Raleigh’s Neuse River Resource Recovery Facility treats 50 million gallons of wastewater a day and now produces natural gas used by GoRaleigh buses.
City of Raleigh
RALEIGH
They may not know it, but whenever Raleigh water customers flush their toilets, they’re doing their part to help fuel the city’s bus fleet.
That’s because the city’s wastewater treatment plant now uses a process that captures natural gas from sewage, enough to keep up to 70 GoRaleigh gas-powered buses on the road.
“This project proves that we don’t have to choose between protecting our planet and operating efficiently,” Whit Wheeler, the city’s water director, said in a written statement. “We’re taking something that used to be waste and turning it into clean energy that will fuel our city for years to come.”
The city treats about 50 million gallons of wastewater a day at the Neuse River Resource Recovery Facility off Battle Bridge Road, about 10 miles southeast of downtown. The sprawling plant separates sewage into two main components: water clean enough to put in the Neuse River and a byproduct known as biosolids, which is used as fertilizer.
Raleigh’s wastewater treatment plant off Battle Bridge Road handles sewage from the city and a half dozen other Wake County towns. City of Raleigh
The part of the plant that treats solids and gets them ready to use as fertilizer was old and needed to be replaced. In 2019, the city began work on a relatively new technology called thermal hydrolysis, which heats the solids under pressure, like a pressure cooker. Combined with traditional anaerobic digestion, the process produces about half the biosolids as the old system, plus methane gas that can be cleaned and used as fuel.
The gas is fed into the distribution system for Enbridge, the region’s gas company, which then credits GoRaleigh against what it uses to fuel buses at its headquarters on Poole Road.
The city began receiving credit for the renewable gas in June. By August, biogas from the plant was offsetting fuel demand for the majority of the GoRaleigh fleet, Epstein said.
GoRaleigh bought its first 17 buses powered by compressed natural gas in 2018. The city expects to have 95 CNG buses by January 2026. Richard Stradling rstadling@newsobserver.com
Raleigh says it now has the first municipal wastewater plant to produce usable natural gas in North Carolina and that the city is one of only a handful nationwide to use gas derived from sewage to run their buses. In addition to Raleigh, the city’s utilities department treats sewage from Garner, Knightdale, Rolesville, Wake Forest, Wendell and Zebulon.
The city spent about $227 million on the new bioenergy recovery system. Any gas not needed by GoRaleigh can be sold, the city says. City officials say the project will help meet climate goals the City Council adopted in 2019 to reduce community-wide greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050.
Richard Stradling covers transportation for The News & Observer. Planes, trains and automobiles, plus ferries, bicycles, scooters and just plain walking. He’s been a reporter or editor for 38 years, including the last 26 at The N&O. 919-829-4739, rstradling@newsobserver.com.
There are some encouraging signs that California’s summer COVID wave might be leveling off.
That’s not to say the seasonal spike is in the rearview mirror just yet, however. Coronavirus levels in California’s wastewater remain “very high,” according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as they are in much of the country.
But while some COVID indicators are rising in the Golden State, others are starting to fall — a hint that the summer wave may soon start to decline.
Statewide, the rate at which coronavirus lab tests are coming back positive was 11.72% for the week that ended Sept. 6, the highest so far this season, and up from 10.8% the prior week. Still, viral levels in wastewater are significantly lower than during last summer’s peak.
The latest COVID hospital admission rate was 3.9 hospitalizations for every 100,000 residents. That’s a slight decline from 4.14 the prior week. Overall, COVID hospitalizations remain low statewide, particularly compared with earlier surges.
The number of newly admitted COVID hospital patients has declined slightly in Los Angeles County and Santa Clara County, but ticked up slightly up in Orange County. In San Francisco, some doctors believe the summer COVID wave is cresting.
“There are a few more people in the hospitals, but I think it’s less than last summer,” said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, a UC San Francisco infectious diseases expert. “I feel like we are at a plateau.”
Those who are being hospitalized tend to be older people who didn’t get immunized against COVID within the last year, Chin-Hong said, and some have a secondary infection known as superimposed bacterial pneumonia.
