Our research team regularly tracks key water sector news.  Below is this week’s round-up. If we missed anything, let us know!

Deals (Joint Ventures, New Orders and Contracts, Project Implementation, Incubators and Test Beds):

• Inge Water Technologies reinforces bond with distribution partner LG in KoreaA few years ago, Inge Water Technologies entered the Korean market by signing a distribution partnership with the South Korean global corporation LG Chem. LG has now brought together its water market activities in its subsidiary LG Electronics and announced its intention to invest $400 million with the goal of becoming a top 10 global water treatment company. LG decided to stick with its German partner and the two companies recently signed a new framework agreement. http://www.waterworld.com/index/display/article-display/1822223461/articles/waterworld/world-regions/far-east_se_asia/2011/02/German-water-company-presence-in-Korea.html

• French Water Company Saur Signs An 8 year agreement worth USD400 million with Saudi Utility, Marafiq. In order to provide water supplies in Jubail, Saur, which is the third largest public water management company in France, inked a $46 million deal with the National Water Company in June 2010 to produce and distribute drinking water and provide sanitation services in Makkah and Taif, Seche said. http://www.waterworld.com/index/display/news_display/1358677729.html

• Arcadis gets $8M contract for Oman work. Global engineering and consulting company Arcadis said its water division has landed an $8 million contract for work on water-utility management in the Middle East nation of Oman. Under the five-year contract, Arcadis’ Malcolm Pirnie division will support water-services company Veolia Water in work for Oman’s Public Authority for Electricity and Water, an Arcadis announcement said. http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/news/2011/02/08/arcadis-gets-8m-contract-for-oman-work.html#ixzz1DydtMmGf

Financing: Venture, PE, M&A, IPO

• None this week.

Report/Study

• Peter Gleick: Peak Water “Peak water” is gaining traction as a new buzzword within the sustainability and climate change worlds. The New York Times listed “peak water” among the 2010 “Words of the Year.”  Peter Gleick of Circle of Blue along with a colleague Meena Palaniappan defined this term in their paper “Peak water limits to freshwater withdrawal and use,” in May 2010’s Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/19/weekinreview/19sifton.html

Other:

• Coca-Cola Tackles Water Challenges with Mixed Results. When it comes to recycling the water the company uses in its operations, the company is falling short of a second goal of returning all water used in its manufacturing to the environment “at a level that supports aquatic life by the end of 2010.” “Significant challenges have had an impact on our system achieving 100 percent compliance,” the company wrote in its 2009-2010 Sustainability Review released this week. http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2011/02/09/coca-cola-tackles-water-challenges-mixed-results#ixzz1DyqLxNFL

• U.S. Filter Wastewater Group Inc. Files Patent Application for Hydrophilic Membranes. U.S. Filter Wastewater Group Inc. filed the patent application on Jan. 8, 2007. The patent application number is 215/DELNP/2007 A. The international classification number is B01D71/32.  http://www.waterworld.com/index/display/news_display/1358450356.html

• Changing Water Needs in Offshore Oil Production. Water treatment is quickly emerging as one of the most significant challenges facing the offshore oil industry. As the sector responds to pressure to increase oil recovery from existing reserves, novel water-based technologies are gaining acceptance. With large volumes of water used in the production process, water is increasingly moving from an operations issue to one of strategic significance. http://www.waterworld.com/index/display/article-display/0543153832/articles/waterworld/industrial-water/water-reuse/2011/1/changing-water-needs-in-offshore-oil.html

• Taps,Toilets and the World Bank. In 2010, the World Bank’s water lending totaled $5.7 billion, of which, $4.2 billion supported water supply and sanitation projects. In addition to building infrastructure, these resources helped reform the way the public sector manages water systems. http://www.waterworld.com/index/display/article-display/4989593662/articles/water-wastewater-international/volume-25/issue-6/regulars/creative-finance/taps-toilets-and-the-world-bank.html?cmpid=EnlWaterWorldInternationalFebruary102011

• Water Footprinting Makes a Splash. Water has been rising as a sustainability issue. In past reports, we’ve referred to it as “the new carbon” due to its parallels to companies’ efforts with their greenhouse gas footprint: understanding and measuring it, reducing it, even offsetting it to the point of being “neutral.” Companies in water-intensive industries, such as beverages, semiconductors, electric power, and chemicals, have been increasingly addressing their impacts over the past several years. http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2011/02/15/water-footprinting-makes-splash#ixzz1E3hAYIlE