|
Home
» Learning Center
NORWECO NEWS

NEW YORK CITY POLICE TAKE EXTRA STEPS TO AVOID SECURITY THREAT BY
GAS CHLORINE
Following at least 10 attacks in Iraq involving explosives
attached to liquid chlorine canisters and the listing of liquid
chlorine as a Chemical of Concern by the United States government
on November 20, 2007, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
and police are stressing the importance of chlorine vendors
verifying the legitimacy of their customers before accepting
orders or shipping product. This warning to vendors is in
addition to DHS’s earlier requirement that facilities which use or
store liquid chlorine register with DHS for a mandatory on-site
inspection and risk assessment.
As concern mounts over the transport, storage and use of
hazardous chemicals, such as liquid chlorine for disinfection and
sulfur dioxide gas for dechlorination, several sewer districts
have installed Norweco tablet chlorination and dechlorination
systems. Norweco tablet technologies do not employ hazardous
liquids or gas and are exempt from all current and pending
Department of Homeland Security reporting and inspection
requirements.
The relevant excerpt from the DHS report is as follows:
|

The Associated
Press reports undercover
New York City
police secretly set up a fake company to demonstrate how easily and
anonymously a terrorist could purchase chlorine on the Internet for
a deadly chemical strike against the city. There has been no
specific terror threat against the city involving chemicals, but New
York City police recently put more emphasis on screening shipments
of chlorine after learning that it has become a favored component of
homemade bombs in Iraq.
Associated Press
– (New
York) NYC police carry out fake chlorine deal to demonstrate
terror risk. Undercover police secretly set up a fake company to
demonstrate how easily and anonymously a terrorist could purchase
chlorine on the Internet for a deadly chemical strike against the
city. A videotape – prepared for a briefing Wednesday of private
security executives – discloses for the first time the results of
the operation. There has been no specific terror threat against the
city involving chemicals, but New York City police recently put more
emphasis on screening shipments of chlorine after learning that it
has become a favored component of homemade bombs in Iraq. Chlorine
typically is used as a disinfectant or purifier and as an ingredient
in plastics and other products. While routinely transported in
liquid form, it can turn into a deadly toxic gas when exposed to
air. In remarks prepared for the briefing, a Police Commissioner
said the NYPD has been lobbying the Department of Homeland Security
to draft stricter regulations requiring chlorine vendors to verify
the legitimacy of their customers. Source:
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/02/13/america/NYC-Chlorine-Threat.php
|
The newspaper article is as
follows:
|

NYC police use fake company to set up chlorine
buy, highlighting potential terror risk
Undercover police secretly set up a fake company
to demonstrate how easily and anonymously a terrorist could purchase
chlorine on the Internet for a deadly chemical strike against the
city.
A videotape — presented Wednesday at a briefing
of private security executives — discloses for the first time the
results of "Operation Green Cloud" — a reference to the yellow-green
color of chlorine gas. The purpose was "to assess the ease or
difficulty with which a terrorist in the United States could acquire
large quantities of chlorine without being detected by law
enforcement or intelligence agencies," a narrator says on a copy of
the video obtained by The Associated Press.
The conclusion: "At the present time, few if any
barriers stand in his way."
There has been no specific terror threat against
the city involving chemicals, but New York City police recently put
more emphasis on screening shipments of chlorine after learning that
it has become a favored component of homemade bombs in Iraq. A 2007
United Nations report found that at least 10 attacks in Iraq
involved explosives attached to chlorine canisters.
Chlorine typically is used as a disinfectant or
purifier, and as an ingredient in plastics and other products. While
routinely transported in liquid form, it can turn into a deadly
toxic gas when exposed to air.
Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said that while
there were no places to obtain chlorine in New York, there are
several locations in neighboring New Jersey. "It's something we have
to be concerned about," he said of the potential of an attack using
chlorine. "We think the whole area needs a lot of regulation." Kelly
said the NYPD has been lobbying the Department of Homeland Security
to draft stricter regulations requiring chlorine vendors to verify
the legitimacy of their customers. The department sent federal
officials a copy of the videotape and "asked them to include strict
'know-your-customer' rules," Kelly said.