Los Angeles County
In L.A. County, there are hints that COVID activity is either peaking or starting to decline. Viral levels in local wastewater are still rising, but the test positivity rate is declining.
For the week that ended Sept. 6, 12.2% of wastewater samples tested for COVID in the county were positive, down from 15.9% the prior week.
“Many indicators of COVID-19 activity in L.A. County declined in this week’s data,” the L.A. County Department of Public Health told The Times on Friday. “While it’s too early to know if we have passed the summer peak of COVID-19 activity this season, this suggests community transmission is slowing.”
Orange County
In Orange County, “we appear to be in the middle of a wave right now,” said Dr. Christopher Zimmerman, deputy medical director of the county’s Communicable Disease Control Division.
The test positivity rate has plateaued in recent weeks — it was 15.3% for the week that ended Sept. 6, up from 12.9% the prior week, but down from 17.9% the week before that.
COVID is still prompting people to seek urgent medical care, however. Countywide, 2.9% of emergency room visits were for COVID-like illness for the week that ended Sept. 6, the highest level this year, and up from 2.6% for the week that ended Aug. 30.
San Diego County
For the week that ended Sept. 6, 14.1% of coronavirus lab tests in San Diego County were positive for infection. That’s down from 15.5% the prior week, and 16.1% for the week that ended Aug. 23.
Ventura County
COVID is also still sending people to the emergency room in Ventura County. Countywide, 1.73% of ER patients for the week that ended Sept. 12 were there to seek treatment for COVID, up from 1.46% the prior week.
San Francisco
In San Francisco, the test positivity rate was 7.5% for the week that ended Sept. 7, down from 8.4% for the week that ended Aug. 31.
“COVID-19 activity in San Francisco remains elevated, but not as high as the previous summer’s peaks,” the local Department of Public Health said.
Silicon Valley
In Santa Clara County, the coronavirus remains at a “high” level in the sewershed of San José and Palo Alto.
Roughly 1.3% of ER visits for the week that ended Sunday were attributed to COVID in Santa Clara County, down from the prior week’s figure of 2%.
COVID-19 rates in the Southwestern United States reached 12.5% — the highest in the nation — according to new data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released this week. Meanwhile, Los Angeles County recorded the highest COVID levels in its wastewater since February.
The spike, thanks to the new highly contagious “Stratus” variant, comes as students across California return to the classroom, now without a CDC recommendation that they receive updated COVID shots. That change in policy, pushed by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has been criticized by many public health experts.
The COVID-19 virus, SARS-CoV-2, mutates often, learning to better transmit itself from person to person and evade immunity created by vaccinations and previous infections.
The Stratus variant, first detected in Asia in January, reached the U.S. in March and became the predominant strain by the end of June. It now accounts for two-thirds of virus variants detected in wastewater in the U.S., according to the CDC.
The nationwide COVID positivity rate hit 9% in early August, surpassing the January post-holiday surge, but still below last August’s spike to 18%. Weekly deaths, a metric that lags behind positivity rates, has so far remained low.
In May, RFK Jr. announced the CDC had removed the COVID vaccine from its recommended immunization schedule for healthy children and healthy pregnant women.
The secretary argued it was the right move to reverse the Biden administration’s policy, which in 2024, “urged healthy children to get yet another COVID shot, despite the lack of any clinical data to support the repeat booster strategy in children.”
That statement promptly spurred a lawsuit from a group of leading medical organizations — including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Physicians and the American Public Health Assn. — which argued the “baseless and uninformed” decision violated federal law by failing to ground the policy on the recommendation of the scientific committee that looks at immunization practices in the U.S.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has been routinely recommending updated COVID vaccinations alongside the typical yearly flu vaccination schedule. In its update for the fall 2024-spring 2025 season, it noted that in the previous year, a COVID booster decreased the risk of hospitalization by 44% and death by 23%.
The panel argued the benefit outweighed isolated cases of heart conditions and allergic reactions associated with the vaccine.
The panel also acknowledged that booster effectiveness decreases as new COVID strains — for which the boosters were not designed — emerge. Nevertheless, it still felt that most Americans should get booster shots.
