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WS Atkins plc (Epsom, U.K.) announced that it has reached an agreement with PBSJ Corp. (Tampa, FL) whereby Atkins will acquire PBSJ for $280 million U.S. in cash. PBSJ is a 3,500-employee engineering, planning, architecture, construction, environmental, and program management firm with particular strength in water and transportation engineering. The company recorded gross revenues of $799 million during the fiscal year ending on September 30, 2009. Atkins said that the addition of PBSJ will add signficantly to its presence in the United States, increasing the percentage of U.S.-derived revenue from 5% to approximately 33%. Atkins generated ₤1.4 billion in revenue (about $2.2 billion U.S.) during the fiscal year ending on March 31, 2010.“PBSJ operates a business model we understand and complements our business superbly, enhancing our skills in environmental, transportation, building design, and program management disciplines,” said Keith Clarke, Atkins’ chief executive. “PBSJ has an experienced management team and a strong, long-standing reputation for technical excellence and quality, which underpins its deep client relationships.”

Stantec (Edmonton, Alberta) and water resources engineering firm ECO:LOGIC Engineering (Rocklin, CA) have signed a letter of intent whereby Stantec will acquire ECO:LOGIC for an undisclosed consideration. ECO:LOGIC Engineering employs 100 people at six offices and provides planning, permitting, design, construction management, and operations services to water and wastewater facilities in northern California and Nevada. Some of ECO:LOGIC’s projects include the Lincoln Wastewater Treatment and Reclamation Facility in northern California; the North Valley’s Water Importation Project near Reno, Nevada; and the wastewater treatment plant expansion in Merced, California. “The demand for clean and safe water continues to grow in North America, and the ECO:LOGIC team is on the forefront of the planning, design, and management of water and wastewater facilities,” said Bob Gomes, Stantec’s president and CEO. “The acquisition of ECO:LOGIC will add a lot more depth to our environmental infrastructure capabilities in the western United States.”

AMEC plc (London, U.K.) has formed a joint venture with Shanghai Zone Petrochemical Engineering Co. Ltd (SZPE), a Shanghai-based chemical engineering company, to pursue the engineering market in China. The joint venture, which is called SZPE AMEC, was created through AMEC’s purchase of 35% of SZPE, with an option to purchase a further 15% on January 1, 2012. SZPE AMEC employs about 120 people. “The deal provides us with the necessary licenses to undertake detailed engineering in China, which in turn supports our strategy to build a more consistent flow of engineering work in the region and achieve our plans for growth,” commented Ross Gibson, AMEC’s regional director for China.

Converted Organics Inc. (Boston, MA) and recycler Spirit Services, Inc. (Williamsport, MD) have signed a letter of intent to partner in the development of an energy and industrial wastewater (IWW)  treatment facility using Converted Organics’ LM-HT Concentrator evaporation technology. Under the terms of the agreement, the companies will jointly develop a treatment complex at Spirit Services’ waste-oil treatment facility in South Boston, Virginia. The facility will derive its energy from engines using recovered waste oil, biodiesel, and natural gas as fuels. “We are pleased to be working with Spirit on this important green project, as we believe that the self-power model being implemented here has broader, larger-scale implications in the wastewater treatment industry,” said Rick McEwen, president and general manager of Converted Organics’ Industrial Wastewater Resources Division. “The system we are deploying, based on our LM-HT Concentrator, is substantially more energy efficient than other IWW technology, given its ability to run on waste heat generated by the oil treatment system.”

The city of Honolulu, Hawaii, has reached a settlement with the federal government and several environmental groups under which the city will undertake billions of dollars in upgrades to its wastewater collection and treatment system. Under the terms of the settlement, Honolulu will upgrade its wastewater collection system by June 2020 and will upgrade the Honoliuli wastewater treatment plant to incorporate secondary treatment by 2024. In addition, the settlement calls for an upgrade of the Sand Island plant to secondary treatment by 2035, although that deadline could be extended to 2038 if the city can demonstrate economic hardship. Estimates of the total cost of the required upgrades amount to about $4.7 billion over 25 years.