------------

                UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                              Washington, DC 20549
                                 ---------------

                                    FORM 8-K
                                 Current Report


                     PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
                         SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

                Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported):

                                  June 24, 2002


                              IONICS, INCORPORATED
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

                         Commission File Number: 1-7211

                                  Massachusetts
                            (State of incorporation)

                                   04-2068530
                     (I.R.S. Employer Identification Number)

                 65 Grove Street, Watertown, Massachusetts 02472
              (Address of principal executive offices and Zip Code)

       Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (617) 926-2500




                                Page 1 of 6 pages
                             Exhibit Index - Page 4



                                      -1-
<PAGE>



Item 5.    Other Events
-------    ------------

On June  24,  2002,  Ionics,  Incorporated,  a  Massachusetts  corporation  (the
"Company"), announced that it had signed equipment supply and multi-year service
contracts in Kuwait  totaling U.S. $320 million for a project company which will
design, build, own, operate and maintain a 100 million gallon-per-day wastewater
treatment facility at Sulaibiya,  near Kuwait City, Kuwait. The Company,  either
directly or through wholly owned  subsidiaries,  will participate in the project
as a 25% equity partner in the project company;  as the designer and supplier of
the facility's  membrane-based water purification systems; and as an operator of
the membrane  portion of the facility  over the 27.5 year contract  period.  The
Company  will  include  $130  million  relating to this  project in its reported
bookings for the quarter ending June 30, 2002. This amount includes revenue that
will be  generated  from the design and  supply of the  membrane  portion of the
facility, as well as revenue that will be generated from the first five years of
the Company's contract to operate the membrane facility.

Item 7.    Financial Statements and Exhibits
-------    ---------------------------------

           (c)  Exhibits

                Exhibit No.    Exhibit

                99             Press Release of Ionics, Incorporated dated June
                               24, 2002





                                      -2-
<PAGE>



                                   SIGNATURES




Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned hereunto duly authorized.



Dated: June 24, 2002                    IONICS, INCORPORATED

                                        By: /s/Stephen Korn
                                           ---------------------------
                                            Stephen Korn
                                            Vice President and General Counsel




                                      -3-
<PAGE>



                                  EXHIBIT INDEX



                  Description                                 Page Number
                  -----------                                 -----------

Press Release of Ionics, Incorporated dated                        5
June 24, 2002





                                      -4-
<PAGE>



                                   EXHIBIT 99


        IONICS RECEIVES ORDERS TOTALING $320 MILLION FOR WORLD'S LARGEST
                  MEMBRANE-BASED WATER REUSE PROJECT IN KUWAIT


Watertown,  MA, June 24, 2002 . . . Ionics,  Incorporated  (NYSE-ION)  announced
today that it had signed  equipment supply and multi-year  service  contracts in
Kuwait totaling $320 million with a project company led by Mohammed  Abdulmohsin
Al-Kharafi & Sons (the Kharafi Group),  which will design,  build,  own, operate
and  maintain a 100  million  gallon per day  wastewater  treatment  facility at
Sulaibiya  near  Kuwait  City.  The  Kharafi  Group  is a  leading  Middle  East
corporation with diversified activities and $3.3 billion turnover. The Sulaibiya
facility will be the largest membrane-based water reclamation and reuse facility
in the world.  The signing of the contracts took place in  conjunction  with the
finalization of bank financing which will enable the project company to commence
construction.

Ionics will  participate in the project,  directly,  and through  several of its
European  subsidiaries,  from  three  different  perspectives:  as a 25%  equity
partner in the project  company;  as the  designer  and  supplier of the reverse
osmosis (RO) and ultrafiltration (UF) membrane-based water purification systems;
and as an operator of the membrane  portion of the  facility  over the 27.5 year
contract  period.  Ionics will include $130 million  relating to this project in
its reported  bookings for the second quarter.  This amount includes revenue for
the  design  and  supply of the RO and UF  portion  of the  facility  as well as
revenue  for the first  five  years of Ionics'  contract  to  operate  the RO-UF
facility.

In early 2001, the consortium led by the Kharafi Group won a 30-year  concession
from the Kuwait  government to recover and upgrade  tertiary-treated  wastewater
from Kuwait City and the  surrounding  area.  The purified water will be used to
satisfy  agricultural  requirements  which are currently  impacting the drinking
water supply. The projected revenues to the project company over the life of the
contract are expected to total over $2 billion.  The Kharafi  Group has formed a
separate  joint  venture  company  to  construct  the civil  works and  facility
infrastructure  as well as other portions of the project.  The plant is expected
to begin operation in 2005.