The CDC estimates that only about 23% of adults and 13% of children received the 2024-25 COVID booster — even with the vaccine recommendation still in place. That’s compared to roughly half of adults and children who received the updated flu shot in the same time frame.
DANA POINT, Calif., May 14, 2025 (Newswire.com)
– The South Orange County Wastewater Authority (SOCWA) is pleased to announce the promotion of Amber Boone to the position of General Manager, effective Feb. 6, 2025.
With over 20 years of experience in water quality management with specialized knowledge in wastewater and drinking water treatment processes, Boone will continue SOCWA’s evolution into a dynamic organization that combines traditional operational excellence with cutting-edge innovation.
Amber Boone has served as SOCWA’s Acting General Manager since October 2024. Prior to her role as Acting General Manager, she was SOCWA’s Director of Environmental Compliance for seven years, where she played a pivotal role in achieving environmental compliance.
A published environmental scientist and industry leader, Boone holds a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Lindsey Wilson College, a Master of Science in Environmental Science and Policy from Johns Hopkins University, and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Southern California.
“We are thrilled to have Amber take on the permanent role of General Manager,” said Frank Ury, Chairman of the SOCWA Board of Directors. “Her deep technical expertise in water quality science, coupled with her leadership in driving environmental initiatives, makes her a natural choice for this position.”
“I am honored to accept this role and excited to continue our work in ensuring the highest environmental standards for South Orange County,” said Amber Boone. “SOCWA plays a crucial role in protecting our environment and maintaining the region’s water quality, and I look forward to leading our team in developing innovative solutions for sustainable water management and compliance.”
SOCWA is a Joint Powers Authority with six member agencies, consisting of local retail water agencies and cities that provide water to their residents. It operates two treatment plants and two ocean outfalls, in addition to multiple programs to meet the needs of its member agencies and the requirements of the Clean Water Act and applicable National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits.
As bird flu spreads among cows in the U.S., the CDC plans to publicly post data on a specific influenza virus found in wastewater. Dr. Celine Gounder, CBS News medical contributor and editor-at-large for public health at KFF, joins to break down the latest developments in tracking the virus.
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What are forever chemicals? Lead and similar harmful chemicals can stick around in drinking water and cause dangerous health disorders like cancer.
What are forever chemicals? Lead and similar harmful chemicals can stick around in drinking water and cause dangerous health disorders like cancer.
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health held a presentation on the topic Thursday, telling participants what they can do to lower their risk of ingesting the chemicals.
“Even with adequate corrosion control and drinking water, when water sits in lead pipes, especially overnight, lead leeches into the water going undetected when the tap is turned on,” said Natalie Exum, an environmental scientist with the Bloomberg School of Public Health.
There are steps that you can take as a homeowner to protect you and your family, she said.
“A lot of utilities do not know where the lead lines lie,” she said.
If you think your home has lead pipes, Exum said to request a water report or reach out to plumbing professionals for an inspection. If it comes back saying your water contains lead, first run the water to flush the pipes.
“Flushing means running the cold water for about five minutes before drinking,” she said.
Then she said to clean the screens on your faucet, and, “only use cold water for cooking, drinking and especially for preparing baby formula.”
Why should you only use cold water? Exum said “hot tap water can dissolve lead into the pipes” and make higher lead levels more likely.
She said faucets and taps installed before 2014 can contain up to 8% of lead. New standards in place say that lead content needs to be below 0.25% for drinking water fixtures.
Carsten Prasse, an assistant professor of environmental health and engineering at the Bloomberg School of Public Health, said an estimated 98% of the U.S. population have detectable concentrations of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFAs, also known as “forever chemicals,” in their blood.
California is set to adopt regulations that will allow for sewage to be extensively treated, transformed into pure drinking water and delivered directly to people’s taps.
The regulations are expected to be approved Tuesday by the State Water Resources Control Board, enabling water suppliers to begin building advanced treatment plants that will turn wastewater into a source of clean drinking water.
The new rules represent a major milestone in California’s efforts to stretch supplies by recycling more of the water that flows down drains.
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“We’re creating a new source of supply that we were previously discharging or thinking of as waste,” said Heather Cooley, director of research at the Pacific Institute, a water think tank in Oakland. “As we look to make our communities more resilient to drought, to climate change, this is really going to be an important part of that solution.”
