IN BRIEF – AMERICAS

Subscription required

As a guest you can read up to 3 full articles before a subscription is required.

You can read a further 2 articles for free.

* ITT Corporation intends to cease trading on the London Stock Exchange with effect from 14 May, due to low trading volumes. Global liquidity will be maintained through the company’s primary listing on the NYSE, and a secondary listing on Euronext.

* Siemens Water Technologies has been chosen to supply a 20.5 MGD (77,600m3/d) submerged membrane filtration system for Phase I of the Robert W. Sokoll surface water treatment plant in the City of Waxahachie, Texas. The €3.3 million ($4.5 million) plant is due to begin operation in April 2009.

* Layne Christensen posted a record set of results for the year ending 31 Jan 2007, with net income up 78.8% at $26.3 million on total revenues of $722.8 million (an increase of 56.1%). The water and wastewater division led the way, increasing revenues by 65.7% to $531.9 million versus the prior year. This was primarily due to the company’s ongoing acquisition run, leading President and CEO Andrew Schmitt to comment: “We are in a very good business rhythm right now. Water and wastewater infrastructure backlog in the US is at record levels, up 54% […] to $349.2 million. It should bode well for fiscal 2008.” Layne’s share price jumped by more than 13% on the news, piercing the $40.00 mark before closing the day at $39.80.

* Cantel Medical Corp. has bought GE Water & Process Technologies’ water dialysis business, thus expanding its water treatment division by 50%. The purchase price was $30.6 million before cash tax benefits. GE will continue its ongoing relationship with Cantel’s Mar Cor unit as a supplier of RO membrane elements, cartridge filters, membrane housings, pumps and other consumables.

* Woodard & Curran recently announced a brace of O&M contract signings in New England. The company will take on the operation of a stormwater treatment facility and pumping station for the Boston Water and Sewer Commission (BWSC) and the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) for three years, and has also renewed the contract to operate the water and wastewater treatment systems for the Town of Greenville, New Hampshire for a further five years.

* The World Bank has approved a $90 million 16-year loan to finance the La Guajira Water and Sanitation Infrastructure and Service Management Project in Colombia. The project will provide basic water supply and sanitation services to about 300,000 people.