LONDON, March 27, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Brussels, the home of the European Union, is among 6,311 areas which are not meeting European legislation on clean water, new research from Victor Bostinaru, a Member of the European Parliament, has revealed.

Senior representatives of Hach Lange, a company with long-standing innovations and expertise in water quality, were invited to participate in a high-profile public hearing organised by Mr Bostinaru in the European Parliament to discuss solutions to the problems identified in the research.

The event established the urgent need to continue to invest in water infrastructure projects despite the economic difficulties in Europe, as well as focussing on the wide-ranging benefits and significant return on investment that such projects can bring.

It identified water investment through the Cohesion Fund as an outstanding opportunity for economic, social and health benefits across Europe.

Michael Kaczor, Vice-President of Global Projects, and Toon Streppel, Global Business Unit Director of Workflow Solutions, presented Hach Lange's and Trojan's capabilities including products, technical support, and services, to attendees including commissioners, journalists and MEPs from across the 27 member states.

Despite the remaining challenges noted by Mr Bostinaru, Hach Lange highlighted the great progress in water quality across Europe which has been driven by previous investment, with positive effects on things like fish stocks in the Rhine and reducing algae problems in the Mediterranean.

Mr Bostinaru, a Romanian MEP who is campaigning for investment to boost water quality, said: "I am exceedingly grateful to Hach Lange for their expert views on the report and what can be done to tackle the serious failings my research has identified. Their solutions and expertise will be vital in showing the way to a better future.

"The returns of investing in water are clear: demonstrable benefits to public health, the environment and the wider economy.

"With €376 billion in European Cohesion funds to soon be allocated, the time to act is now."

Mr Kaczor and Mr Streppel identified the key role of high quality water in safeguarding public health and protecting delicate ecosystems.

Further, they said, investment in improving and maintaining water quality provides strong ROI at water treatment plants, through more efficient and higher quality operations, and for the European macro economy through supporting industry, providing jobs and in tourism and leisure benefits.

Mr Kaczor, who has been working to improve water quality in Europe for 40 years, said Hach Lange's  work has provided pioneering analytical solutions in all 27 EU countries for decades.

Those areas where the greatest investment had been delivered were those that were reaping the greatest rewards, he said.

Hach Lange's innovative work with its sister company Trojan-UV has seen the firms develop new solutions to treat waste, drinking and industrial water which have saved their clients energy and reduced chemical use, dropping costs and benefiting the environment for all.

In particular, Hach Lange now offers real time optimization solutions that combine instrumentation and process control, providing a quick return on investment while improving environmental compliance.

Trojan offers ground-breaking treatment solutions for disinfection, filtration and sludge treatment, the experts told the MEPs.

Lance Reisman, the President of Hach Lange, said: "We are proud to have been invited to participate in an event which highlights the benefits of investing in water to an audience whose members can make a real difference."

About Hach Lange

For more than 70 years, Hach Lange has developed innovative solutions used to test the quality of water, liquids and air for municipal and industrial customers. Manufactured and distributed worldwide, Hach Lange systems are designed to simplify analysis by offering sophisticated on-line instrumentation, accurate field and laboratory equipment, high-quality prepared reagents, complete easy-to-follow methods, and life-time technical support.

http://www.hach-lange.com

About Trojan Technologies

The Trojan Technologies group of businesses offers products under the brands Aquafine, OpenCEL, Trojan Marinex, TrojanUV, Salsnes Filter, US Peroxide and VIQUA. Applications and markets served include municipal wastewater, drinking water, environmental contaminant treatment, residential, food and beverage manufacturing, pharmaceutical processing, semi-conductor applications, filtration and biosolids treatment. Trojan Technologies has offices in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and United States.

http://www.trojanuv.com

SOURCE Hach Lange