Water agencies in many areas of California have been treating and reusing wastewater for decades, often piping effluent for outdoor irrigation or to facilities where treated water soaks into the ground to replenish aquifers.
The regulations will enable what’s known as “direct potable reuse,” putting highly treated water straight into the drinking water system or mixing it with other supplies.
Cooley and other water experts say it’s inaccurate to call this “toilet to tap,” a term that was popularized in the 1990s by opponents of plans to use recycled water for replenishing groundwater in the San Gabriel Valley. They say the sewage undergoes an extremely sophisticated treatment process, and scientific research has shown the highly purified water is safe to drink.
“This is really about recovering resources, not wasting precious resources,” Cooley said. “This is really, I think, an exciting opportunity for helping to realize that vision of a more circular sort of approach for water.”
The process of developing the regulations, which was required under legislation, has taken state regulators more than a decade. It included a review by a panel of experts.
“We wanted to absolutely make sure that we put public health first priority, so that the public had confidence,” said Darrin Polhemus, deputy director of the State Water Board’s Division of Drinking Water.
“We have a very thorough set of regulations,” Polhemus said. “It has broad support, and we think we’ve gotten it to a point where everybody is comfortable with what it presents.”
Building plants to purify wastewater is expensive, and it’s likely to be several years before any Californians are drinking the treated water. But Los Angeles, San Diego and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California are all planning to pursue direct potable reuse as part of ongoing investments in recycling more wastewater.
The regulations detail requirements for infrastructure, treatment technologies and monitoring, Polhemus said, and ensure “triple redundancy for each of the areas we’re treating for,” including bacteria and viruses as well as chemicals.
The water will go through various stages of treatment, passing through activated carbon filters and reverse-osmosis membranes, as well as undergoing disinfection with UV light, among other treatments.
The regulations require such thorough purification that at the end of the process, the water will need to have minerals added back so that the water will regain a taste and chemistry resembling typical drinking water.
“This will be by far the most well-treated, highest-quality water served to the public,” Polhemus said. “It’s an incredible amount of treatment.”
Once the regulations are approved by the State Water Board, they still need to be approved by the Office of Administrative Law, which is expected next year.
The treatment technology is similar to the process used for desalinating seawater, but recycling wastewater requires less energy and is less costly than turning saltwater into freshwater. Polhemus said the costs for purifying wastewater will probably be about half the costs of desalinating ocean water.
Direct potable reuse has been done for years in other water-scarce parts of the world, including Namibia and Singapore. Some communities in Texas are also doing it. Colorado has rules in place allowing potable reuse, while Arizona and Florida are developing regulations.
In California, some agencies have for years been doing indirect potable reuse, in which highly treated water is used to replenish groundwater, and is later pumped out, treated and delivered as drinking water.
Orange County, for example, has its Groundwater Replenishment System, the largest project of its kind in the world. The system purifies wastewater using a three-step advanced treatment process, and the water then percolates and is injected into the groundwater basin, where it becomes part of the water supply.
While Orange County plans to stick with indirect potable reuse, Polhemus said, other water districts are looking at direct reuse as an approach that saves costs by using existing infrastructure rather than building separate systems for recycled water.
This strategy also offers cities and water agencies a new route for reducing reliance on imported supplies and scaling up the use of recycled water — a source that water managers view as relatively drought-proof.
“Our communities are always going to generate wastewater even in the worst drought. And having this available can really augment that supply and add resiliency,” Polhemus said.
Recycling more wastewater also brings other environmental benefits, reducing the amount of treated effluent that flows into coastal waters.
“It’s easier on the environment you’re taking the water from, it’s easier on the environment you’re discharging it to, and sets us up to be better stewards of our environment overall,” Polhemus said.
The complexity and costs of the treatment plants will mean that large, well-funded agencies will adopt the technology first, Polhemus said. Direct potable reuse also is suited to coastal areas, he said, because the reverse-osmosis treatment, like a desalination plant, generates brine that can be discharged offshore.
As for how much purified water might be used, Polhemus said if some coastal communities are able to get 10% to 15% of supplies from treated wastewater during a drought, that would represent a significant improvement in diversifying supplies.
