Maxx Water News Clippings Issue No. 13 march 2006 :

$565 Million aquisition of Zenon by General Electric
3/14/2006 — General Electric Co. will acquire Zenon Environmental Inc., a water treatment equipment maker in Canada, for $565 million helping GE's Water and Process Technologies unit expand its growing water treatment business. Zenon's advanced membrane technologies will expand GE's role in the high-growth areas of the municipal water segment.

$380 Million water aquisition by Carlyle Group
1/9/2006 — Water Pik Technologies Inc. will be acquired for $380 million by the Carlyle Group with partner Zodiac. Water Pik, based in Fort Collins, CO, manufactures personal care products for the mass retail market, including faucet and shower-mounted water treatment devices. The Carlyle Group is a global private equity firm; Zodiac, based in France, is a manufacturer in the pool equipment industry.

Aqua America eyes 30 acquisitions
DURHAM, NC —Triangle Business Journal. Aqua America, owning a number of community water systems in the US, plans to buy 30 more such systems in 2006, its chairman and CEO, Nicholas DeBenedictis, was quoted: "The momentum help us achieve an annual all-time record number of acquisitions which we can integrate smoothly into our operations network to capitalize on economies of scale."

Boenning & Scattergood launch Water Index
BUSINESS WIRE--Jan. 5, 2006 — The International Securities Exchange announced today that it is launching the ISE-B&S Water Index (Ticker: HHO), a new sector index option and benchmark for the water industry developed with Boenning & Scattergood (B&S). The Water Index was developed in response to growing interest in water as a scarce resource and comprises companies in the water infrastructure, filtration, distribution, purification and treatment industries, currently containing 20 stocks that trade in the U.S. market.

$ 70 Billion needed by Pakistan for water
2/13/2006 —The World Bank estimates that Pakistan would need $70 billion to replace its old water and irrigation infrastructure. The World Bank has offered financial assistance to $4 billion to help replace the country's vulnerable water infrastructure on a priority basis.

$ 2 Billion groundwater plan for Nevada
1/9/2006 — Southern Nevada Water Authority plans to build a $2 billion pipeline to carry ground water to Las Vegas from the Snake and Spring valleys of Nevada.

UN report: water quality declining.....
4th World Water Forum — Water quality is declining in most regions, poor water quality is a key cause of poverty, many places are "losing" 30 to 40 percent of their water through leakage and illegal extraction, and political corruption costs the water sector millions of dollars every year and undermines services. The findings will be outlined at the 4th World Water Forum, beginning March 16 in Mexico City. Twenty percent of the world's population does not have access to safe drinking water due to a lack of resources and environmental changes.

-13% water volume in China
BEIJING, March 12 (Xinhua) — China Speeds Up Water-Saving, Cleaning Efforts Before Possible Water Crisis. South China is rich in water while the vast northern area is extremely dry. China is striving to build a water- saving society and curb water pollution as it experiences water shortages and a possible water crisis amid its soaring economic growth."Shortage of water and droughts are an essential characteristic of China," said Minister of Water Resources Wang Shuchen at the National People's Congress. According to a report, the total volume of water resources in China was 2.4 trillion stere in 2004, a decrease of 12.9 percent from 2003. More than 300 cities and 22 million Chinese people experienced shortages of water due to droughts in the last five years. The annual industrial loss caused by water shortages hit about 25 billion U.S. dollars.

Badger Meter 4Q Profit More Than Doubles
Feb. 6, 2006 MILWAUKEE — Badger Meter Inc., a provider of measuring instruments for utilities and industrial customers, said Monday fourth-quarter earnings more than doubled as revenue grew 4 percent. Earnings surged to $1.7 million, or 24 cents per share, up from the year-ago quarter's profit of $817,000, or 12 cents per share. Sales rose to $50.6

50% increase in $ 2,2 Billion Water re-use & recycling industry
2/17/2006 — The total value of the US water recycling and reuse industry will jump by 50 percent five years, according to a BBC Research report. The value of the industry in the US in 2005 was $2.2 billion, but that will increase to $3.3 billion by 2010, for an average annual growth rate of 8.8 percent. The greatest increases will occur in the industrial market for that type of water, expected to climb at an annual rate of 14.2 percent.

$6 Billion Carbon Cartridge Market by 2009
Due to the booming residential market, the sales of carbon cartridges to purify drinking water will exceed $6 billion worldwide in 2009. The total cartridge market in 2009 will exceed $14 billion. Residential is the largest application followed by the commercial and institutional. Asia will be the fastest growing region. Sales of cartridges for semiconductor, flat panel display, and hard disk drive facilities will grow at double-digit rates in Asia over the next five years.

Buffalo losing 12 Billion gallons water a year
A recent study (Buffalo News) has revealed that nearly 41 percent of Buffalo's drinking water is leaking out of the city's water system every day. Buffalo only collects revenue for 46 percent of the water it pumps; the same water system has boosted rates for metered customers by 64 percent in the past four years and increased flat-rate bills by 55 percent.

Russia and China sign water monitoring program
2/21/2006 ITAR-TASS News Agency report Russian Natural Resources and the Chinese State Environmental Protection Administration have signed a memorandum on the joint monitoring of trans-border water quality. The importance of the issue was highlighted recently when a toxic spill into a river in northern China affected a nearby Russian city's drinking water supply.

35 Billion Investment proposed in California
2/17/2006 The Fresno Bee. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said his proposed 10-year California water investment program "puts water front and center" with "no more chipping around at the edges of the problem" Schwarzenegger proposed spending $35 billion over 10 years to strengthen the state's levees, control floods and provide safe and reliable water supplies, the article said.

$ 850 M desalination plant for Saudi Arabia
The Korea Times. Doosan Heavy Industries and Construction has won an $850 million order to build what the company is saying will be the world's largest desalinization plant, as well as a thermoelectric power station, in Saudi Arabia The deal calls for Doosan to build a plant capable of treating 880,000 tons of fresh water a day, enough for 3 million people, and includes a 917-megawatt thermoelectric power plant.

US will take our water Canadians worry
OTTAWA —- 1/5/2006 CTV.ca Politicians expressed consternation that Canada seems far less willing to sell its water than its other natural resources such as coal and oil.
The issue is sensitive in Canadian provinces, whose cities depend upon water sources that, they believe, are threatened by global warming and the demands of dry, fast-growing western US states.

Wisconsin seeks 164 % water rate hike
(CHIPPEWA HERALD ) An average water bill could soar 164 percent under a proposed increase being sought by the New Auburn Municipal Water Utility. “The increase is necessary due to a 306 percent increase in gross plant investment and a 70 percent increase in operating expenses.

$1 Trillion Needed for Infrastructure DENVER,
PRNewswire — Replacement Could Double Consumer Water Rates Consumer water rates could double due to aging pipe and other infrastructure replacement. "Though the national water infrastructure is over four times larger than the federally funded national highway system, the federal government has made no commitment to help rehabilitate it," said AWWA President Steve Gorden. The report projects drinking and wastewater facilities will need to invest nearly $1 trillion in treatment plants, distribution systems and wastewater collection systems over