WATERTOWN, Mass. -- Ionics, Incorporated, an internationally recognized leader in water purification and wastewater treatment, announces that it has completed the acquisition of Ecolochem, Inc. and its affiliated companies for approximately $219 million in cash and 4.65 million shares of Ionics common stock. Ecolochem, a privately held company headquartered in Norfolk, VA, is a leading provider of emergency, short and long-term mobile water treatment services to the power, petrochemical and other industries. This transaction significantly increases Ionics' ability to offer extensive outsourced water services to its customer base.

In connection with this transaction, Ionics obtained a $255 million banking facility arranged by UBS Securities LLC, Fleet Securities, Inc. and Banc of America Securities LLC. Included in this facility is a $175 million secured senior loan and an $80 million revolving credit facility.

"I am delighted by the overwhelming support that our shareholders have given us for this acquisition. At our special meeting, 91% of the outstanding shares were voted, and more than 98% of the shares voting on the matter were voted to support the transaction. Clearly our shareholders share our vision for the future of Ionics and for the importance of this transaction," said Douglas Brown, Chief Executive Officer of Ionics. "Our shareholders also passed the proposed modifications to our stock incentive plan. This is important as we focus on using performance-based compensation arrangements to reward our employees."

Commenting on the closing of the acquisition, Lyman B. Dickerson, President of Ecolochem stated, "I am looking forward to successfully integrating Ecolochem into Ionics. The opportunity to become the leader in outsourced water services is exciting to all of us at Ecolochem and Ionics, and I am committed to realizing this opportunity to its full potential." Mr. Dickerson has joined Ionics as Vice President of Ionics' Water Systems Division. Following the closing of the transaction, Mr. Dickerson and Frederick T. Stant became directors of Ionics.

About Ionics

Ionics is a global leader in water purification and wastewater treatment, with over 50 years of experience in the design, installation, operation and maintenance of water treatment systems. Ionics is a leading provider of emergency and long term water treatment services and is a pioneer in the supply of membrane-based desalination systems throughout the world. For more information about Ionics, please visit www.ionics.com

California : Trojan Technologies Awarded Contract for Water Reuse

LONDON, ON -- Trojan Technologies Inc. announced today that it has received an order to supply advanced ultraviolet (UV) water treatment solutions for a wastewater reuse facility in the City of Lodi, California.

Trojan's UV3000Plus(TM) systems, valued at $2.4 million, are to be installed at the Lodi White Slough Water Pollution Control Facility in the City of Lodi, California, during 2004. The plant is currently undergoing an upgrade of its facility to meet stricter treatment regulations in the State of California.

"Trojan was selected as the supplier based on the systems' efficiency, reliability and cost advantages," stated Marvin DeVries, President and CEO of Trojan Technologies. "Municipalities trust Trojan to provide solutions that meet increasingly stringent water treatment guidelines in a cost-effective and reliable manner."

The Trojan UV3000Plus(TM) system has been validated through third-party bioassay testing and received acceptance from the California Department of Health Services to meet the strict National Water Research Institute (NWRI) guidelines for wastewater reuse applications.

In Lodi, wastewater must be treated to a higher standard to achieve water quality standards required for the protection of the environmentally sensitive Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Wastewater is treated and reused for irrigation of crops not intended for human consumption. In recent years, the City has also supplied recycled water to produce steam for power generation.

Demands for fresh water coupled with concerns over trace levels of pollutants are placing increased demands on municipal wastewater treatment practices across the State of California. Technologies, such as UV disinfection, enable treatment facilities to meet the increasingly stringent environmental protection standards in an economically sound manner. Wastewater is then recycled for beneficial purposes such as irrigation of crops and landscaping and, in some cases, aquifer recharge.

About Trojan Technologies

Trojan designs, manufactures and sells UV systems for municipal wastewater and drinking water facilities, as well as for the industrial, commercial and residential markets. With approximately 3800 municipal facilities in more than 50 countries using its technology, Trojan has the largest installed base of UV systems in the world.

Source:  www.trojanuv.com

Hamilton, Ontario -- Hydromantis, Inc. announced the release of its first Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) unit process model Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) technology is becoming an increasingly popular choice for the treatment of wastewaters in both the industrial and municipal sectors. Recognizing this, Hydromantis has developed a robust MBR simulation tool. This new dynamic MBR model was developed using a mechanistic approach which combines the robust IWA activated sludge models with a sophisticated membrane resistance model.

Dr. Spencer Snowling, R&D Manager, is excited about the inclusion of the new MBR model into GPS-X. “The old method of modeling MBRs with a plug-flow tank and solids separator has proven to be a problem for some of our users. In many cases, this simplistic approach does not adequately capture the sophisticated behavior of MBR processes. Our users have asked for a more detailed MBR model, which can predict membrane flux, resistance and fouling."

We have worked hard to develop a robust MBR model that meets these needs. The new MBR model is detailed enough to capture complex system behavior, yet is straight-forward to set up and calibrate. It can be combined with GPS-X’s powerful advanced optimization functions to create a useful and valuable MBR design and analysis tool. The addition of this new feature continues to keep GPS-X on the cutting edge of wastewater simulation technology” says Snowling.

To download a free evaluation copy of GPS-X Version 4.1, including the new MBR model, please visit their website at http://www.hydromantis.com

People post their requests for help and offer their suggestions to others in our open forum.

Mr. Logan wants to calculate flow vs. head:

Have existing cut-throat flumes on secondary clarifiers and want to use them to measure flow but can't find any relevant info on calculating.
(Click here to post a reply)

Kurt Logan
Greater Vancouver Regional District
kurt.logan@gvrd.bc.ca

Mr. Kerr needs help with his activated sludge plant:

I run a very small (8,000 gpd) plant for a small school. I started last September (they had no operator before me for some time - no log, etc).  Everything was normal for a while, I calculated appropriate wasting and that went fine.  About November I started to have very poor settle-ability in the clarifier. I have tried reducing sludge return, which seemed to help, but that didn't last.

I have measured flow surges throughout the day at 150% of design. So now I am loosing sludge out the effluent. My DO is low now in the aeration tank, (0.2 ppm) but no smell. If I increase aeration times, my sludge return increases and my sludge blanket level raises. A settle-o-meter test yields 50% in 60 minutes - even then the settled sludge looks fluffy. A centrifuge test of the ML in the aeration tank (standard 15 minute test) returns a solids level of 6%.

I honestly don't know much about what the centrifuge test really tells me, but if this sounds like a familiar problem, I could sure use some input.
(Click here to post a reply)

Nathan Kerr
kerrfam@adelphia.net

Help Forum:  Share your expertise with others in our Help Forum.

Water Resources Department Manager - Phoenix

Water Resources Department Manager with 15+ years of experience wanted.  National firm looking for an energetic, dynamic individual to lead an established drainage department. Responsibilities include business development and mentoring staff. Local client relationships preferred.

Salary 75-100k,  Location Phoenix AZ

Contact:
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E.R. Group Inc.
neil@contacterg.com

For more details please go to www.careertrader.com

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