April 2025 Vol. 80 No. 4
Newsline
Newsline April 2025
ASCE gives infrastructure stormwater, wastewater and energy near failing grade
The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has given U.S. infrastructure its highest-ever overall grade of ‘C’ in the 2025 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure — up from a ‘C-’ in 2021.
While the improvement reflects the early impact of federal investments, the report highlights persistent challenges in key sectors like drinking water, wastewater, stormwater, and energy.
ASCE evaluated 18 infrastructure categories using a school-style grading scale. Drinking water received a ‘C-’, wastewater a ‘D+’, and stormwater a ‘D’. Energy infrastructure dropped to a ‘D+’, reflecting growing strain on aging systems.
The report found that nine categories still fall in the ‘D’ range, and while some areas saw modest gains, the nation continues to face a $3.7 trillion investment gap — up from $2.59 trillion in 2021.
The report cites aging systems, vulnerability to extreme weather, and a lack of reliable data as major barriers to progress. It also stresses the need for sustained funding at all levels of government and increased private-sector involvement.
The full Report Card is available at InfrastructureReportCard.org.
Houston reaches key milestone in 72-inch water line infrastructure upgrade
Houston Public Works has reached a significant milestone in its secondary Southwest Pump Station refill line, marking a critical step in modernizing the city's water infrastructure with a $120 million investment that strengthens water delivery and system resiliency for key areas. Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, Inc. (LAN), a leading planning, engineering, and program management firm, served as the technical advisor and successfully oversaw the completion of three out of four major construction contracts that will complete the refill line.
As part of the project, a new 72-inch water line replaces an aging 66-inch transmission line constructed in the 1980s. This upgrade increases capacity to meet growing demand while ensuring critical redundancy for the Southwest Pump Station. The pump station serves not only city residents but also key institutions such as hospitals and research facilities in the Texas Medical Center, Uptown business districts and residents in Southwest Houston.
The project was initiated after a 2009 condition assessment of the existing prestressed concrete cylinder pipe identified internal distress, prompting the need for a more resilient solution. The completed 72-inch refill line is divided into four segments beginning east of Downtown Houston and continuing west and south to the Southwest Pump Station.
California fast-tracks underground utility rebuild after Los Angeles fires
Governor Gavin Newsom has signed an executive order to accelerate the rebuilding of critical underground utility systems in fire-damaged areas of Los Angeles County, including Altadena, Malibu, and Pacific Palisades.
The order, issued in response to the January wildfires, suspends certain permitting and regulatory requirements to speed the restoration and undergrounding of electric, gas, water, sewer, and telecommunication infrastructure. Officials say the move will help communities recover more quickly while reducing future wildfire risk.
The directive builds on a previous call by Newsom for utilities — including Southern California Edison and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power — to submit plans for undergrounding power lines in affected areas by the end of March.
The executive order also reinforces the suspension of permitting requirements under the California Coastal Act to prevent delays in reconstruction efforts. It removes additional regulatory barriers that could slow efforts to harden and modernize damaged utility systems.
Mass. Governor slams Trump for ‘dangerous delay’ in lead pipe replacement funds
Massachusetts officials are calling out the Trump administration for holding up more than $50 million in federal funds meant to replace hazardous lead service lines across the state.
In a joint statement on March 25, Gov. Maura Healey, Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell, and State Treasurer Deborah Goldberg warned that the delay could put children at risk and stall vital infrastructure projects.
The funds had been allocated in May 2024 through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, with the Environmental Protection Agency assigning $50.1 million to the Massachusetts Clean Water Trust's Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. The state Department of Environmental Protection oversees the program, partnering with municipalities to implement lead pipe removal and inventory efforts.
However, the Trump administration has paused the 2024 allocation while it reviews the program under previous executive orders. No timeline has been given for when the funding will be released.
Massachusetts is also awaiting a revised funding formula from the EPA. Changes to that formula could impact the state’s allocations in 2025 and 2026, officials said.
Ripple Fiber to invest $200 million in fiber optics construction, expansion in Michigan
Ripple Fiber, a fiber optic internet provider based in the Southeast, will begin construction in Midland, Michigan on April 7, 2025, with work in neighboring Saginaw starting shortly after. This expansion adds 28,000 more homes to the approximately 60,000 already under construction in Wayne County.
