Member News
New Jersey American Water Meets Young Engineers at Future Cities Competition
Engineers from New Jersey American Water (NJAW) shared their expertise with seventh- and eighth-grade aspiring engineers from across the state at the National Engineering Week Future Cities Competition, held on Saturday, January 17, on the Busch Campus at Rutgers University.
Water and the Economy is the focus of this year’s Future Cities Competition. The students, who are charged with designing simulated cities of the future with self-sufficient water systems, flocked to the NJAW booth and peppered its engineers with in-depth questions about how the company treats and delivers reliable water service to more than 2.5 million New Jersey residents.
The New Jersey American Water booth featured a barrel with a floating faucet and running water, an aquifer display and a PowerPoint presentation that detailed the role engineering plays in the operation of a water utility. Students were given New Jersey American Water T-shirts and other take-away items as souvenirs.
“It was a pleasure to meet so many students who have a genuine interest in engineering and the water industry,” said Suzanne Chiavari, vice president of engineering, New Jersey American Water. “We were happy to give them a better understanding about the complexities of treating and supplying millions of gallons of water to homes throughout the state. New Jersey American Water wishes them well in the Future Cities competition and as they advance in their educational and professional careers.”
The Future City Competition is a part of the National Engineers Week activities; the program was developed for seventh- and eighth-grade students to help them discover and foster interests in math, science and engineering. The team that wins the regional competition will be invited to tour a New Jersey American Water Treatment Plant and will receive an all-expense paid trip to the national Future Cities finals in Washington, D.C., in February 2009.
American Water and City of Phoenix Earns Public Private Partnership Award from U.S. Conference of Mayors
American Water Works Company, Inc., announced that the Lake Pleasant Water Treatment Plant, operated by American Water and owned by the city of Phoenix, earned the 2009 Excellence in Public/Private Partnership Outstanding Achievement Award from the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
Phoenix's Lake Pleasant Water Treatment Plant was built to address one of the nation's fastest-growing metropolitan area's water needs. The city of Phoenix selected the design-build-operate (DBO) team of American Water Enterprises, Inc., a subsidiary of American Water, and the Black & Veatch-McCarthy Building Companies joint-venture design-build team.
"American Water is truly honored to receive such a prestigious award from the U.S. Conference of Mayors," said Donald Correll, president and chief executive officer of American Water. "The city of Phoenix decided in the early 90s that it wanted to proactively address the future water supply needs for its citizens. Working with our partners, in 2007, we opened a state-of-the-art plant that serves approximately 216,000 customers and has a capacity to treat 80 million gallons of water per day."
Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon added, "Thanks to the efforts of the partners and our city of Phoenix staff, the plant also was designed to easily expand to treat 320 million gallons per day, continuing to ensure a viable water plant for Phoenix for years to come."
Incorporating the latest in modern water treatment technology and automation, the facility is the largest design-build-operate project in North America. The facility, designed to blend seamlessly into the desert landscape without disturbing the natural beauty of the area, includes an intake structure, pumping station and a 90-inch diameter pipeline to deliver raw water 2.3 miles from the source to the treatment site.
American Water will operate and maintain the facility for 15 years, with an option for an additional five years.
Aqua America PA Subsidiary Acquires Gouldsboro Water System
Aqua America, Inc. announced that its Pennsylvania subsidiary, Aqua Pennsylvania, Inc., has completed the acquisition of the Gouldsboro Water Company, which serves approximately 425 people in Lehigh Township, Wayne County, for $65,000.
The purchase is the company's second acquisition in Wayne County in the past six months. Aqua Pennsylvania purchased the Honesdale Water Company, which serves approximately 6,000 people within portions of Honesdale Borough and Texas Township, Wayne County, in September 2008.
"The Gouldsboro acquisition expands our service area in Wayne County and allows us to increase our economies of scale in that area by filling in our footprint in Northeast Pennsylvania," said Aqua America Chairman and CEO Nicholas DeBenedictis.
Among the capital investments Aqua Pennsylvania has planned for Gouldsboro is the installation of new radio frequency (RF) meters for customers, who are now billed flat rates per fixture. Additionally, the company has plans to make water supply, treatment, storage and distribution system improvements.
In 2008, Aqua America subsidiaries completed a total of nine acquisitions in Pennsylvania, Texas, Indiana and Florida, serving approximately 18,000 additional people.
- Fountain Lake Sewer Corporation in Florida, April
- Sharpsville in Pennsylvania, August
- South Haven Sewer Works in Indiana, August
- Honesdale Consolidated Water Company in Pennsylvania, September
- Saddle Club Water Company in Texas, October
- New Daleville Wastewater Company in Pennsylvania, October
- Mountain Crest Water Company in Texas, December
- Cardinal Valley Water Company in Texas, December
- Emlenton Water Company in Pennsylvania, December
Additionally, its subsidiary companies have completed more than 20 growth ventures that involve agreements with developers in Pennsylvania, Texas, Ohio and North Carolina.
The Connecticut Water Company Acquires Ellington Acres Company
The Connecticut Water Company (CWC) announced today that it has completed the transaction to acquire all of the stock of the Ellington Acres Company (EAC). EAC is a regulated water utility company that provides water service to approximately 750 customers, or about 2,300 people in the towns of Ellington and Somers, Connecticut. Connecticut Water currently serves more than 36,000 customers in northern Connecticut, including Ellington and its surrounding towns.
Connecticut Water purchased EAC for $1,495,000. The two water systems will eventually be interconnected, as EAC’s water distribution system lies between two sections of CWC’s Northern operation — and is less than 100 feet from one of them.
According to Eric W. Thornburg, CWC president and chief executive officer, the transaction will help keep rates lower for customers of both companies. “Both companies can now avoid significant capital expenditures which is made possible by interconnecting the EAC and CWC water systems.” He explained that the transaction allows EAC to avoid capital investments totaling $1.5 million, including a new water treatment plant and tank, while CWC avoids $2.24 million in capital investments, including a portion of a needed transmission line to interconnect its Somers and Western systems, improving reliability and fire protection.
“A team of Connecticut Water employees has been working to plan for the integration of the two companies with Ellington Acres so that the acquisition is seamless to their customers,” said Thornburg. “CWC has a dedicated customer service team, and experienced state certified water treatment and distribution system professionals that look forward to serving the EAC customers.”
CWC’s Northern System is staffed by 41 professionals in Water Treatment, Field and Customer Service. They are supported by additional staff of more than 160 in all aspects of operating a state wide water utility — including Customer Service, Engineering, Water Quality, SCADA, Leak Detection, Water Supply Planning, Accounting, Finance and Information Technology. EAC has no employees and was owned and operated by members of the Slanetz Family since 1968.
The Boards of Directors of EAC and CWC have approved the acquisition, and the Connecticut Department of Public Utility Control (DPUC) issued its approval of the acquisition on December 30, 2008.
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