Biwater Gives Florida's Potable Water Supplies a Boost

Online, September 5, 2013 (Newswire.com) - Top award from Design-Build Institute of America highlights success of project

Project: Water treatment plant expansion, Dania Beach, Florida, USA

Scope of work: Design and build of 2.0 million gallons per day (MGD) reverse osmosis and nanofiltration water treatment plant, which improves upon existing 3.0 MGD aging lime softening water treatment facility

Recorded successes:
• Innovative technology responds to variable water quality
• Flexibility in the system design maximizes recovery, running at up to 92 percent
• Significant improvements in water quality and colour achieved

Winners of the 2013 Design-Build Project Awards have been announced by the Design-Build Institute of America. Biwater www.biwater.com has been recognised for its involvement with the 2.0 million gallons per day (MGD) reverse osmosis and nanofiltration water treatment plant expansion project carried out in Dania Beach, Florida. Under the 'Water/Wastewater Projects' category, the project was selected for the 'National Design-Build Award'.

CDM Smith - a consulting, engineering, construction and operations firm - utilised Biwater's technical expertise to design and build one of the most advanced membrane systems to date. "The success of this project was realised through the continued efforts of the Biwater team on the ground, working together with CDM Smith. In assessing the needs of Dania Beach, and supporting the city and the Design-Build team with its endeavours to balance and improve water quality for the growing local population, Biwater developed a staged treatment system with the flexibility to treat variable quality water sources," said Richard White, Senior Vice President, Biwater AEWT. "We worked closely with CDM Smith as they progressed the project to complete it on a fast-track basis, delivering sound results," Mr. White added.

The variable quality water sources of Dania Beach wellfield and Broward County wellfield required a solution allowing for maximum flexibility. As such, depending on the quality of the sources at any one time, the system can
reconfigure, maximizing system recovery and reducing operating costs. The staged system approach developed by Biwater for Dania Beach was made up of a two-stage nanofiltration membrane system with convertible third and fourth stage reverse osmosis units to run at up to 92 percent recovery to meet concentrate disposal restrictions.

Delivering real results for the city of Dania Beach, the expansion work has significantly increased capacity beyond that of the existing 3.0 MGD aging lime softening water treatment plant, while improving water quality and colour. During periods of peak demand, it has reduced the city's need to purchase treated water from further afield. Overall, the project will accommodate the city's requirement for potable water as it continues to grow and develop over the next 20 to 30 years.

In addition, this plant achieves the city's vision for environmental sustainability by constructing one of the first water treatment plant buildings to achieve enough credits to become 'Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design' (LEED) certified through the U.S. Green Building Council.

This is the 11th project that Biwater has worked on in conjunction with CDM Smith, which brings their total installed treatment capacity to 174 MGD (659,000 m3/day). In reflecting on their work together to date, Richard Smith, President of Biwater AEWT and Director of the Americas, Biwater International, concluded, "Biwater AEWT is proud to have been an integral part of the design-build award winning team. We look forward to building upon our strong relationship with CDM Smith and other strategic partners in the future, while continuing to lead the way in effective design-build practices globally."

The team involved in the project will collect the 'National Design-Build Award' at the Design-Build Institute of America's awards ceremony on 5 November 2013 in Las Vegas.

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About Biwater:

Biwater provides large-scale water and wastewater solutions for clients across the world. Since its inception in 1968, Biwater has gained recognition for its innovative approaches aimed at overcoming the world's most pressing water-related challenges. Throughout its history, the company has grown to meet the demands of many water-stressed countries and their burgeoning populations. It has a successful record of accomplishment, having completed over 20,000 projects in over 90 countries - financing, consulting, designing, constructing, operating, maintaining and owning water facilities - in both rural and urban environments.

Biwater AEWT handles the company's desalination activities, serving both municipal and industrial clients. It is a premier membrane system manufacturer, particularly for large capacity systems, producing high purity drinking water. The company currently has more than 440 million gallons per day (MGD) of installed membrane treatment capacity globally.