“Someday, it could be 25% to 40% of some communities’ water supply,” Polhemus said. “At some point, we could recycle the majority of wastewater that now flows to the ocean just as treated wastewater.”
The Metropolitan Water District plans to start doing direct potable reuse as part of its Pure Water Southern California project, building a $6-billion facility in Carson that is slated to become the country’s largest water recycling project.
It’s scheduled to deliver its first treated water as soon as 2028. Initially, the district says the supplies will be used largely to replenish groundwater basins for later use, with some water also going to serve oil refineries and other industrial users.
By 2032, MWD officials plan to be producing 115 million gallons of purified water a day. Of that, they expect to send 25 million gallons per day directly to a plant in La Verne to be mixed with other supplies from the Colorado River and Northern California, and delivered as drinking water throughout the region — an amount that’s projected to increase to 60 million gallons a day once the facility is operating at its full capacity of 150 million gallons daily.
Depending on how wet or dry a year is, the district will be able to store more water in aquifers or send more purified water directly into the distribution system, said Deven Upadhyay, the MWD’s executive officer and assistant general manager.
“We’re building that flexibility into the design of this program,” Upadhyay said. “If you needed to push more into direct potable reuse, you would be able to do that and back off of your deliveries to the groundwater basins.”
He said that flexibility is valuable as California deals with more extreme droughts fueled by climate change.
“Our view is that over time, those imported supplies will decline. And we want to take the water that is used, and reuse it as much as possible, and try to close that cycle of water use,” Upadhyay said. “Because it’s such a drought-proof supply, it really creates another degree of resilience for us.”
The Metropolitan Water District functions as Southern California’s wholesaler, delivering supplies to cities and agencies that serve 19 million people in six counties.
Currently, about 450,000 acre-feet of wastewater is being recycled in Metropolitan’s service area, an amount equivalent to the water use of about 1.3 million households.
The MWD’s water recycling project, as well as Los Angeles’ Operation Next project and San Diego’s Pure Water project, will dramatically increase the use of recycled water once they are built out, Upadhyay said.
“We should expect a doubling of recycled water that Southern California is producing and drinking by the time those three projects are completed,” Upadhyay said.
And part of that will come thanks to the state’s new regulations that enable direct reuse, he said.
“It’s a major milestone for the state,” Upadhyay said. “This is going to lead to water agencies throughout the state starting to plan for potable reuse projects in a way that results in a more resilient California water future.”
In the Bay Area, the Santa Clara Valley Water District also plans to pursue potable reuse.
In a study last year, researchers at the Pacific Institute said California currently recycles about 23% of its municipal wastewater, and has the potential to more than triple the amount that is recycled and reused.
Cooley said some portion of that will come through direct reuse where it pencils out for communities.
“It’s just part of the puzzle in terms of helping us to realize the full potential for recycled water,” Cooley said. “This is an important piece of helping make our communities more resilient.”
There has been growing public acceptance of recycling water as people have experienced more severe droughts and seen recycling projects expand, Cooley said.
Still, she said, acceptance isn’t universal, and “it’s important to really address openly concerns that people have as communities consider this as an option.”
She said reusing more water is one of multiple strategies that California should adopt, along with capturing more stormwater and improving water-use efficiency.
Peter Gleick, the Pacific Institute’s co-founder and president emeritus, pointed out that the water-recycling technologies in use today are fundamentally the same approaches used by astronauts on the International Space Station.
“It’s not toilet to tap,” Gleick said, adding that it’s better described as “toilet to an unbelievably sophisticated system that produces incredibly pure water to tap.”
In his book “The Three Ages of Water,” Gleick wrote that reusing water provides a valuable new supply, and should be part of a set of solutions for long-term water sustainability.
“High-quality water produced from wastewater is an asset,” Gleick wrote. “We have the ability and technology to produce incredibly clean water from any quality of wastewater, and we should rapidly expand the capacity to do so.”
