4.29.2008 - 11:59pm ET

(CSRwire) Edina, MN - April 29 - As more communities around the world struggle with water scarcity, desalination provides a viable option for municipal water supply in coastal regions. In west-central Florida, where the proximity of the Gulf of Mexico belies the land's diminishing supplies of drinking water, the Tampa Bay Seawater Desalination Plant successfully lends Mother Nature a hand in supplementing river and ground water sources.

The largest seawater desalination plant in the U.S., the Tampa Bay Seawater Desalination Plant is operated by American Water-Pridesa, a joint venture of Acciona Agua of Spain and American Water. It produces up to 25 million gallons of water per day (mgd) with the help of 9,408 FILMTEC™ Reverse Osmosis (RO) membranes provided by Dow Water Solutions, a business unit of The Dow Chemical Company. The plant's output provides drinking water supply for 2.4 million of the Tampa Bay area residents.

"When American Water-Pridesa selected FILMTEC membranes for the Tampa Bay project, we were confident the 8-inch FILMTEC SW30HR-380 membranes would stand up to the challenge," said Ian Barbour, general manager, Dow Water Solutions. "FILMTEC seawater desalination membranes have a proven track record earned by their consistent, reliable and long-lasting performance in many of the world's largest desalination projects. State-of-the art desal facilities such as Perth, Australia, and Ashkelon, Israel, turn seawater into high quality drinking water in a cost-effective and energy-efficient way thanks, in large part, to our membranes’ technological advantages."

There are seven trains of FILMTEC™ membrane elements installed at the Tampa Bay plant, with the nameplate capacity to produce 28.75 mgd. The membranes, each with 380 square feet of active area, are highly resistant to biofouling and handle cleaning well, which, with routine maintenance, should provide a useful life span of three to five years or longer. FILMTEC SW30HR-380 membrane elements offer extremely effective salt rejection to meet drinking water specifications (including less than 200 parts per million of chloride ions).

"Dow Water Solutions' expertise in membrane technology is critical to the successful long-term durability of the Tampa Bay Seawater Desalination Plant," said John Young, chief operating officer of American Water. "The FILMTEC membranes have been robust and delivering the quality water we expected to the residents of Tampa Bay."
"Dow Water Solutions' commitment to research and continuous improvement of the FILMTEC product is exemplary," said Andy Shea, USA Development Director for Acciona Agua. "We look forward to smooth RO operations in Tampa as well as supporting Dow in performance testing of advanced FILMTEC membranes at our test facilities in Spain."

Inadequate supply of safe drinking water affects 1.2 billion people worldwide. The advanced membrane technology from Dow Water Solutions enables communities to broaden their water sourcing options, and FILMTEC membranes continue to play a part in making desalination an economically viable way to harvest and treat seawater. Developing and perfecting technology to provide alternative sources of water for both industrial uses and human consumption is one of The Dow Chemical Company's 2015 Sustainability Goals.

About Dow Water Solutions

Dow Water Solutions is a performance-based business unit comprised of leading world-class brands and enabling component technologies designed to advance the science of water purification around the world, including seawater desalination, contaminant removal and water reuse. With more than 1,000 employees worldwide, the business maintains five production facilities globally to manufacture, market and sell FILMTEC™ reverse osmosis membranes, DOWEX ™ ion exchange resins, ADSORBSIA™ GTO™ titanium-based arsenic removal media, ultrafiltration, and electrodeionization components. Dow Water Solutions also manufactures, markets and sells premier water purification systems in China. For additional information about Dow Water Solutions products, visit www.dowwatersolutions.com.

About Dow

With annual sales of $54 billion and 46,000 employees worldwide, Dow is a diversified chemical company that combines the power of science and technology with the "Human Element" to constantly improve what is essential to human progress. The Company delivers a broad range of products and services to customers in around 160 countries, connecting chemistry and innovation with the principles of sustainability to help provide everything from fresh water, food and pharmaceuticals to paints, packaging and personal care products. References to "Dow" or the "Company" mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted.

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