Commenting  on the  signing,  Mr.  Nasser  Al-Kharafi,  President of the Kharafi
Group,  stated,  "I am confident  that our  partnership  with  Ionics,  with its
exceptional spirit of co-operation and teamwork, shall provide the benchmark and
catalyst for the successful implementation of similar BOT projects in the Middle
East  region,  which  are  particularly  relevant  due to the  scarcity  of this
essential commodity in the area."

                                      -5-
<PAGE>

Similarly,  Mr. Arthur L.  Goldstein,  Chairman and Chief  Executive  Officer of
Ionics,  stated, "The people of Ionics are very proud to be associated with this
landmark  project which has profound  implications  for water  resources in many
other regions around the world.  We are especially  pleased with our partnership
with the Kharafi Group.  We look forward to our role in helping to  successfully
secure sustainable water supplies for the region."

Ionics is a global  separations  technology  company involved in the manufacture
and  sale of  membranes,  equipment  and  "own  and  operate"  services  for the
purification,  disinfection,  concentration,  treatment  and  analysis of water,
wastewater and ultrapure water. Over a period of more than 50 years,  Ionics has
built more desalination plants than any company in the world.

Safe-harbor  statement  under the Private  Securities  Litigation  Reform Act of
1995:   Forward-looking  statements  in  this  news  release  involve  risk  and
uncertainty.  The statements  contained in this release which are not historical
facts are  forward-looking  statements.  Important  factors,  including  overall
economic  conditions,  demand for Company products,  raw material  availability,
availability of manufacturing  capacity,  technological and product  development
risks,  competitors'  actions,  and other  factors  described  in the  Company's
filings with the Securities and Exchange  Commission  could cause actual results
to differ materially.


For more information, contact:

Francine S. Bernitz, Vice President     Theodore G. Papastavros, Vice President
Marketing and Corporate Communications  Strategic Planning
Ionics, Incorporated                    Ionics, Incorporated
Tel: (617) 926-2510 ext. 312            Tel: (617) 926-2510 ext. 221
fbernitz@ionics.com                     tpapastavros@ionics.com
[{"type": "8-K", "sequence": "1", "filename": "june02form8k.txt", "secsgml_size_bytes": 8520}]
{"company-data": {"conformed-name": "IONICS INC", "cik": "0000052466", "assigned-sic": "3559", "irs-number": "042068530", "state-of-incorporation": "MA", "fiscal-year-end": "1231"}, "filing-values": {"form-type": "8-K", "act": "34", "file-number": "001-07211", "film-number": "02685102"}, "business-address": {"street1": "65 GROVE ST", "city": "WATERTOWN", "state": "MA", "zip": "02172", "phone": "6179262500"}}
------------

                UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                              Washington, DC 20549
                                 ---------------

                                    FORM 8-K
                                 Current Report

                     PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
                         SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

                Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported):

                                  June 24, 2002

                              IONICS, INCORPORATED
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

                         Commission File Number: 1-7211

                                  Massachusetts
                            (State of incorporation)

                                   04-2068530
                     (I.R.S. Employer Identification Number)

                 65 Grove Street, Watertown, Massachusetts 02472
              (Address of principal executive offices and Zip Code)

       Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (617) 926-2500

                                Page 1 of 6 pages
                             Exhibit Index - Page 4

                                      -1-
Item 5.    Other Events
-------    ------------

On June  24,  2002,  Ionics,  Incorporated,  a  Massachusetts  corporation  (the
"Company"), announced that it had signed equipment supply and multi-year service
contracts in Kuwait  totaling U.S. $320 million for a project company which will
design, build, own, operate and maintain a 100 million gallon-per-day wastewater
treatment facility at Sulaibiya,  near Kuwait City, Kuwait. The Company,  either
directly or through wholly owned  subsidiaries,  will participate in the project
as a 25% equity partner in the project company;  as the designer and supplier of
the facility's  membrane-based water purification systems; and as an operator of
the membrane  portion of the facility  over the 27.5 year contract  period.  The
Company  will  include  $130  million  relating to this  project in its reported
bookings for the quarter ending June 30, 2002. This amount includes revenue that
will be  generated  from the design and  supply of the  membrane  portion of the
facility, as well as revenue that will be generated from the first five years of
the Company's contract to operate the membrane facility.