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A Fully Autonomous Plug-and-Play Machine Capable of Cleaning 100,000 Gallons per Day
AUSTIN, Texas, December 1, 2023 (Newswire.com)
– VVater, a U.S.-based, next-generation water treatment company that aims to provide Water for Humankind with a cornerstone of sustainability and a promise of a better, healthier tomorrow, announced today the official public release of its fully autonomous, plug-and-play, next-generation mobile water treatment machine called MDP100 – ALPHA. (Mobile | Discharge | Potable | 100,000 gallons)
This range of machines are custom-built, next-generation 53-ft. mobile trailers that can be hauled anywhere at the drop of a hat; the MDP100 ALPHA Unit is not only the first of its kind but an industry marvel. Aside from its ability to travel to secluded communities, any municipality, county, property development, or rapid military deployment and transform discharge water into clean, potable drinking water, the ALPHA Unit does so cost-effectively and sustainably. That means zero chemicals, biologicals, filters, or membranes are required, making it cost-efficient while powered by VVater’s state-of-the-art Farady Reactors that also destroy PFAS contaminants.
The ALPHA platform has already been slated as an industry-changing solution for numerous verticals, from municipal wastewater treatment, discharge water treatment, food & beverage, produced water treatment, industrial process water treatment, PFAS treatment, and countless others due to its rapid deployment abilities, its plug-and-play capabilities, and significant cost efficiencies, while doing so without chemicals, biologicals, membranes or filters.
“We are on a mission to save lives by removing and not utilizing carcinogenic, health-detrimental membranes, filters, and chemicals like fluoride to treat water. It is our responsibility, not for ourselves but for our children and their children, to protect the single life-giving source of proper clean water that nourishes and keeps us alive with healthy minerals, salts, and other great benefits, in a sustainable and cost-efficient way. The ALPHA Platform does precisely that; it’s highly scalable and can handle various feedstock waters, making it versatile and adaptable to multiple scenarios. We see that numerous property developers are struggling with water permits due to a lack of infrastructure or current municipalities at capacity with no budget to increase their current infrastructure to even Department of Defence solutions for the ALPHA Platform…,” said Mr. Kevin Gast, Chairman & CEO of VVater.
VVater management has stated that the ALPHA Unit will go into large-scale production starting in 2024 at its manufacturing facilities in Austin, TX, USA, due to the significant global demand even before its official launch.
“It is humbling and sobering to see the significant demand and buzz ALPHA has already created even before its official launch today. This is a testament to the industry shifting from legacy water solutions to a more sustainable, cost-efficient, and healthier option like ALPHA. I think the large volume-to-footprint ratio is a game changer. The machine is amazing to see work, taking contaminated water and turning it into pure, clean drinking water, all in a 53-ft. platform on wheels. The RV-style plug-and-play electrical connection system is so easy and fast, and having the autonomy of AI is amazing,” said Mike McClure, VP of Sales for North America.
VVater is a U.S.-based, next-generation water treatment company that aims to provide Water for Humankind with a cornerstone of sustainability and a promise of a better, healthier tomorrow — servicing various industries and markets around the world, from real estate, wastewater treatment, municipal potable water, and multiple others, in particular, focusing on the recovering and recycling of different waters in a centralized or decentralized way. The company also does artificial beaches, urban lagoons, wave pools, surf parks, aquatics, sewage treatment, wastewater, and drinking water.
AUSTIN, Texas, March 28, 2023 (Newswire.com)
– GAST Clearwater, a next-generation water treatment company, artificial beach, urban lagoon specialist, and property developer, announced today the appointment of Dick Anderson to its Board of Directors, effective March 28, 2023.
“As we start to finalize our last few Board appointments, we cannot be more elated to have Dick join our Board,” said Kevin Gast, Co-Founder & CEO of GAST Clearwater. “As a founding partner and managing partner to one of Texas’s largest real estate development and investment firms, HPI Real Estate, with over 24 million square feet of active portfolio and over $4 billion in future and past developments, Dick is not only a powerhouse in the industry but a renowned entrepreneur, philanthropist, and leader. His 30-plus years of experience, unmatched business ethics, and integrity will provide a steady hand as we circumnavigate our explosive growth and global demand for our products & services.”
