High recovery of precious
resource during treatment along with parasite protection among drivers for US
communities to use membranes for water treatment
When every drop counts, municipalities look to the
technology that wastes the least amount of water during the treatment process
for producing safe, clean drinking water. ZENON Environmental Inc. (TSE: ZEN,
ZEN.A) has been chosen by three such communities in the United States to provide
its proprietary technology for contracts totalling approximately C$12 million.
"In areas where clean water sources
are becoming scarce," said Andrew Benedek, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
of ZENON, "the use of a high recovery system that creates less waste during water
treatment is increasing as a method of conservation."
Eastern Municipal Water District (EMWD) provides water services to a 555-square
mile area with a population of 440,000 in western Riverside County in California.
According to Bruce Mitzel of EMWD, engineering consultants CH2M Hill and Carollo
provided them with the ultimate solution to achieving both a high level of water
recovery along with a premium and consistent water quality.
"The
best technology for our application was the ZENON membrane," said Mr. Mitzel.
"Instead of purchasing potable water from the Metropolitan Water District and
expanding the existing pipeline, we felt that building a new, more efficient plant
was the viable economical alternative for our customers."
Evergreen, Colorado and Marysville, Washington will be the sites of two new drinking
water plants for ZENON's technology. The Evergreen Metropolitan District's new
plant will use ZeeWeedŽ membranes in a two step process to optimize water recovery.
Initially, ZeeWeed® membranes will purify surface water taken directly from nearby
Evergreen Lake. The remaining untreated water will then be retreated in a second
step, again using ZeeWeed® membranes, to provide additional premium quality drinking
water.
In
addition to decreasing the amount of wasted water during treatment, concerns over
current and anticipated future regulatory requirements influenced the City of
Marysville in its decision to choose the right technology for the new drinking
water plant.
Currently, water from the Stillaguamish River is only disinfected with chlorine.
The new plant will use ZENON's ZeeWeed® membranes to provide a safe and reliable
drinking water supply to the community.
Both Evergreen and Marysville plants are scheduled for completion by mid 2002.
"These three new contracts show that
ZENON is continuing to gain wider and wider market acceptance on the basis of
the superior reliability and water recovery of the ZeeWeed® 500 series membranes,"
concluded Mr. Benedek.
ZENON, a TSE 300 company, is a world leader in providing advanced membrane products
and services for water purification, wastewater treatment and water reuse.
Chosen
as one of Canada's Top 100 Employers, the ZENON group of companies operates from
nine locations in North America, six in Europe, and one in each of Asia, Latin
America, and the Middle East.
ZENON's products and services are marketed for a variety of municipal and industrial
applications through ZENON's offices and representatives located throughout the
world.
Additional
information is available at the Company's web site www.zenonenv.com.