Homeland Security has been focusing on high-risk
manufacturers, distributors and retailers of chlorine in an attempt
to secure the nation's domestic supply, agency spokesman Russ Knocke
said. The agency also has been briefing other law enforcement groups
on the issue, he said. Police stressed that the chlorine deal was
within current regulations, which have no requirement that vendors
verify identification of their customers or report transactions.
In the video, an intelligence detective describes
how in June 2007 the department fabricated a water purification
company, complete with a mailing address, Web site and a phony
contract with the city to clean up a polluted creek in Brooklyn.
Investigators, after using the Internet to identify local vendors,
used a credit card to place an order with one unnamed firm for three
100-pound cylinders of chlorine. No one ever asked for
identification and the purchase required little human interaction,
police said. The video includes surveillance footage of a truck
delivering the canisters on a rain-slicked Brooklyn street lined
with warehouses. At the time, hazardous material teams were on
standby to respond to any accidents, police said.
Associated Press writer Colleen Long contributed
to this report.
|
Bio-Dynamic Potable Water System Protects Schools and Hospitals
"We are surprised at how effective the chlorinators are
and how simply
and efficiently they work. Please do one more
installation... at our house
for handicapped children." Kenscoff Orphanage

Kenscoff Children
 With
the support of studies conducted by the Johns Hopkins School of
Public Health, the Washington, DC based non-profit
organization International Action continues their quest to provide
affordable, safe drinking water to struggling nations. Grim
statistics from Haiti’s health agencies make this area a top
priority. Without intervention, up to one-third of their children
will die before the age of five due to intestinal disorders from
dirty water sources. They recently shared exciting information
and new photos regarding their progress utilizing easily installed
and operated Bio-Dynamic chlorine disinfection tablet dispensers.
All are from the Kenscoff area
outside Port-au-Prince where their crew has been working while
civil unrest cools down in the capital. These photos of the proud
team were taken at the hospital Fermathe with Community Organizer
Dalebrun Esther in front and local plumber Joanes Bastin behind
him. The young man in the first photo is Dimitri from their
partner group. The second photo shows Laurie Knop, International
Action’s partner in Haiti, directing the work. The chlorinator
behind them is
used to
protect the
Hospital Fermathe’s patients. The word of decline in illnesses
has spread and the Hospital Fermathe staff has requested that the
organization protect 350 schools they run throughout Haiti.
International Action, along with assistance from the Haitian
Minister of Agriculture, is working rapidly to plot out an
education campaign including training local residents as
Bio-Dynamic Potable Water System installers to speed the
availability of sanitized drinking water. The campaign is titled
“Miracle in Haiti” because some residents of the poor
neighborhoods call the chlorine system and resulting clean water a
miracle and travel long distances to carry away safe water. They
recently surveyed 10 community water tanks in the Kenscoff area
that
were recipients of chlorinators. A Haitian mother standing in
line for water asked them to share the news that, “It’s a miracle
that your organization has brought us clean water. We are so
grateful that our children don’t get sick…as they used to.” Over
the course of the next year, 500,000 people will gain access to
these “miracle” systems. To learn more about International
Action's current and future humanitarian efforts in Haiti, click
on the following link:
www.haitiwater.org.
SINGULAIR SYSTEM APPROVED FOR
EPA NPDES GENERAL PERMIT
Designed for
sites where wastewater disposal options are severely limited, the
Singulair NPDES system utilizes advanced treatment technologies to
meet EPA performance criteria. EPA General Permits are issued for
systems that treat wastewater and discharge effluent to surface
waters. NPDES permits require strict compliance with watershed
based performance limits and failsafe operational controls. The
operation and performance of the Singulair NPDES system meets
EPA’s General Permit criteria and allows economical land
utilization while protecting environmentally sensitive areas. The primary
treatment platform of the NPDES system is the Singulair Model TNT
wastewater treatment plant which has successfully completed NSF
International’s most demanding evaluation protocol, Standard 245. Treatment of domestic wastewater is accomplished by the extended
aeration process with non-mechanical flow equalization,
gravitational settling, tertiary filtration, UV disinfection and
effluent re-aeration.
