ITT Corporation announced it has received a contract to supply a desalination pretreatment system in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The contract was awarded by Doosan Heavy Industries and Construction Company, Ltd., the prime contractor for the plant.

The new plant will supply reverse osmosis (RO) membrane treated water to the City of Jeddah beginning in the third quarter of 2011. The reverse osmosis process applies pressure to RO membranes in order to extract salt from seawater, creating high quality, potable water. However, RO membranes are intended for removing only salt and dissolved ions. Seawater also can contain a number of contaminants that can damage the membranes. ITT s Water & Wastewater business will supply Leopold FilterWorx filtration systems to pre-treat the seawater, removing the harmful contaminants before they can reach the RO system.

"In many arid regions of the world where the only water supply is seawater, it important that we offer a viable and cost-effective method of desalination. Leopold filters in combination with a reverse osmosis membrane system provide the solution," said John Williamson, president of ITT Water & Wastewater. "We are pleased to partner with Doosan to bring quality water to the people of Saudi Arabia."

The Jeddah Phase 3 Plant, which is owned by the SWCC, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, will produce 690 mega liters per day (MLD) of potable water. The 28 Leopold FilterWorx filters consisting of Leopold Type S underdrain, washwater troughs, penstocks, air blowers and filter media, will pre-treat the source water from the Red Sea.