NEWS RELEASE                                                                                                    SEPTEMBER 2013

Upgrade Projects Costing $ Billions Underway At North American Municipal Drinking Water Plants

The 18,000 plants in North America which are extracting water and purifying it for residential, commercial and industrial use have committed to spend $ billions to upgrade their facilities. These projects are tracked bi-weekly in the McIlvaine North American Public Water Plants and People. 

Types of expenditures can be classified as new facilities to expand supply, new facilities to replace facilities being retired, upgrading of older facilities and routine maintenance and replacement. In North America, the upgrades are the leading sector in terms of investment.

Upgrades can be triggered by consumer demand for better quality, new regulations limiting contamination levels, improved reliability or by maintenance reduction.

Representative Upgrade Projects   at North American Municipal Drinking Water Plants

City

State

Equipment

Westerville

0H

Pressurized activated carbon filters

Chickasha

OK

$150 million overhaul to improve taste, odor and   appearance

Kitanning

PA

Chemical storage and feed

Pulaski

VA

Hydraulic to electric valves, digital controls,   chemical feeders – first upgrade since 1989

Salida

CO

Upgrade granular media filter and chemical feed   system in this plant built in 1959

Florence

AL

Miex system for dissolved organic carbon removal

Glasgow

KY

20 year upgrade

Nyssa

OR

Reduce arsenic to meet Federal requirement

Bay County

MI

Membrane filtration system

Saratoga Springs

NY

Replace filters which have been operating for 40   years

North Brevard

FL

Reduce TTHMs to below Federal long-term limit

Peace River

Alberta CA

New fluoridation system

Bethalto

IL

New filters and pumps

Many of the upgrades are taking place at plants which are more than 50 years old. Some operators have scheduled major upgrades every 20 years.

For more information on North American Public Water Plants and People, click on: http://home.mcilvainecompany.com/index.php/databases/27-water/477-67ei