To assure
compliance with EPA’s stringent permit limits the
electro-mechanical components of the NPDES system providing
aeration, filtration and disinfection are monitored 24/7 by
Norweco’s exclusive Service Pro telemetry. Should a system
component require maintenance Service Pro immediately notifies the
Singulair service provider. In addition to providing notification
of the need for service, the Service Pro system manages operating
data and maintenance records with a password protected website for
online performance accountability. Access to the website records
of each Singulair NPDES system can be granted to regulatory
agencies responsible for operational oversight. The system owner
is provided READ ONLY access to the maintenance records which can
be used to demonstrate compliance with permit requirements when
renewal of the EPA General Permit is requested.
With
performance that rivals the most advanced treatment systems in the
world, coupled with Service Pro remote monitoring, the Singulair
NPDES wastewater treatment system is another example of how
Norweco is engineering the future of water and wastewater to
provide today's answer for the protection of tomorrow's
environment.
ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND SOLUTIONS
John and Monica
Kubena and their seven children celebrate their new house protected
by the Singulair system from Norweco, courtesy of ABC Television’s
“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” The problem of
providing new living quarters for the Kubena family in East
Bernard, Texas was solved with the help of a Singulair Bio-Kinetic
wastewater treatment system. Norweco's local, licensed Singulair
distributor and the design team at ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home
Edition installed a Singulair Bio-Kinetic system that was capable
of providing the environment the Kubena family needed for their
twin girls Tara and Sara who are recovering from Leukemia.
For more information, view the entire
Extreme
Makeover story on our website.
ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF "PROGRESS THROUGH SERVICE"
The year 2006 marked the 100th Anniversary of the founding of
Norweco and our original parent company. Based on a patent for a
burial vault originally issued in 1902, Norwalk Vault Company was
incorporated in 1906 to build and eventually license the
manufacture of the unique design. Over the years, the burial vault
design evolved into designs for septic tanks, bomb shelters,
utility vaults and wastewater treatment plants. The company
developed into a leading manufacturer of precast concrete, steel
molds and wastewater treatment products, which would subsequently
become Norweco. The Norwalk Vault Company produced three
independent companies and hundreds of distributors who used the
word "Norwalk" in their company name. Throughout the history of
all the affiliated corporations and their successors, the
combination of a deep commitment to the customer coupled with
fundamentally sound design, engineering and manufacture has been
the common bond.
We celebrated our Centennial with a four-day series of distributor
meetings that featured a look back at our history and the
introduction of several new products for the future. Distributors
from throughout North America attended the event, which was themed
"100 Years of Integrity, Reliability and Innovation." New product
introductions, new listings and increasing acceptance of advanced
treatment technology continues to position Norweco and our
distributors on the forefront of the water and wastewater
treatment industry. We understand that our continued success, and
the success of our distributors, is dependent upon our ability to
consistently deliver quality service and products to our
customers. The Centennial Celebration was an opportunity to
reflect on our past, envision our future and set our sights on
growth and opportunity. With a renewed commitment to the
partnerships we have forged with our distributors, dealers and
customers, we look forward to our next century of "Progress
Through Service."
NORWECO DISTRIBUTORS ENJOY CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION
The
Service Pro "Big Red" service truck traveled throughout North
America this past year helping Norweco distributors promote their
products and celebrate our Centennial. Big Red is an International Truck and Engine
Corporation Model CXT with a nine foot tall cab, 310
horsepower MaxxForce engine and six tons of hauling power that was
customized especially for the Norweco Centennial. Towering
over everything else on the street, the International Model CXT is
the largest production pickup truck in the world and demands
attention wherever it goes.
While visiting Waco, Texas in March, to participate
in the annual Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Conference and the Hanson Concrete Products Company Singulair Training
Seminar, Big Red may have received a little too much attention. The Hanson seminar was well attended by installing
contractors and the TCEQ conference drew big crowds.
However, the day before the conference when Hanson’s Sales Manager, Chris Davis, and Big Red
went missing, the Norweco sales team
who were waiting for the truck to arrive in Waco, got a little nervous.