Item 7.    Financial Statements and Exhibits
-------    ---------------------------------

           (c)  Exhibits

                Exhibit No.    Exhibit

                99             Press Release of Ionics, Incorporated dated June
                               24, 2002

                                      -2-
SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

Dated: June 24, 2002                    IONICS, INCORPORATED

                                        By: /s/Stephen Korn
                                           ---------------------------
                                            Stephen Korn
                                            Vice President and General Counsel

                                      -3-
EXHIBIT INDEX

                  Description                                 Page Number
                  -----------                                 -----------

Press Release of Ionics, Incorporated dated                        5
June 24, 2002

                                      -4-
EXHIBIT 99

        IONICS RECEIVES ORDERS TOTALING $320 MILLION FOR WORLD'S LARGEST
                  MEMBRANE-BASED WATER REUSE PROJECT IN KUWAIT

Watertown,  MA, June 24, 2002 . . . Ionics,  Incorporated  (NYSE-ION)  announced
today that it had signed  equipment supply and multi-year  service  contracts in
Kuwait totaling $320 million with a project company led by Mohammed  Abdulmohsin
Al-Kharafi & Sons (the Kharafi Group),  which will design,  build,  own, operate
and  maintain a 100  million  gallon per day  wastewater  treatment  facility at
Sulaibiya  near  Kuwait  City.  The  Kharafi  Group  is a  leading  Middle  East
corporation with diversified activities and $3.3 billion turnover. The Sulaibiya
facility will be the largest membrane-based water reclamation and reuse facility
in the world.  The signing of the contracts took place in  conjunction  with the
finalization of bank financing which will enable the project company to commence
construction.

Ionics will  participate in the project,  directly,  and through  several of its
European  subsidiaries,  from  three  different  perspectives:  as a 25%  equity
partner in the project  company;  as the  designer  and  supplier of the reverse
osmosis (RO) and ultrafiltration (UF) membrane-based water purification systems;
and as an operator of the membrane  portion of the  facility  over the 27.5 year
contract  period.  Ionics will include $130 million  relating to this project in
its reported  bookings for the second quarter.  This amount includes revenue for
the  design  and  supply of the RO and UF  portion  of the  facility  as well as
revenue  for the first  five  years of Ionics'  contract  to  operate  the RO-UF
facility.

In early 2001, the consortium led by the Kharafi Group won a 30-year  concession
from the Kuwait  government to recover and upgrade  tertiary-treated  wastewater
from Kuwait City and the  surrounding  area.  The purified water will be used to
satisfy  agricultural  requirements  which are currently  impacting the drinking
water supply. The projected revenues to the project company over the life of the
contract are expected to total over $2 billion.  The Kharafi  Group has formed a
separate  joint  venture  company  to  construct  the civil  works and  facility
infrastructure  as well as other portions of the project.  The plant is expected
to begin operation in 2005.

Commenting  on the  signing,  Mr.  Nasser  Al-Kharafi,  President of the Kharafi
Group,  stated,  "I am confident  that our  partnership  with  Ionics,  with its
exceptional spirit of co-operation and teamwork, shall provide the benchmark and
catalyst for the successful implementation of similar BOT projects in the Middle
East  region,  which  are  particularly  relevant  due to the  scarcity  of this
essential commodity in the area."

                                      -5-
Similarly,  Mr. Arthur L.  Goldstein,  Chairman and Chief  Executive  Officer of
Ionics,  stated, "The people of Ionics are very proud to be associated with this
landmark  project which has profound  implications  for water  resources in many
other regions around the world.  We are especially  pleased with our partnership
with the Kharafi Group.  We look forward to our role in helping to  successfully
secure sustainable water supplies for the region."

Ionics is a global  separations  technology  company involved in the manufacture
and  sale of  membranes,  equipment  and  "own  and  operate"  services  for the
purification,  disinfection,  concentration,  treatment  and  analysis of water,
wastewater and ultrapure water. Over a period of more than 50 years,  Ionics has
built more desalination plants than any company in the world.

Safe-harbor  statement  under the Private  Securities  Litigation  Reform Act of
1995:   Forward-looking  statements  in  this  news  release  involve  risk  and
uncertainty.  The statements  contained in this release which are not historical
facts are  forward-looking  statements.  Important  factors,  including  overall
economic  conditions,  demand for Company products,  raw material  availability,
availability of manufacturing  capacity,  technological and product  development
risks,  competitors'  actions,  and other  factors  described  in the  Company's
filings with the Securities and Exchange  Commission  could cause actual results
to differ materially.

For more information, contact:

Francine S. Bernitz, Vice President     Theodore G. Papastavros, Vice President
Marketing and Corporate Communications  Strategic Planning
Ionics, Incorporated                    Ionics, Incorporated
Tel: (617) 926-2510 ext. 312            Tel: (617) 926-2510 ext. 221
fbernitz@ionics.com                     tpapastavros@ionics.com