News Release

For Immediate Release                                                 October 19, 2001

NEW WATER TREATMENT FACILITY OPENS IN CAPE BRETON


SYDNEY, N.S. - A water treatment plant at Birch Grove was commissioned for operations by the Cape Breton Regional Municipality today. Rawdon Technologies Limited designed and constructed the fully automated plant, which uses a dissolved air flotation system to remove organic matter from the water.

Rawdon, in partnership with Cape Breton Regional Municipality, Enterprise Cape Breton Corporation (ECBC) and the Nova Scotia Department of Environment and Labour, joined forces to implement the Birch Grove Project. Cape Breton Regional Municipality has entered into a lease-to-purchase agreement for the water treatment plant with Rawdon Technologies Ltd. Rawdon will use the facility as a showcase for its water treatment system and aggressively market its products and expertise both in Canada and internationally.

Rawdon Technologies Limited is a Nova Scotia company established in November 1998 as a joint venture of three firms, Lynk Electric Limited of Sydney, ABL Environmental Consultants of Dartmouth, and Trihedral Engineering Limited of Bedford. The Birch Grove plant is unique because it was designed and manufactured entirely in Nova Scotia. The Rawdon equipment is designed to be operator friendly, and enhances the use of the dissolved air floatation process.

The Birch Grove Project was made possible with the assistance of ECBC and the Department of Environment and Labour. Through the ECBC Fisheries Restructuring Adjustment Measures (FRAM) Program, a repayable contribution of $300,000.00 was provided to cover a portion of the cost for this project. The Nova Scotia Department of Environment and Labour also provided a contribution of $20,000.00 towards this project.

“This project will facilitate the development of a new service and technology from a company which has the potential to become a major player in the water treatment market,” said Rodger Cuzner, Member of Parliament for Bras d’Or-Cape Breton, speaking on behalf of the Honourable Robert G. Thibault, Minister of State for the Enterprise Cape Breton Corporation and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency.

“The Birch Cove Water Treatment Facility is proof of the tremendous environmental technology skills we have in this province,” said the Honourable David Morse, Nova Scotia’s Minister of Environment and Labour. “I’m pleased to say that Rawdon is one of over 430 environmental companies that make up one of the fastest growing industries in our province.”

“Our process offers significant technological advancement in the field of water treatment and we have excellent prospects for sales. Having a fully operational plant to use as a marketing tool is a major advantage for our efforts to demonstrate the process to clients,” said Barry Kennedy, Project Manager, Rawdon Technologies Limited. “The assistance and cooperation we have received from all levels of Government has been vital to our success to date.”

Rawdon Technologies, a joint venture, is built on the strengths of its three member companies. Lynk Electric Limited has been in business for over 50 years with core competencies in Electrical, Mechanical, HVAC, Automation including a CSA Approved Control Panel Manufacturing Facility. It has a strong background in the construction, installation and commissioning of water and wastewater systems. ABL Environmental Consultants is an Engineering Firm based in Dartmouth that specializes in the design, construction and operation of water and waste water treatment facilities. Trihedral Engineering Limited is based in Bedford and specializes in industrial, utility and marine automation applications.

Enterprise Cape Breton Corporation offers programs in support of economic development initiatives and is responsible for delivering ACOA’s programs on Cape Breton Island and in the Mulgrave area.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONTACT:

Jennifer Savoy
Minister Robert G. Thibault's office
Tel: (613) 941-7241
Fax:(613) 941-7844

Tina Thibeau, Communications Assistant 
Office of Rodger Cuzner, MP 
Cell: (902) 578-5547

Marcie Stanley
ECBC Communications
Tel: (902) 564-7876
Fax: (902) 564-3825
E-mail: mstanley@ecbc.ca

Colleen Brushett
Communications & Marketing Manager
Rawdon Technologies Limited
Tel: (902) 562-2106
Fax: (902) 562-1699
E-mail: cbrushett@auracom.com

Valerie Bellefontaine
Communications Advisor
N.S. Dept. of Environment & Labour
Tel: (902) 424-4790
Cell: (902) 499-4767
Fax: (902) 424-0644
E-mail: bellefva@gov.ns.ca



BACKGROUNDER

Water Treatment Technology at Birch Grove

Conventional water treatment processes involve the use of chemical coagulants, clarification and sand filtration. In the Rawdon Technologies System the clarification stage employs dissolved air flotation (DAF) which is a very efficient, high rate clarification process. Simply put, Rawdon’s Water Treatment System removes suspended solids and organic particles by bringing them to the surface through flotation.

The primary advantages of the DAF process includes a reduced size for the equipment and plant, reduced chemical use and an improved net production of water. With these advantages, the company’s product has the potential to help communities around the world, communities that have been unable to afford conventional solutions to treating water and waste-water. The Rawdon System also uses a high degree of computer automation and control.

Rawdon Technologies Limited has been involved in a number of very successful pilot projects including the treatment of three and one half million gallons of contaminated waste-water which was the result of a fire at a tire recycling facility in Cornwallis. This application demonstrated the effectiveness of the treatment technology which accomplished the task at a fraction of the cost of other alternatives. Other water treatment pilot projects took place in Coxheath and Springhill. Also, as a result of a pilot study in Judique, Rawdon has entered into a contract with the Municipality of the County of Inverness to provide the Rawdon Technologies System to treat the community of Judique’s water supply.

ECBC Fisheries Restructuring Adjustment Measures (FRAM) Program

In June 1998, the Government of Canada announced that $93.8 million would be set aside for the economic development component of the $730 million Fisheries Restructuring and Adjustment Measures (FRAM) in the four Atlantic Provinces. The amount available for affected communities in Nova Scotia is $21.3 million. This amount is available over three years for long-term, sustainable economic development initiatives in communities and areas in Nova Scotia affected by the permanent downsizing of the Atlantic ground fishery. On Cape Breton Island, ECBC works in partnership with key regional and community development stakeholders to implement the economic development initiatives of the FRAM program.