Chris claims he was having Big Red washed and detailed at the
local truck wash but this photograph provides proof positive that
the detailing job wasn’t the only project Chris was working on
that day. It’s obvious Chris used Big Red’s horsepower to his
advantage as he was able to convince an entire staff of
waitresses from a local Hooters restaurant to leave their work
stations and join him for a joy ride. Sales of wings, Singulair
systems and Blue Crystal chlorine tablets may have suffered
briefly, but it looks like everyone had a good time. Chris
claims that he took the truck to a mall that has the only
combination truck wash/Hooters restaurant in the state of Texas.
However, when members of the Norweco sales team tried to find the
alleged truck wash/restaurant no such facility could be located.
NEW AERATOR DISPLAY DEMONSTRATES UNIQUE FEATURES

We've mounted a Singulair Model 206C
aerator into a clear display cylinder to demonstrate its powerful
mixing action and air delivery. The aerator, designed
specifically for use in the Singulair Bio-Kinetic wastewater
treatment system, turns a four-pronged aspirator at a speed of
1725 RPM. As the aspirator turns within the contents of the
Singulair tank, a vortex is created and air bubbles are released
into the aeration chamber. Air injection provides just the
right environment for biological oxidation of the wastewater.
The aerator generates the tank mixing action necessary for complete
biological treatment and the mixing also operates the Singulair clarification
chamber's sludge return system. Notice that the mixing
action continues even after the aerator is turned off. The
hydraulic currents that are created continue through the Bio-Static sludge return and the sludge
return zone of the clarification chamber continues to function even
when the aerator is in an off cycle.
Simply click on the image to the right to view the
demonstration.
UPDATE - OUTLOOK
Another reason to worry about global warming:
more and itchier poison ivy. The noxious vine grows faster and
bigger as carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere rise, researchers
report. And a CO2-driven vine also produces more of its
rash-causing chemical, urushiol, according to experiments conducted
by Duke University where scientists increased the carbon dioxide
levels of a nearby forest to those expected in 2050. Carbon dioxide is a
greenhouse gas that’s considered a major contributor to global
warming. Compared to poison ivy grown in usual
atmospheric conditions, those exposed to the extra-high carbon
dioxide grew about three times larger and produced more allergenic
form urushiol, scientists from Duke and Harvard University reported.
Their study appears in a recent Proceedings of the National Academy
of Sciences. “The fertilization effect of rising CO2 on poison
ivy… and the shift toward a more allergenic form of urushiol have
important implications for the future health of both humans and
forests,” the study concludes. (Reprinted from Washington AP, June, 2006)
On August 5, 2005 Norweco, Inc. was honored with the 2005 Governor’s
Excellence Award in Workers’ Compensation recognized by The Ohio
Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC). This prestigious award
acknowledges Ohio businesses and public employers that provide a
safe, cost-effective workplace for their employees, while supporting
their injured workers. The criteria cited by the bureau for this
award are: exemplary commitment to creating a safe workplace, an outstanding cost-containment program,
active leadership by senior management, employee involvement and measurable results.
With zero recordable injuries for nearly 3 years, Norweco recognizes that
employee efforts were key to achieving this goal. Norweco’s
commitment to a safe and healthy workplace earned them this mark of
distinction. Out of 150 applicants, Norweco is honored to be one of
only six Ohio businesses to receive the Governor’s Excellence Award
in Workers’ Compensation. For more information on the Ohio Bureau
of Workers’ Compensation and the safety programs and services that
they offer, visit
www.ohiobwc.com.
On February 4, 2004 Norweco, Inc. was notified by the Occupational
Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) that the company has
achieved SHARP certification. SHARP stands for Safety and
Health Achievement Recognition Program and
is a highly selective certification that recognizes employers who
have partnered with OSHA on-site consultants to establish and
maintain an exemplary safety program in the workplace.
Norweco’s program meets and exceeds all of the major elements of the
Safety and Health Program Management Guidelines outlined by OSHA,
including: management leadership, employee
involvement, worksite analysis, hazard prevention, and safety and health training.
