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USFILTER SELECTED TO DESIGN AND BUILD NEW WASTEWATER PLANT IN CLE ELUM, WASH., AND PROVIDE ONGOING PLANT OPERATIONS
CLE ELUM, Wash., Jan. 13, 2004 — MountainStar Resort Development, LLC, (MountainStar) has awarded USFilter Operating Services, Inc. (USFilter), part of Veolia Water, a $14 million contract for the design, build and startup operation of a new 3.6 million-gallon-per-day (MGD) regional wastewater treatment plant located in Cle Elum, Wash. The new plant will support the needs of the surrounding communities of Cle Elum, South Cle Elum and Roslyn, including MountainStar, a 6,000-acre resort community on the Cle Elum River in unincorporated Kittitas County.
During the two-year construction phase, USFilter will also provide interim operations and management services for the city's existing 1.5-MGD wastewater treatment plant. Upon facility completion, USFilter will transition the operation and management of the new and the existing wastewater treatment plants to the city of Cle Elum and its operator of choice. The city will continue providing services to the resort and surrounding communities.
"Partnering with USFilter enables us to keep pace with the continued population growth in the area and the time-sensitive and essential wastewater services required for the development of the resort." said Bill Hunt, managing director of MountainStar. "USFilter's alternate proposal was more than $3 million less than the cost of the original request for proposal issued by the city of Cle Elum. The significant savings coupled with the company's extensive design-build-operate experience and excellent environmental compliance record, were key to their selection as our water partner."
USFilter will manage the work of Sumner, Wash.-based Parametrix, which is the design engineering firm, and minority-owned RCI Construction Group, which will perform major portions of the construction. Both companies have local experience in the design and construction of municipal water and wastewater treatment plants.
"Our team worked diligently to provide MountainStar and the three municipalities with an innovative and cost-effective solution that will save over $3 million and satisfy the requirements of the State of Washington Department of Ecology," said Sean Haghighi, vice president of municipal business development for USFilter Operating Services. "Additionally, because the new facility will be built on one of the three existing lagoons, our challenge will be to operate the current facility with limited capacity during construction, while maintaining the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System discharge limits compliance."
Design and construction of the plant began in October 2003, and completion, startup and testing are anticipated in October 2005.
MountainStar, Washington's premier, four-season master-planned resort, is expected to include a village with retail services, a rustic lodge overlooking the magnificent Cle Elum River, conference facilities, a luxurious spa, and up to three golf courses. The first golf course, by Arnold Palmer Design, is expected to open in 2004. Plans include a wide variety of sites for single-family homes, cottages, lofts and condominiums. MountainStar is located in the center of an all-season recreation area, with golfing, hiking, biking, fishing, and horseback riding in the warmer months, and cross-country and downhill skiing, snowshoeing and snowmobiling in the winter. The resort design emphasizes the natural environment and preservation of open space and includes a 1,215-acre conservation easement corridor along the Cle Elum River.
MountainStar is a joint venture partnership between JELD-WEN, inc. of Klamath Falls, Ore., and Los Angeles, Calif.-based Lowe Enterprises. Lowe manages or has developed or redeveloped some of North America 's most exceptional properties, including Sunriver in Ore., and the Royal Palms Resort and Spa in Ariz. For more information about MountainStar, visit www.mountainstar.com.
USFilter Operating Services is North America 's leading water company providing comprehensive water and wastewater services to municipal and industrial customers. The company is part of Veolia Water, the No. 1 water company in the world serving more than 110 million customers. Veolia Water is part of Veolia Environment (Paris Bourse: VIE and NYSE:VE), the largest environmental services company in the world with more than 295,000 employees, including FCC, in about 100 countries and annual revenues of more than $31.5 billion. Visit the company's web sites at www.usfilter.com or www.veoliaenvironnement.com.
Important Disclaimer Veolia Environnement is a corporation listed on the NYSE and Euronext Paris. This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. Actual results may differ materially from the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are outside our control, including but not limited to: the risk of suffering reduced profits or losses as a result of intense competition, the risk that changes in energy prices and taxes may reduce Veolia Environnement's profits, the risk that governmental authorities could terminate or modify some of Veolia Environnement's contracts, the risk that Veolia Environnement's compliance with environmental laws may become more costly in the future, the risk that currency exchange rate fluctuations may negatively affect Veolia Environnement's financial results and the price of its shares, the risk that Veolia Environnement may incur environmental liability in connection with its past, present and future operations, and the risks related to Veolia Environnement's relationship with Vivendi Universal, as well as the risks described in the documents Veolia Environnement has filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Veolia Environnement does not undertake, nor does it have, any obligation to provide updates or to revise any forward-looking statements. Investors and security holders may obtain a free copy of documents filed by Veolia Environnement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission from Veolia Environnement.
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