“The real estate market has started to shift post-COVID, and new and innovative solutions are needed to trailblaze a path ahead,” said Dick Anderson. “Over the last few months, I’ve come to appreciate the purpose and mission of GAST Clearwater and what their technologies, products & services represent. Ski-Resorts used to be all the craze, then Golf Estates, and the next natural evolution seems to be Artificial Beaches and Surf Parks utilizing sustainable, recycled water. I look forward to working with Kevin and the Board as we drive GCW’s mission of Water for Mankind.”
Dick Anderson is a founding partner of HPI and serves as its managing partner overseeing day-to-day operations. Building on his quick success with Trammell Crow Company, Dick co-founded HPI in 1992 with two other Trammell executives. With Dick’s leadership, HPI has grown from a four-person development firm to a full-service real estate firm with offices in Austin, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. He currently serves on the Boards of Uplogix and Tricolor Holdings. Dick is a graduate of SMU, where he earned a B.S. in Economics, and is an active investor, venture capitalist, and philanthropist.
About GAST Clearwater GAST Clearwater is a US-based, next-generation water treatment company with a mission to provide Water for Mankind one drop at a time. Operating in various industries and markets from Real Estate, Wastewater Treatment, Municipal Potable Water, and various others, focusing on recovering and recycling different waters in a centralized or decentralized way, GAST Clearwater is a US-based, next-generation water treatment company with a mission to provide Water for Mankind one drop at a time.
Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, any statement that may predict, forecast, indicate, or imply future results, performance, or achievements, and may contain words such as “believe,” “anticipate,” “expect,” “estimate,” “intend,” “project,” “plan,” or words or phrases with similar meaning. Forward-looking statements should not be read as a guarantee of future performance or results and will not necessarily be accurate indications of the times at, or by, which such performance or results will be achieved. Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, forecasts and assumptions that involve risks and uncertainties that may cause our business, strategy, or actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. We do not intend and undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable law. Investors are referred to our filings with the SEC for additional information regarding the risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statement.
MENTONE, Texas — A strong earthquake that struck a remote area of the West Texas desert caused damage in San Antonio, hundreds of miles from the epicenter, officials said.
University Health said Thursday that its Robert B. Green historical building was deemed unsafe because of damage sustained from the quake, which hit Wednesday in a remote area near the New Mexico border. The historical building is more than 100 years old and has been closed off for safety reasons, University Health said.
The quake initially had a 5.3 magnitude but that was revised upward to 5.4. The earthquake’s epicenter was about 23 miles (37 kilometers) south of Mentone, a tiny community about 350 miles (560 kilometers) northwest of San Antonio.
It was one of the strongest earthquakes on record in Texas and hit in an area known for oil and gas production. On Thursday, the state’s Railroad Commission — which regulates Texas’ oil and gas industry — sent inspectors to the site to determine whether any actions were needed.
Earthquakes in the south-central United States have been linked to oil and gas production, particularly the underground injection of wastewater. The U.S. Geological Survey said research suggests that a 5.0 magnitude quake that struck the same West Texas area in 2020 was the result of a large increase of wastewater injection in the region.
In neighboring Oklahoma, thousands of earthquakes of varying magnitudes have been recorded in the past decade, leading state regulators to direct producers to close some injection wells.
JACKSON, Miss — An employee of a Mississippi wastewater hauling company pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday for his part in illegally discharging industrial waste into the capital city’s sewer system.
William Roberts, an employee of Partridge-Sibley Industrial Services, admitted to supervising the improper disposal of industrial waste at a commercial entity in Jackson. As a result of Roberts’s negligence, the waste was trucked and hauled to a facility that was not a legal discharge point designated to receive the waste, federal prosecutors said.
“The defendant’s negligent conduct contributed to the discharge of millions of gallons of untreated industrial waste into the Jackson water system,” said Chuck Carfagno, a special agent for the Environmental Protection Agency’s criminal investigations division.
Jackson’s water and sewer system has been beset by troubles dating back years. The water system was recently engulfed in a crisis that forced people in the city of 150,000 to go days without running water in late August and early September.
In addition to the EPA and local law enforcement officials, the case was also investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
An attorney for Roberts did not immediately respond to a request for comment. He will be sentenced on December 14, 2022.