Once safety standards were identified, Norweco was graded on a
number of attributes relating to hazard anticipation, detection,
prevention and control, safety planning, evaluation and training,
management commitment, and employee participation. To complete the
program, Norweco worked with OSHA consultants over a period of two
years and in 2003, achieved the number one goal of obtaining a
record of zero accidents or injuries.
The OSHA on-site consulting team
conducts nearly 1000 consultations in Ohio each year, and Norweco is
proud to be one of only 5 companies to successfully achieve SHARP
status.
If you would
like more information on the SHARP program, visit OSHA’s website at
www.osha.gov/dcsp/smallbusiness/sharp.html
On January 10, 2003 the USEPA
and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced two actions to
clarify their enforcement of the Clean Water Act. The first action
was to issue updated guidance language to assist the two agencies
with their enforcement efforts. The second action was to announce
the USEPA’s intention to publish an Advance Notice of Proposed Rule
Making, which notifies the public that regulations are slated for
review and asks for public comment. The USEPA decided that clarification of the guidance language was
necessary following a ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court. In January
2001, the Supreme Court ruled that the Corps of Engineers had
exceeded its authority when it blocked the construction of a
landfill outside of Chicago in the mid-1990’s. The guidance language reaffirms federal jurisdiction over
traditional navigable waters and their adjacent wetlands, but not if
they are contained within one state and non-navigable, where the
sole basis for jurisdiction would be the Migratory Bird Rule. The
language also encouraged field staff to seek formal,
project-specific approval prior to asserting jurisdiction over
non-navigable, intrastate waters based on current regulatory
definitions of "waters of the U.S."
In December
2002, the EPA and the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Board (LARWQCB)
took serious action against one frequent violator of the Clean Water
Act. The City of Los Angeles admitted liability for more than
3,600 spills dating back to 1994 that resulted in the discharge of
millions of gallons of untreated sewage. The city’s admission of
these violations could force them to pay the maximum penalties with
fines totaling over $90 million. In a separate
Federal lawsuit filed by the EPA and state water officials, Los
Angeles could be forced to commit to making repairs to about half of
it’s 6,500 miles of sewer lines, many of which are a half-century
old. Similar suits have been brought against Atlanta, Miami, New
Orleans, Baltimore and others that would require them to make up to
$100 billion in improvements. However, such an investment may not
be enough to keep pace with aging infrastructures. Some
municipalities are offsetting the cost of these improvements and
repairs by increasing residential sewer fees assessed to their
citizens. Ultimately, each of us will
pay the price or reap the rewards of protecting our water resources
for future generations.
Microsoft has created what it calls “the world’s first internet
outhouse.” The iLoo incorporates an internal
flat-screen plasma display, wireless keyboard and 802.11b broadband
access, as well as 6-channel surround sound. The keyboard is
independently mounted and can be held on the user’s lap. To address
the long lines that could develop if patrons linger too long inside,
the unit also has an external plasma screen and a waterproof
external silicone keyboard for those who are waiting. The toilet
and sink use vacuum suction to dispose of the waste. To add reading
material, the company is negotiating with toilet paper manufacturers
for special rolls with web addresses printed on them. Security is also of utmost importance for
the new device; Microsoft plans to post a guard to protect the
hardware. “If we didn’t post a guard, somebody would probably just
lift the whole thing up and walk away with it,” a spokesman said.
The USEPA has
published the 2002 update to their Design Manual: Onsite
Wastewater Treatment and Disposal Systems, commonly known as the
"Purple Manual." This update is meant to provide a more focused
approach to onsite wastewater treatment than the last edition which
was published in 1980. The 2002 update is not intended to replace
the 1980 version, but rather to provide supplemental information
about recent developments in treatment technologies, designs and
system management. Information contained in this
publication includes an abundance of technical data on traditional
and new systems with a performance-based approach to selection and
design. A team of experts from public agencies, private groups,
professional associations and academic organizations supplied the
information for the updated design manual. Norweco is cited in the
acknowledgements as making a significant contribution to the
development of this important training and reference publication.
