Basin Water to Offer NSF 61 Certified Photocatalytic Membrane Systems to Drinking Water Facilities
June 09 2008 - 4:30PM
Business Wire
Basin Water, Inc. (NASDAQ:BWTR) announced that it will begin to
offer NSF 61 certified photocatalytic membrane systems to drinking
water providers in the United States via its agreement with
Purifics ES Inc. (�Purifics�), (London, Ontario Canada). Known as
Photo-Cat�, the technology combines one of the best chemical-free
advanced oxidation process (�AOP�) technology with long-life UV and
maintenance-free ceramic membranes in a single-unit operation.
Photo-Cat� may be used alone or in combination with other treatment
systems as a part of Basin Water�s technology+services approach.
That approach features long-term agreements that guarantee
performance and costs over the lifetime of a project and delivers a
low lifecycle cost. Photo-Cat� technology can effectively treat a
broad range of organic contaminants in groundwater, including
1,4-dioxane, methyl tertiary butyl ether (�MTBE�) and
pharmaceuticals and personal care products (�PPCPs�). It is the
only system of its kind with NSF 61 certification. According to
Michael M. Stark, President & CEO of Basin Water, NSF 61
certification of Photo-Cat� technology offers the operators of
water systems assurance that the materials in the systems meet the
standards set by the drinking water profession for safety and
quality. �NSF certification of systems is an important part of
assuring reliable, high quality drinking water to our communities.
It also will make it easier for our customers to receive permitting
� meaning an overall faster response time in delivering new
drinking water supplies and lower costs for compliance. These are
essential elements of our relationship with our customers,� he
said. �We are excited about the opportunity we have to bring
Photo-Cat� technology to communities throughout the United States
because it will address some of the most difficult treatment issues
safely, efficiently and cost-effectively,� he added. In February of
this year, Basin Water announced an agreement under which it will
have exclusive rights to market Purifics� technology for the
reduction and destruction of organic materials in drinking water
applications in North America. The exclusivity in this initial
agreement applies to selected states in the U.S. and also covers
non-exclusive rights to the remainder of North America subject to
certain contract requirements. Technology for the treatment and
removal of organic contaminants Photo-Cat� is part of Basin Water�s
growing portfolio of technology designed to reduce and eliminate
both natural and synthetic organic contaminants in drinking water
and other impaired water applications. This technology complements
Basin Water�s strong offering in the area of inorganic removal and
will be of particular benefit to water system operators who have
the need to treat multiple contaminants at their sites. Photo-Cat�
technology can treat a very broad range of organic contaminants in
groundwater, with particular effectiveness in compounds from light
and heavy industry, including those resulting from industrial
solvents, refineries and metal cutting operations. Basin Water has
investigated the use of Photo-Cat� technology to treat three
contaminants that have recently received scrutiny by the regulatory
community: 1,4-dioxane, MTBE, and PPCPs. 1-4 dioxane and MTBE are
currently on the EPA�s Candidate Contaminant List 3 (�CCL3�) which
is in public comment and review phase. If action is taken, it is
expected that these will be regulated by the EPA with a national
drinking water standard. 1,4-dioxane is a manmade compound
primarily used as an industrial solvent or solvent stabilizer that
prevents the breakdown of chlorinated solvents during manufacturing
processes. Industrial solvents are used in degreasing, electronics,
metal finishing, fabric cleaning, pharmaceuticals, herbicides and
pesticides, antifreeze, paper manufacturing and many other
applications. The EPA has not yet established a Federal drinking
water standard or maximum contaminant level (�MCL�) for
1,4-dioxane. California has also not set an MCL but has set an
advisory Action Level (�AL�) of 3 ppb. An AL reflects calculations
for acceptable risks based on best available data. Since there is
no Federal standard, the states of Michigan, Maine and
Massachusetts have set safety levels at 85 ppb, 70 ppb and 50 ppb,
respectively. MTBE is a fuel additive used to improve the
environmental performance of unleaded fuels and has been produced
in very large quantities in the United States over the last two
decades � but today is banned in most states. According to the EPA,
low levels of MTBE can make water supplies undrinkable due to its
offensive taste and odor, and there is research that suggests that
MTBE may be a carcinogen. Studies have shown that MTBE
contamination of groundwater supplies occurs in every state in the
U.S. Recently, a group of oil companies agreed to pay $423 million
to settle lawsuits in seventeen states due to contamination claims
involving the MTBE. Estimates of the cost of cleaning up MTBE in
U.S. groundwater supplies run as high as $30 billion. A PPCP refers
to any product used by individuals for personal health or cosmetic
reasons or used by agribusiness to enhance growth or health of
livestock. PPCPs comprise a diverse collection of thousands of
chemical substances, including prescription and over-the-counter
therapeutic drugs, veterinary drugs, fragrances, and cosmetics.
