United water expands operations to include southern florida
Miami--(business wire)--united water is pleased to announce that it has opened an office in miami-dade county for the purpose of exploring business opportunities in southern florida. the office opening is part of united water’s broader plan to bring its comprehensive environmental services to municipalities throughout the united states that are facing increased environmental and economic demands on their water and wastewater treatment systems. “united water is a member of a global family of water companies that are dedicated to sharing knowledge and delivering world-class service in the communities they serve, and as a world-class community we are proud to welcome them,” says miami-dade county mayor carlos a. gimenez. bertrand camus, chief executive officer, united water, says the environmental services company is pursuing opportunities in southern florida precisely because the nexus of environmental and municipal needs are perfectly matched to united water’s service capabilities. “miami-dade county is a great place to live and work, as the 2.6 million residents know,” says camus. “but the aging infrastructure of the area, coupled with problems brought about by climate change, require a service provider uniquely qualified to see the big picture. as part of a global services company, we can do just that.” united water customers benefit from the worldwide research, management, and technology network of its parent company, suez environnement. with access to those resources, united water crafts local solutions. for example, in southern california, united water operates and maintains the west basin municipal water district’s edward c. little water recycling plant, which produces five different types of designer water through wastewater reuse. additionally, in nassau county, ny, united water operates and maintains the county’s sewage treatment plants and collection system under the largest public-private partnership for water in the united states. the partnership safeguards the environment, strengthens the quality of life in communities surrounding the treatment plants and saves the taxpayers a guaranteed minimum of $230 million during the terms of the agreement. for its part, the miami-dade water and sewer department, the largest water and sewer utility in the southeastern united states, plans to invest approximately $13.5 billion over the next two decades to enhance and upgrade infrastructure utilizing state-of-the-art technology. this plan includes upgrades to thousands of miles of pipes, pump stations and water and wastewater treatment plants. miami-dade county’s capital improvement plan conforms to a federally mandated consent decree the miami-dade water and sewer department entered with the united states environmental protection agency and the florida department of environmental protection to make improvements to the wastewater collection and treatment system. the improvements outlined in the consent decree are expected to cost $1.6 billion over the next 15 years. miami-dade county officials will also meet with area business, financial and insurance leaders to begin dialogue on how to effectively incorporate consideration of sea level rise into the county’s infrastructure planning. miami-dade county sits just a few feet above sea level, says mayor gimenez. “during the recent sixth annual southeast florida climate leadership summit, i shared my perspectives on how climate change is influencing the county’s thinking on urban, regional, transportation and economic planning, since rising sea levels are linked to rising insurance rates and other costs,” he says. about united water united water is one of the nation’s leading environmental companies, providing water and wastewater services to over 5.3 million people in the united states. in addition to owning and operating 16 water and wastewater utilities, united water operates 84 municipal and industrial water and wastewater systems through innovative public-private partnerships and contract agreements. founded in 1869, united water is a subsidiary of suez environnement. about suez environnement natural resources are not infinite. every day, suez environnement (paris: sev, brussels: sevb) and its subsidiaries deal with the challenge of protecting resources by providing innovative solutions to industries and to millions of people. suez environnement supplies drinking water to 97 million people, provides wastewater treatment services for 66 million people and collects the waste produced by 50 million people. suez environnement has 80,990 employees and, with its presence on five continents, is a world leader exclusively dedicated to water and waste management services. suez environnement generated total revenues of eur 14.3 billion in 2014.