Although Staten Island’s Fresh Kills Landfill was closed for
dumping, one mound has been temporarily re-opened for the wreckage
of the World Trade Center. Fresh Kills, whose name is Dutch for
fresh stream, originally was a beautiful marshland. While it is
currently a defunct landfill, faith remains it will once again be
a place of hope, life and beauty. Since 1993, Fresh Kills
Landfill has been the site of a successful ecological experiment.
New York City officials were concerned that roots from a few
naturally occurring shrubs and trees might puncture the protective
plastic liner that acted as a seal above the refuse. A team of experts from Rutgers University found that as tree
roots hit the liner, they spread out instead of puncturing it.
This prompted city officials to look at ways to expand the
vegetation to create a better habitat. The project started with
planting 20 patches of native trees, shrubs, flowers and grasses
on two of the landfill's four mounds. Eventually all 2,200 acres of Fresh Kills will be covered with
meadows and woodlands, creating a natural oasis for wildlife on
New York’s coastal wetlands. Perhaps one day we can view the
final resting place for the World Trade Center as a true monument
of the American spirit, a landfill to a forest.
The problem of rising fecal coliform levels in
our oceans is well recognized. After enforcing numerous
regulations regarding the deliberate release of such pollutants
into the oceans, the EPA is now focusing on unintentional causes such as stormwater
runoff. An often over-looked cause of rising fecal
coliform levels is the contribution by problem grease traps. If grease traps go neglected,
the grease is released into the sewage system where it solidifies
and clogs sewer lines forcing wastewater to surface and take
alternative routes, most of which lead to ocean waters. This situation emphasizes the need for proper
grease trap care. Norweco’s Bio-Gem actually
digests grease, fat and oil to help prevent problems in collection
systems. Norweco’s Bio-Kinetic wastewater management system (BK 2000) makes grease traps work
better because it equalizes the flow and filters grease before it
can clog lines. This combination would be ideal in ending grease trap
problems and ultimately their contribution to the oceans’ fecal
coliform levels.
The EPA, in an effort to rid
drinking water of the microbial pathogen Cryptosporidium,
is requiring public water systems which service fewer than 10,000
persons to add tighter filtration system controls. Cryptosporidium is considered by many to be a harbinger of
a new type of microbiological risk for the future. Able to
survive dormant in the soil for years, Cryptosporidium and
similar microorganisms illustrate a potential weakness in
traditional sub-surface waste disposal methods. Concern that other
pathogenic microorganisms may also survive underground disposal is
causing some authorities to require disinfection for both surface
and subsurface disposal. Although this is a controversial subject,
experimental systems have proven that pathogenic organisms in
wastewater can be eliminated without residual chlorine being
detrimental to naturally occurring bacteria.
November 19 has been declared
World Toilet Day by the WTO -- the World Toilet
Organization. The 17-nation WTO concluded its
inaugural World Toilet Summit in Singapore by declaring that
henceforth, November 19 will "be used to promote awareness of
the need for good toilets." The WTO released a list of
nine goals for their organization, including the dissemination of
useful toilet information on their website, an effort to improve
the quality of toilet environments and to "work harmoniously
together in the promotion of better toilets for all people on
earth." WTO members competed vigorously to host the next
World Toilet Summit. Korea won the honor of hosting the
event in 2002. India hosted the meeting in 2003, followed
by China in 2004. Sign up today to make sure you get a good
seat!
A
study commissioned by the White House and conducted by the
National Academy of Sciences, National Research Council has
concluded that global warming "is real and particularly
strong within the past 20 years." It is estimated that
by 2100, temperatures may increase between 2.5 and 10.4 degrees
Fahrenheit above those of 1990. These increases may not seem
substantial, but they may lead to serious adverse effects on society and
the environment by the end of this century.
In addition to the increase in temperatures, there will
likely be a hydrologic impact.
The study concludes that the predicted warming may lead to
droughts in the Great Plains, substantially impacting agricultural
production.
There could also be significant changes over the western
U.S., where much of the water supply is dependent on the amount of
snow and the timing of spring runoff.
In addition, some areas may experience increased rainfall
rates that could lead to problems with pollution run-off and flood
control. While
the report admits the exact costs and risks involved are difficult
to quantify, it concludes that the danger grows as the rate and
magnitude of climate change increases.
