Pentair Foundation Announces $1 Million Grant to Water Missions International to Fund Safe Drinking Water Projects Worldwide

MINNEAPOLIS, March 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- More than one billion people worldwide – roughly one out of every seven – have no choice but to use unsafe, contaminated water. To help solve this issue, Pentair, Inc. (NYSE: PNR), a leader in sustainable water solutions, and its Foundation announced today a new five-year grant totaling $1 million to the non-profit Water Missions International (WMI). The multi-year grant will fund the implementation of clean water and sanitation projects in developing countries, further building on the work of Pentair's Project Safewater initiative with WMI.

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WMI currently operates water quality and sanitation programs in nine countries – Honduras, Uganda, Kenya, Malawi, Mexico, Indonesia, Haiti, Peru and Belize.

"Our grant to Water Missions International will benefit countless lives by speeding access to sustainable, safe drinking water sources globally," said Randall J. Hogan, Pentair's chairman and chief executive officer. "Through our previous work with WMI on Project Safewater-Colón, we have shown that there is an affordable solution to the global water crisis. We look forward to applying what we've learned to further improve health and sanitation conditions in communities around the world."

Pentair has collaborated with WMI since 2007. In that time, Pentair's Project Safewater initiative with WMI in Colon, Honduras, demonstrated that for only pennies a day per person, it's possible to provide people with access to safe drinking water in regions where they don't have it now.  As a result, approximately 300,000 people in Colon now have access to sustainable, safe water and sanitation facilities, along with a related 80 percent reduction in waterborne diseases. 

"As impressive as our progress in Honduras has been, there is still more work to be done, more lives to improve and more communities to transform," said Hogan. "We can make a difference in the global water crisis."

About Water Missions International
Water Missions International, headquartered in Charleston, South Carolina, is a nonprofit engineering organization serving the water and sanitation needs of people in developing countries and disaster areas. It uses low-maintenance, appropriate water technologies for drinking water treatment and distribution, wastewater management and storm water control.

About the Pentair Foundation
Established in 1998, the Pentair Foundation supports communities in which Pentair operates. The Foundation funds programs that promote education, sustainability in water and energy, and workforce readiness. Pentair dedicates two percent of its annual pre-tax income to charitable efforts. Over the years, the Pentair Foundation has directed more than $25 million to Pentair communities.

About Pentair, Inc.
Pentair is a global diversified industrial company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Its Water Group is a global leader in providing innovative products and systems used worldwide in the movement, treatment, storage and enjoyment of water. Pentair's Technical Products Group is a leader in the global enclosures and thermal management markets, designing and manufacturing thermal management products and standard, modified, and custom enclosures that protect sensitive electronics and the people that use them. With 2011 revenues of $3.5 billion, Pentair employs over 15,000 people worldwide.

Media Contacts
Betsy Day, Pentair, 763-656-5537, [email protected]
Shawn Brumbaugh, Padilla Speer Beardsley, 612-455-1754, [email protected]

SOURCE Pentair, Inc.