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Exhibit 99
NEWS RELEASE
USFILTER & SERVICE SYSTEMS INTERNATIONAL ANNOUNCE EXCLUSIVE MARKETING ALLIANCE
FOR ULTRAVIOLET DISINFECTION TECHNOLOGY
Palm Desert, Calif. & Vancouver, B.C., Oct. 4, 2000
-USFilter and Service Systems International (OTCBB: SVSY) have announced plans
to form a strategic alliance to market Service Systems' ultraviolet disinfection
technology for water and wastewater applications.
USFilter's Wallace and Tiernan Products group, Vineland, N.J., has signed a
letter of intent to form an exclusive alliance, in which Wallace and Tiernan
Products will sell Service System's Ultra Guard(R) advanced ultraviolet
disinfection technology.
Joe Millen, executive vice president of USFilter, said the alliance will ensure
that USFilter remains a leader in this segment of the water and wastewater
treatment industry.
"The Wallace & Tiernan Products group has 85 years of continued service to its
customers for the supply of disinfection equipment applying various
technologies. With UV disinfection systems, we will be even better positioned to
serve an evolving market need."
According to Ken Fielding, Service Systems president and CEO, "The alliance will
represent a major milestone in a string of contract awards and independent third
party validations of the advantages, energy savings and superior performance of
Ultra Guard(R) treatment systems. The agreement will give Service Systems access
to an extensive sales and distribution network associated with the world's
premier water and wastewater company. With these resources, we will be poised to
rapidly expand our business.
Steve Wirtel, vice president of municipal sales for USFilter, added, "USFilter
has been aware of the benefits of ultraviolet disinfection and has been actively
searching for a UV disinfection technology to enhance our product and service
offering to our clients. We wanted to be sure that our choice not only met
short-term market demand, but also gave us sustainable value for all of our
corporate objectives, including existing and future treatment plant operating
contracts. The Ultra Guard(R) technology is such a choice."
Ultra Guard(R) UV disinfection technology features a number of innovations and
improvements over conventional systems. Among these are:
- Fewer lamps to treat a given flow
- Enhanced hydraulics resulting in consistent high quality disinfection
- Operational ease and flexibility with its modular single lamp reactors
- Automatic dose pacing and lamp wiping for unattended operation
- Internet-enabled for centralized remote system control and monitoring
- Potable water disinfection capability
- Higher lamp and hydraulic efficiency allowing for cost effective
disinfection of murky waters, even combined sewer overflows
Consummation of the alliance is subject to negotiation and execution of
definitive agreements and other customary conditions.
As the leading supplier of chemical-feed equipment used in the treatment and
disinfection of potable water and wastewater,
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USFilter's Wallace & Tiernan Products group designs and manufactures the most
comprehensive line of disinfection/chlorination equipment available, as well as
analytical instrumentation and controls, chemical-metering pumps, dry feeders,
flowmeters and systems.
USFilter, a Vivendi Water company, is the leading global provider of commercial,
industrial, municipal and residential water and wastewater treatment systems,
products and services, with operations in more than 100 countries. USFilter,
which is based in Palm Desert, Calif. invites you to visit its web sites at
http://www.usfilter.com and http://www.wallaceandtiernan.usfilter.com.
Service Systems International (SVSY), based in Burnaby, BC, Canada, manufactures
and markets a comprehensive range of water and wastewater disinfection systems
using its patented UltraGuard(R) technology. Service Systems invites you to
visit is web site at http://www.servicesystems.com.
FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS: Certain of the foregoing information are
forward-looking statements regarding future events or the future financial
performance of the company and are subject to a number of risks and other
factors, which could cause the actual results to differ materially from those
contained in the forward-looking statements. Among such factors are: general
business and economic conditions, customer acceptance of and demand for the
Company's products, the Company's overall ability to design, test and introduce
new and improved products on a timely basis, regulatory constraints, and the
risk factors listed from time to time in documents filed by the company with the
SEC.
SOURCE USFilter
CO: USFilter; Wallace & Tieman Products; Vivendi Water; Service Systems
International
ST: California, British Columbia, New Jersey
SU:
10/04/2000 20:10 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com