Ripple Fiber first announced its plans to enter the Michigan market in September 2024, beginning in Allen Park, Plymouth, Livonia, Canton, Garden City, and Westland. Now, Ripple Fiber will reach $200 million in investment capital to continue expanding digital access across the region.
“With the first areas in our Michigan network now going live, Ripple Fiber is thrilled to announce the rapid expansion of our footprint beyond our initial Wayne County build,” said Greg Wilson, Founder and CEO of Ripple Fiber. “As we begin construction in Midland and Saginaw, we are grateful for the partnerships we’ve built with local municipal leaders and industry partners that enable us to bring our world-class fiber internet to even more residents across the state.”
Tribes withdraw Line 5 Tunnel cooperation in protest of Trump’s “energy emergency”
According to Interlochen Public Radio (IPR), Six native tribes in Michigan have withdrawn their support of the Line 5 tunnel project in a formal letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Up until last week, the tribal nations were involved as cooperating agencies in federal discussions for the Enbridge project but have rescinded their support after learning of plans to fast-track the tunnel permit under President Trump’s invoking of an “energy emergency,” IPR reported.
Line 5 carries oil and liquid natural gas across the Straits of Mackinac, running 645 miles from Superior, Wisconsin, to Sarnia, Ontario. Canadian company Enbridge is planning to replace a four-mile section that contains twin pipelines with an underground tunnel.
Tunnel construction cannot begin without the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers first conducting an environmental review and granting a permit to Enbridge.
The tribes already had concerns about the process, but that was “the final straw,” said Whitney Gravelle, president of the Bay Mills Indian Community.
OSHA fines Calif. company for violations leading to fatal trench collapse
The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) has issued $157,500 in citations to W. A. Rasic Construction for multiple violations of workplace safety regulations following a fatal trench collapse. The incident resulted in the tragic death of an employee working in an unprotected excavation.
On August 28, 2024, at around 3:00 a.m., a worker was inside a 17-foot-deep trench when a portion of it collapsed. The collapse caused a concrete pipe to be displaced, pinning and killing the employee. Cal/OSHA’s investigation identified serious violations of workplace safety regulations related to excavation and trench safety.
The violations identified by Cal/OHSA included:
• Failure to implement an effective injury and illness prevention program
• Failure to conduct a proper inspection of the excavation site
• Failure to provide adequate cave-in protection
Trump aims to leverage Clean Water Act to speed up pipeline construction
According to E&E News by Politico, The Trump Administration has taken recent action to leverage the Clean Water Act in order to ramp up gas pipeline construction across the U.S.
The Clean Water Act historically protects bodies of water from pollution, including from oil and gas operations. President Trump signed a slew of executive orders in his first week in office. One of his first actions was to declare a national energy emergency, in which he ordered the Army Corps of Engineers to use emergency authority to work around typical water protection measures and speed up pipeline construction.
Environmentalists call Trump’s actions misguided, stating that the Army Corps does not have the emergency authority required for such action. The Army Corps is legally required to approve any projects that discharge waste into U.S. bodies of water. However, their emergency authority is typically enacted when a situation involves significant risk to life or property and seldom do they get involved when it’s a controversial or partisan issue.
The White House and the Army Corps declined to comment, according to E&E News. Despite President Trump’s controversial tactics, the majority of industry supporters agree that ramping up pipeline construction in anticipation of a surge in energy demand is the right move not only for the oil and gas companies, but for American consumers.
$105 million S. Dakota water pipeline project to begin construction Spring 2025
According to The Daily Republic, A water pipeline initiative in Mitchell, S.D. recently awarded construction contracts for the project, with construction set to begin spring of 2025.
Named the ‘Connecting Neighbors Regional Waterline Project,’ the $105 million planned pipeline will supply clean water to existing customers and to the city of Mitchell as a secondary water source, The Daily Republic reported.
The district awarded Hausmann Construction-General Excavating Joint Venture, in collaboration with Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc., the design-build services contract for the construction of a high-capacity water transmission line. In addition, the district awarded the construction risk contract to complete improvements at the Platte Treatment facility.
ID8 Architecture will provide architectural design and lead a team of professional service providers for the treatment plant building addition.
Construction will involve building a 72-mile high-capacity water transmission pipeline that will carry water from the Missouri River to southeastern South Dakota.
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