Sparks firm's system flows worldwide

Water Security Corp's technology has gone from Sparks to the moon. And to Thailand, Fiji, Australia, Barbados, Argentina, Pakistan, Afghanistan, the Dominican Republic and now to Iraq.

This year, volunteers installed a 2,000-liter water tank for Kendala, a village in Iraq, after its local well pump failed.

For that project, Water Security designed and manufactured what it calls its "Concern for Kids" filtration and purification system.

The Sparks-based company, formed in 1997, now has 18 systems in the field. Its employment has doubled from two to four, says Ray Doane, president.

The company's basic technology is a water purification system that's used at U.S. embassies in foreign lands. And in native villages, commercial buildings and even a tropical resort hotel.

The system uses iodine to purify water from rivers, wells and even swamps to provide safe drinking water. The original technology was developed for NASA and used on the space shuttle.

Despite its compact size, the company has already made a big media splash, as it's been featured on Discovery International, on the Science Channel and in WIRED magazine.