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The Splash

U.S. Water’s CEO LaMarr Barnes Presented During the Annual APEX Board of Directors and Investors Meeting

On January 25, 2018, the Area Partnership for Economic Expansion (APEX) hosted its annual Board of Directors and investor-member meeting, which featured guest speaker LaMarr Barnes, CEO of U.S. Water. During his presentation, Barnes discussed the relationship between water and industry in the Midwest and throughout the country, as well as the importance of sustainable water management in industry, commercial and [...]

February 16, 2018 Read more...

Water Softener System Maintenance & Troubleshooting

A water softener system is one of a facility’s the best methods of defense against scale formation due to hard water on heat transfer surfaces, such as heat exchangers and boilers. In addition to a savings in energy, water and chemical costs, a well maintained softener can extend piping and equipment life. Some of the most common issues an operator may experience when maintaining water softener equipment is [...]

December 21, 2017 Read more...

Boiler Automation Programs Ensure System Protection & Reliability

Monitoring and controlling a boiler’s internal treatment program is one of the best ways to prevent system downtime and avoid major repair costs. Common equipment problems, such as corrosion, scale and deposition can result in over $60,000 in repair costs and 2-3 days of downtime. Implementing a boiler automation program offers facilities the system protection and reliability required to run efficiently and [...]

December 19, 2017 Read more...

U.S. Water Expands its Integrated Offerings and Applications with Acquisition

St. Michael, Minnesota – U.S. Water, an ALLETE Company (NYSE: ALE), announces the acquisition of Tonka Water. Tonka Water, a major supplier of municipal and industrial water treatment systems, has joined the U.S. Water family. The acquisition of Tonka Water will allow U.S. Water to expand its integrated water treatment equipment offerings and applications. Tonka Water’s engineers customize water [...]

September 8, 2017 Read more...

Chemical Feed Skid Considerations for the Oil and Gas Industry

Chemical feed skids offer reliable and consistent dosing of chemicals into process applications. When designed correctly, chemical feed skids have the ability to increase system productivity by maximizing operating costs and reducing chemical costs. Available in hundreds of configurations, U.S. Water's chemical feed skids are customized to meet each facility's unique application and specifications. There [...]

July 19, 2017 Read more...

Caring for Your Pre-Treatment Equipment: RO Membrane Cleaning

As water and energy costs increase, government regulations tighten and environmental stewardship initiatives progress, facilities must continue to enhance their system efficiencies. Reverse Osmosis (RO) equipment is becoming more common in water treatment systems. Unfortunately, even with high quality feed water, RO membrane scaling and fouling is inevitable. Regular cleaning and servicing of your RO system and its [...]

March 28, 2017 Read more...

LaMarr Barnes named as CEO U.S. Water Services, Inc.

U.S. Water announced today that LaMarr Barnes has been named Chief Executive Officer of U.S. Water Services (U.S. Water), a wholly owned subsidiary of ALLETE, Inc. (NYSE: ALE). Barnes replaces former CEO Allan Bly, who resigned his position after a 20-year career with the company. Barnes has more than 25 years of experience in industrial water treatment and technology management. Hired in 2010 as Vice [...]

January 17, 2017 Read more...

The Internet of Things and its Benefit to U.S. Water Customers

There is a lot of talk in the technology market about the Internet of Things (IoT). But, what does that mean and how does it affect water treatment technologies? As people living in a modern world, technology is the center of nearly everything we do. Human nature constantly drives us to improve our “things” through newly engineered technology. The Internet of Things (IoT) is about using technology to [...]

December 28, 2016 Read more...

U.S. Water’s Unique Sulfur Control Solutions

Let's start with the scrubber. Aldehydes, primarily acetaldehyde, in fermentation gas are considered to be “hazardous air pollutants (HAPs)” by EPA. Aldehyde control is often based on sulfites, which react with the aldehydes, making them “scrubbable”. If you use more than required sulfur dioxide (SO2) gas can freely pass through the final stages of distillation and dehydration and [...]

September 14, 2016 Read more...

Ethanol Final Filter Improve Plant's Final Product Quality in Two Days

After commencing an enzyme trial, an upper Midwest ethanol plant discovered elevated sulfate levels as fermentors were cycled through the plant. Out of spec ethanol cannot be marketed, and plant operations needed to act quickly to fix the product to avoid costly product rejection fees or plant shutdown. The plant was familiar with Kurita America’s ethanol industry experience and the Ethanol Final Filter (EFF) [...]

August 3, 2016 By Monty McCoy, Director of Process Technology Read more...

Ethanol Final Filter Commercialized; Problems Solved at Fuel Ethanol Plant

After an ethanol plant initiated some significant process changes, they encountered a final product sulfate issue that they had not faced before. Although the process changes provided excellent yields and the related economics were sound – meeting the final product quality specifications for sulfate became a problem. Blending provided a degree of relief, but created logistical challenges. The customer looked to [...]

June 14, 2016 By Monty McCoy, Director of Process Technology Read more...