[0] BHC & University Of Massachusetts Team Complete Research to Protect Water from Disease-Causing Organisms.

Business Editors & Energy Writers

BRIDGEPORT, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 10, 2001

A team of BHC engineers and scientists and University of Massachusetts (UMASS) educators have completed research that confirms Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF), the latest water clarification technology, protects drinking water from possible waterborne disease-causing micro-organisms more effectively than more widely-used sedimentation.

The research also verified that recycling the water used to clean clogged filters back to the beginning of the treatment process does not effect the quality of the treated water.

This research is significant because DAF is not yet recognized in many regulations for its effectiveness in removing particles such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia cysts. As a result of this research, the State of Connecticut has given DAF credit for microbiological protection that equals sedimentation. This means greater operating flexibility at BHC's treatment plants. It also may help to avoid future expenditures to upgrade the plants in response to new regulations. The research has also helped to influence new federal drinking water quality standards that, if implemented as initially anticipated, would have required BHC to invest in significant additional treatment systems. BHC and UMASS received half of the funding for the $400,000 project from the American Water Works Association Research Foundation.

DAF creates small air bubbles that attach to impurities in the water and float them to the top of the surface where they are brushed off for disposal. Sedimentation allows impurities to sink to the bottom of the tank for removal. DAF and sedimentation represent just one step of a multi-faceted water treatment process.

BHC uses DAF clarification at its newer water treatment plants at the Lakeville and Lake Wangum Reservoirs, serving the communities of Salisbury and Norfolk in Litchfield County, and the Warner facility at the Hemlocks Reservoir in Fairfield. When BHC completed the Warner plant in 1997, it was the largest DAF facility in the U.S. and one of the largest in the world. At a cost of $47 million, it can treat up to 50 million gallons of water a day and provides water to about 160,000 people a day in Easton, Fairfield, Monroe, Shelton, Trumbull, Bridgeport and Ridgefield.

"We are very proud to be at the forefront of such groundbreaking research," said BHC President and Chief Executive Officer Janet M. Hansen. "As a water utility that strives to maintain its presence as an industry leader, we are compelled to identify and use the best available technology. We also want to help educate other water utilities so that they too can provide the highest-quality water for their consumers," she added. "BHC's research is targeted in those areas that can provide a return to our customers, either through avoided costs or improved water quality."

Now that the research has been completed, reports have been printed in water industry publications, and BHC Vice President, Supply Operations Howard J. Dunn has made presentations at industry conferences. BHC Vice President, Engineering and Utility Operations Peter Galant and Process Engineer Gary Kaminski also participated in the research.

The major utility subsidiary of Aquarion Company, BHC serves about 142,000 homes and businesses, or more than 500,000 people, in 29 cities and towns in Connecticut's Fairfield, New Haven, Hartford and Litchfield Counties. It is the largest investor-owned water company operating in New England and is one of the ten largest in the U.S.

The American Water Works Association is an international non-profit scientific and educational society dedicated to the improvement of drinking water quality and supply. It is the largest organization of water supply professionals in the world, representing more than 57,000 members and 3,700 utilities that supply water to about 170 million people in North America.

Note: For more information, please contact us on the Internet at www.aquarion.com or www.bhcco.com.