money and energy while enhancing health, homes and the lifespan of appliances.

FWQA announces 2014 Convention and Trade Show

The Florida Water Quality Association has announced its 2014 Convention and Trade Show, scheduled for June 5-7 at the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando. Thursday will offer networking opportunities, Friday will feature vendors with the latest technologies, problem-solving roundtable discussions and educational seminars and Saturday will wrap up with WQA Certification exams.

Microvi Biotechnologies receives NIEHS grant

Microvi Biotechnologies has been awarded a $1.5 million grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) to demonstrate at scale a novel technology for the treatment of 1,4-dioxane in water. This work will follow that done during a Phase I grant, where a prototype of a first-of-its-kind biological treatment technology for dioxane degradation called MB-DX™ was developed. Microvi’s MB-DX™ technology uses 1,4-dioxane degrading microbes to overcome bioreactor system instability and clogging.

NSF International launches StaySafer program

NSF International has launched a new program that helps prevent food and waterborne contamination in the hospitality setting. StaySafer is a comprehensive certification program for the global hospitality sector, providing certification to protect the health and safety of hotel guests. The two key features of the StaySafer program include: The NSF DrinkSafer protocol and the NSF DineSafer program.

Consumer water treatment systems demand expected to increase globally

A new report by The Freedonia Group has found that global demand for consumer water treatment systems is projected to increase at more than 12 percent per year to $13.4 billion in 2017. The report, entitled “World Consumer Water Treatment Systems,” showed that in developed areas, urban residents more commonly purchase point-of-use systems that improve the taste or smell of water or higher value systems that remove contaminants not regulated by public water authorities. In developing markets, advances will be boosted as consumers switch from habits such as boiling water before drinking or buying drinking water from an outside source.

Aqua-Claire Technologies celebrates 10^th anniversary

Aqua-Claire Technologies LLC is celebrating its first decade in business. The company was founded in Sherman, Texas by Ali Gharras, its current owner and president, and has grown to design, manufacture, install and provide technical service for water treatment at over 50 Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana businesses and municipalities. Aqua-Claire is one of the few full-service water treatment companies headquartered in Texas, and its knowledge of the challenges Texas faces with its water supply allows it to provide feasibility studies, design services, manufacturing and assembly, installation, commissioning and long-term service contracts.

PEOPLE

• The American Water Works Association board of directors elected Gene Koontz as the next president-elect. Koontz has been an AWWA member since 1982 and oversees environmental services for Gannett Fleming Inc. Koontz will begin his role as president-elect in June 2014 and will serve his one-year presidential term beginning June 2015. Five new vice presidents selected by the board are: Brenda Lennox, Tom Moulton, Warner Palermo, Lela Perkins and Steve Shoaf, while the two new directors-at-large are Uma Vempati and Pete Samson.
• The Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF) has announced the election of four new members of its board of directors: Jim Matheson of Flagship Ventures; Julia Hunt, P.E. of Trinity River Authority; Scott Dyer, PhD of Proctor & Gamble; and Glen Daigger, PhD of CH2M HILL.
• The Water Environment Federation (WEF) has announced that Dr. Eileen O’Neill has been named its new executive director. O’Neill has been serving as the interim executive director since former executive director Jeff Eger resigned in July 2013, and served as deputy executive director since 2011 until that time. Before becoming deputy executive director, Dr. O’Neill served as the organization’s chief technical officer and, in the past several years, has been instrumental in creating national and international thought-leadership programming at WEFTEC.
• The National Ground Water Association has assembled its 2014 board: Griffin Crosby Jr., CWD/PI of Crosby Well Drilling Inc. in Lake Wales, Fla. was appointed as the new president; Richard Thron, MGWC of Mantyla Well Drilling Inc. in Lakeland, Minn. is the president-elect; Ronnie Hensley of Gicon Pumps and Equipment Ltd. in Abernathy, Texas is the new secretary; and Todd E. Hunter, CWD/PI of Ground Water Pump Systems in Boulder, Colo. was appointed treasurer. New division vice presidents include: Jeffrey W. Williams, MGWC, CVCLD of Spafford & Sons Water Wells in Jericho, Vt. for the Contractors Division; Joe Large of Jet-Lube Inc. in Houston, Texas for the Manufacturers Division; Robert P. Schreiber, PE of CDM Smith Inc. in Cambridge, Mass. for the Scientists and Engineers Division; and Thomas A. McDermott Jr. of A.I. McDermott Co. Inc. in Oshkosh, Wis. for the Suppliers Division. The three new national directors are: Denis Crayon, CHST of Summit Drilling Co. Inc. in Bridgewater, N.J.; Merritt Partridge of Partridge Well Drilling Co. in Jacksonville, Fla.; and Scott King, PG of AMEC Environment and Infrastructure in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
• The keynote speaker for WQA Aquatech USA 2014 will be The New York Times bestselling author Charles Fishman, author of “The Big Thirst: The Secret Life and Turbulent Future of Water,” who will speak on how people’s changing attitudes about water will affect business.

Eric Hargan, the former deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will be discussing the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as ‘Obamacare,’ during an educational session at WQA Aquatech USA 2014. Hargan’s session titled, “Confused about Healthcare Reform? What Employers Need to Know,” will take place from 8 to 9:50 a.m. on Thursday, March 20.

Douglas T. White, former president of the Water Quality Association (WQA) board of governors, has passed away Sat., Jan. 11 after a long illness. White sat on WQA’s board of directors from 2004 to 2010 and served as president of the board of governors from 2008 to 2009. A veteran of the water treatment industry, White was working as director of member services for the Culligan Dealers Association of North America (CDANA) and previously worked for Watts Water Technologies. White received the Ray Cross Award in 2011.