To avoid flooding of effluents, EPA grants California project a waiver to Buy American provisions

The Environmental Protection Administration has granted a waiver to the Buy American provisions of President Obama’s stimulus program to allow a wastewater treatment project being built in California to purchase high-pressure valves from a German manufacturer because no comparable valve is produced in the United States.

The German valve, manufactured by Noreva GmbH, of Monchengladbach, Germany, will be installed on a 15,000-foot, 6-inch effluent line that will operate under high pressure, according to an EPA notice published in the Federal Register on Jan. 14. “Check valve failure could result in thousands of gallons of backflow at high velocities causing flooding in the pump station, overflowing and spilling effluent,” says the notice.

“Noreva GmbH manufactures nozzle check valves for use in oil pipelines, steel mills, chemical and power plants, pumping and compressor stations, water distribution plants, and water works applications,” says an online directory published by Bloomberg Businessweek. The company is a subsidiary of Goodwin plc.

The president’s stimulus program, formally known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, includes Buy American provisions. “Section 1605(a) of the ARRA requires that none of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by the ARRA may be used for the construction, alteration, maintenance, or repair of a public building or public work unless all of the iron, steel, and manufactured goods used in the project are produced in the United States,” explains the EPA’s notice.

However, in this instance, the EPA has determined that a waiver allowing the purchase of Noreva’s “V625 non-slam check valves” would be in the best interest of the wastewater treatment project being constructed in Kelseyville, CA, which is classified as a “disadvantaged community.”

“In this case, there are no U.S. manufacturers that meet Lake County’s project specification for these check valves capable of performing under high pressure,” the EPA concluded.

Further information is available from Abimbola Odusoga, an environmental engineer with the EPA, at 415-972-3437.