Because they dissolve easily and will not evaporate at normal
temperatures or pressure, PPCPs make their way into the soil and
into aquatic environments via sewage, treated sewage sludge and
irrigation with reclaimed water. On March 10, 2008, the Associated
Press reported that a wide array of pharmaceuticals - including
antibiotics, anticonvulsants, mood stabilizers, and sex hormones -
had been found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41
million Americans. The report said that concentrations of these
pharmaceuticals are tiny, measured in quantities of parts per
billion or trillion, far below the levels of a medical dose, but
described concerns about long-term effects on human health. In the
course of a five-month inquiry, the AP discovered that drugs have
been detected in the drinking water supplies of 24 major
metropolitan areas - from southern California and northern New
Jersey to Detroit and Louisville. A subset of PPCPs, called
endocrine disruptor chemicals (�EDCs�), is an issue of concern,
because, according to the EPA, evidence suggests that environmental
exposure may result in disruption of endocrine systems in human and
wildlife populations. Studies have shown impacts including sex
change in certain aquatic species. These substances can act like
hormones in the endocrine system and disrupt the physiologic
function of endogenous hormones. Studies have linked endocrine
disruptors to adverse biological effects in animals, giving rise to
concerns that low-level exposure might cause similar effects in
human beings. According to Stark, Photo-Cat� technology used within
the Basin Water business model is an ideal approach to handle these
and other naturally occurring or synthetic organic contaminants of
concern. �These three organic contaminant challenges have in common
that they require a very high level of removal efficiency and the
challenge they represent to communities across the United States
will be long-term. For the communities who will be asked to make
new investments to address these issues, reliability and long-term
cost-effectiveness are critical,� he said. �Photo-Cat� technology
provides us with a remarkably effective way to meet our customers�
water treatment goals. Including Photo-Cat� as part of a Basin
Water technology+services program will provide communities with one
of the best long-term investments in safe drinking water over the
lifetime of the project.� NSF International, an independent,
not-for-profit organization, certifies products and writes
standards for food, water and consumer goods (www.nsf.org). Founded
in 1944, NSF is committed to protecting public health and safety
worldwide. NSF is a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre
for Food and Water Safety and Indoor Environment. Additional
services include safety audits for the food and water industries,
management systems registrations delivered through NSF
International Strategic Registrations, organic certification
provided by Quality Assurance International and education through
the NSF Center for Public Health Education. About Basin Water Basin
Water, Inc. is a provider of reliable, long-term process solutions
for a range of clients, which includes designing, building and
implementing systems for the treatment of contaminated groundwater,
the treatment of wastewater, waste reduction and resource recovery.
Basin Water employs treatment technologies including its own
proprietary, scalable ion-exchange wellhead treatment system, along
with a host of other treatment technologies designed to meet
customer needs in an efficient, flexible and cost- effective
manner. Additional information may be found on the company's web
site: www.basinwater.com. Forward Looking Statements This press
release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of
the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These
statements, including expectations relating to future revenues and
income, the company's ability to gain new business and control
costs, involve risks and uncertainties, as well as assumptions
that, if they prove incorrect or never materialize, could cause the
results of the company to differ materially from those expressed or
implied by such forward-looking statements. Actual results may
differ materially from these expectations due to various risks and
uncertainties, including: the company's limited operating history,
significant operating losses associated with certain of the
company's contracts, the company's ability to identify and
consummate other acquisition opportunities that improve the
company's revenues and profitability, significant fluctuations in
its revenues from period to period, its ability to effectively
manage its growth, the success of the company's strategic partners,
its long sales cycles, market acceptance of its technology, the
geographic concentration of its operations and customers, its
ability to meet customer demands and compete technologically, the
company's ability to protect its intellectual property, regulatory
approvals of the company's systems, changes in governmental
regulation that may affect the water industry, particularly with
respect to environmental laws, the company's ability to attract and
retain qualified personnel and management members, the company's
ability to manage its capital to meet future liquidity needs,
changes in the board of directors and the timing of the company's
stock repurchases, if any. More detailed information about these
risks and uncertainties are contained in the company's filings with
the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the company's
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007 and
subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. The company assumes no
obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect
any change in future events.
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