Around the Industry – March 2013

March 4, 2013

Water Technology announces that Dr. Joseph Cotruvo has been added to its Technical Advisory Board.

Dr. Joseph Cotruvo added to Technical Advisory Board

Water Technology announces that Dr. Joseph Cotruvo has been added to its Technical Advisory Board. Cotruvo is a respected leader in the water industry through his many years of service. He is the president of Joseph Cotruvo and Associates LLC, Water, Environment and Public Health Consultants. He also has a Ph. D in Physical Organic Chemistry. Cotruvo is a member of the World Health Organization’s Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality Committee and expert advisory groups on drinking water quality, desalination, wastewater and water reuse. He is also a former director of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Drinking Water Standards Division. Since June 2012, Cotruvo has played a big role in putting together the Contaminant of the Month section in Water Technology magazine. Congratulations to Dr. Joseph Cotruvo and we look forward to seeing him becoming more involved in our magazine and online content.

 

EPA approves change to state water quality standards rules in Missouri

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 7 has approved Missouri's change to state water quality standards rules to provide greater flexibility in Missouri's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources submitted rule changes to EPA on December 11, 2012, for review and approval. The Clean Water Act (CWA) requires EPA to review the state's rule changes to determine if they comply with the law. The state's regulations previously allowed no more than three years for a permittee, such as municipal sewage treatment plants and industrial facilities, to come into compliance with its NPDES permit. Due to the limits of current technology for controlling some pollutants, full compliance is not always possible within a three-year period. Missouri's new regulation now allows for a longer compliance period, in accordance with federal regulations.

 

Founder of WWIF heading to Ghana for deployment of water filters

Guillermo Guzman, founder of Wishing Well International Foundation (WWIF), is on his way to meet with members of the Safe Water Ghana (SWG) team to witness and assist with the deployment of filters to 50 more families in the village of Bagliga in northern Ghana. This latest deployment completes the project initiated by the students at St. Paul Lutheran School in Boca Raton, Florida. Safe Water Ghana manages one of five distribution centers set up by the Safe Water Team (a Michigan non-profit organization working closely with the Foundation) in Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Haiti, Dominican Republic and Honduras. The trip will give both teams the opportunity to meet face to face and discuss other projects in the area. Each distribution center already has thousands of filters available and ready for deployment as soon as funding from organizations like WWIF becomes available.

 

NGWA Summit this spring to cover impacts on groundwater from hydraulic fracturing

The 2013 NGWA Summit, The National and International Conference on Groundwater, taking place April 28-May 2 in San Antonio, Texas, is featuring an agenda covering “everything groundwater” from availability and the impacts on it from hydraulic fracturing to global issues, such as sustainability, quality and remediation. Held annually by the National Ground Water Association, the NGWA Summit is now in its ninth year, and the 2013 conference promises to be one of the best yet. More than 190 presenters are expected, who will offer 32 platform presentations and 25 posters in nine topic areas. There will be panel presentations, twilight sessions, NGWREF Robert Farvolden Student Awards and guest speakers. In addition, optional offerings taking place before and after the NGWA Summit include short courses, a field trip and hands-on event.

 

WaterRF’s Board of Trustees approves $4.88 million in 2013 funding for research programs

At its January board meeting, the Water Research Foundation’s (WaterRF) Board of Trustees approved $4.88 million in 2013 funding for WaterRF’s research programs. This research budget will be leveraged with partnerships and in-kind support increasing the total amount of funds dedicated to water research. The approved funds are allocated to the three research programs as follows:

• The Focus Area Program (approximately 60 percent of WaterRF research budget) identifies a limited number of broadly relevant subscriber issues and solves them with a targeted, multi-year research response. Approximately $2.93 million has been allocated to this program for 2013.

 

• The Emerging Opportunities Program (approximately 20 percent of WaterRF research budget) enables WaterRF to respond quickly to emergent subscriber challenges and research ideas identified throughout the year. Approximately $976,000 has been allocated to this program for 2013.

 

• The Tailored Collaboration Program (approximately 20 percent of WaterRF research budget) enables WaterRF to partner with utility subscribers on research that may be more limited or regional in impact. Approximately $976,000 has been allocated to this program for 2013.

And finally, an additional $670,000 was set aside to support key international research partnerships. In total, WaterRF committed $5.57 million to water related research.

 

 

PEOPLE

• PAX Water Technologies announced the appointment of Elizabeth A. Hirschhorn, P.E., as director of professional engineering. Hirschhorn, a registered civil engineer with 29 years of water industry expertise, will lead PAX Water Solutions — a new engineering arm of PAX Water Technologies that specializes in solving potable water quality issues. As the head of PAX Water Solutions, Hirschhorn will lead a team of engineers focused on helping municipal customers optimize the performance of their distribution systems and the quality and reliability of their finished water. Prior to joining PAX Water Technologies, Hirschhorn served as president of Whitley Burchett & Associates, a civil and environmental engineering firm specializing in water and energy management. • Robert G. Bennett, CWS VI, CI has been named president of The LeverEdge, a national OEM and distribution company based in Odessa, Florida. Bennett, a 30-year veteran of the water treatment industry, has been with the company since 2006, most recently as its executive vice president. The LeverEdge expects Bennett to lead the34-year-old company as it continues to expand its presence in the water treatment and solar thermal markets. • Water-Right Inc. announces the addition of Kevin Osborn as regional sales manager for the New England region. Osborn holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and has over 11 years of experience in the water treatment industry. Prior to joining Water-Right, Osborn has held many positions in the industry including manufacturing engineer and technical support specialist. Most recently, he was the national sales manager for Layne Christensen’s commercial division where he was involved in product line development, operations and sales. In his role at Water-Right, Osborn will provide sales and technical services training, program guidance and day to day general business needs for existing customers.

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