A
recent Wall Street Journal article addressed the ongoing problem
created by coagulated fat in America’s sewers. While city plumbing codes generally require “grease
generating establishments” to utilize a grease trap, disposing
of the accumulated grease is becoming more difficult.
If the trap is not emptied, the greasy water races straight
through, causing pipes to clog, machinery to jam, and ultimately
leading to sewage backup and overflow. Many fast food
restaurants are adding secondary treatment following their
existing grease traps and have turned to Norweco products to solve
their special treatment problems.
A privately owned wastewater treatment
plant in Hillard, OH was closed after 10 years of complaints.
According to environmental officials the smell from the plant caused burning eyes, noses and throats and
occasionally resulted in canceled recesses at a nearby elementary
school. Norweco’s Singulair, Modulair and Travalair
wastewater treatment systems can eliminate the problems of
malfunctioning plants and protect the health and quality of life
of the citizens they serve. Reuse of the high quality
effluent our systems provide is particularly beneficial to people
in areas where potable water supplies are limited.
Earthquakes in El Salvador and India left
tens of thousands dead, however, the human suffering did not stop
when the earth stopped shaking. Following natural disasters, it is not uncommon
for waterborne diseases to kill more people than the disaster
itself. Bio-Dynamic tablet feeders are currently being
used to disinfect the potable water for thousands of earthquake
survivors. By providing the basic necessity of sanitary
drinking water to those that have lost everything, humanitarian
groups and private companies, such as Norweco, are preventing this
tragedy from taking thousands of additional victims.
Escherichia Coli 0157:H7 infiltrated the water supply of a town in southwestern Ontario making more than 1,000 people ill and resulting in the deaths of fifteen others.
Contaminated water is also suspected as the source of illness for 39 people who attended an
Ohio county fair. Some experts believed the rainy summer created longstanding puddles that may have served as breeding grounds for the bacteria. An additional outbreak
two months later at the same fairgrounds has lead officials to close a
display there.
Norweco's Integrated System Controls eliminate the need for multiple control panels when a pump station is
installed with a Singulair system. The prewired control center consolidates the pump
control wiring, control switches, circuit breakers, alarms, timeclock and aerator
circuitry into a single lockable enclosure.
Licensed distributors
are manufacturing precast concrete settling and retention basins
from proprietary Norweco molds for the Bio-Kinetic
Wastewater Management System. BK 2000 systems are now available in precast
concrete basins, or
one-piece and segmented three-piece UPS shippable plastic basins. Norweco distributors
have the option of installing the Bio-Kinetic tertiary device in a 24" diameter by 6
foot tall plastic or concrete solids settling and retention basin.
One of our Canadian distributors has been working for the
past several months with the owners of a local nudist colony. The camp has plans to expand
its facilities and the distributor has quoted a Modulair Wastewater Treatment System to
meet their growing needs. Several members of Norweco's engineering department have
volunteered their assistance for "sight" inspections, surveying, installation
work and routine bi-weekly service visits. OTHER
POINTS OF INTEREST
What do you have in common with a dinosaur? ... The same drinking
water. We have about the same amount of water as when the earth was
formed. The same water is used over and over again. Try not to think
about it too much.
The
Chicago Tunnels and Reservoir Plan are noted in the Guinness World
Records as the largest sewage tunnel, extending 93 miles with
diameter of 9 to 33 feet. In 2004, a total of 109 miles were
scheduled to be complete.
A
woman in St. Louis recently destroyed her utility room by using
swimming pool disinfecting tablets as a drain cleaner.
Fortunately, no one was hurt but her misfortune teaches an
important lesson.
Any tablet containing chlorine, including Bio-Sanitizer, is
dangerous if misused.
Read and follow label directions!
The
Chicago Tribune reports that a combined sewer system located in a
city park has been discovered as a fishing "hot spot."
One sewer manhole became so popular for taking a Crappie or
Bluegill that city officials were forced to place a thick steel
plate over the manhole cover so it could not be removed.
Seen
on the back of a septic pumper truck: "Satisfaction
guaranteed, or your merchandise cheerfully refunded."
(Reprinted
from READER'S DIGEST, July, 2001)
. |