Calgon Carbon Awarded Contract for Perchlorate Removal

Calgon Carbon Corporation was awarded a contract from West San Bernardino County Water District in California for the purchase of a modular ion exchange system. The system will be used for the removal of perchlorate in San Bernardino County well water. The contract, valued at approximately $2 million, also includes a three-year service agreement.

The project will treat 2.8 million gallons per day of water for the customers of the West San Bernardino County Water District. "After discovering the perchlorate in the Rialto/Colton and North Riverside basins, we looked into technologies that could service us the best. Calgon Carbon Corporation was at the forefront of those technologies because of their experience in this field," said Anthony Araiza, General Manager of the West San Bernardino County Water District. "We are the first facility that draws and treats water from these basins to install the equipment for perchlorate removal. We wanted to be good neighbors to our customers and we felt good about the resin-based system Calgon Carbon had to offer in that regard."

Commenting on the agreement, Jim Fishburne, senior vice president of Calgon Carbon, said, "We are pleased with the response from water management facilities across North America, especially the California municipalities who have embraced our groundwater treatment solutions and services. Our technology was the first approved in that state for perchlorate removal a little more than four years ago. Since then, our reputation for cost effective and efficient technologies coupled with unsurpassed service has continued to grow throughout the industry."

Calgon Carbon works with local municipalities to choose the proper system from the company's multiple technologies. "We offer ISEP(R) and temporary service programs," said Fishburne. "We work with our customers when deciding on the proper technology. We know they have to look at several factors when making a technology choice." He added that since early in 2002, the company's temporary systems alone have treated 45.4 million gallons per day of drinking water. This agreement with West San Bernardino marks the sixth drinking water treatment facility for which Calgon Carbon has supplied perchlorate removal services and technologies.

According to Anthony Araiza, Calgon Carbon worked with him when he faced challenges at West San Bernardino. "This was a new endeavor for us, so we looked at several of their technologies before deciding on this one for these sites. When one technology didn't fit our budget constraints, they worked with us until we found a solution that worked for all of our needs. That is how we came to the resin-based system. They gave us choices."

Source: Calgon Carbon Corporation