Eastern Municipal Water District (EMWD) in Perris, Calif. has been selected to receive the Severn Trent Services Environmental Leadership Alliance Award. The award recognizes the positive environmental and economic benefits EMWD has achieved by using Severn Trent's ClorTec on-site sodium hypochlorite generating system, a disinfection system that has improved overall safety and plant efficiency.
To address increasingly stringent environmental, health and safety regulations, Severn Trent works with clients such as EMWD to achieve regulatory compliance, minimize and treat waste, reduce the use of toxic and hazardous materials and conserve resources. Severn Trent established the Environmental Leadership Alliance program to acknowledge a select group of clients that have worked in collaboration with the company and, as a result, achieved economic savings as well as environmental conservation.
Like many water companies, EMWD formerly used chlorine gas to disinfect its water. The chlorine gas was stored on site. But with recent growth in EMWD's service area, the municipality increasingly found its water facilities in close proximity to residential neighborhoods, and new government regulations were restricting the use and handling of chlorine gas. In 2000, EMWD began installing ClorTec on-site hypochlorite generating systems at its water filtration and desalter plants and at its wells.
According to Khos Ghaderi, director of water operations for EMWD, "This technology provides a safer community environment for nearby residents and a safer working environment for employees. By generating the disinfectant required at the site, there is no danger of a chlorine release."
Additional benefits of on-site hypochlorite generation include simpler operator training, lower capital costs and eliminating the need to transport and store chlorine gas on site. Regulatory compliance paperwork is minimized for this method of water filtration, and maintenance of on-site generators is also uncomplicated and inexpensive.
"EMWD was a natural candidate for the award, demonstrating the Severn Trent principle that economic benefit does not need to come at the expense of safety and the environment," said Len Graziano, CEO of Severn Trent Services. "We're privileged to have worked in alliance with EMWD to achieve impressive environmental and economic benefits to our client and the community."
Source: Severn Trent Services
