November 2025 Vol. 80 No. 11
Editor's Log
(UI) — Industry safety expert Dennis Piven will lead three must-attend sessions at the 2026 Underground Infrastructure Conference in San Antonio, emphasizing confined space safety, cost-saving best practices, and real-world safety discussions for underground utility professionals.
Features
To meet growing demand across 22 counties, the Nueces River Authority is developing a Gulf Coast desalination plant on Harbor Island and a 178-mile conveyance pipeline expected to deliver up to 450 million gallons of water per day to South Texas by 2029.
The 2026 HDD Reunion will be held Jan. 28 at the Underground Infrastructure Conference in San Antonio, featuring the formal induction of the HDD Hall of Fame class and a panel discussion with industry pioneers celebrating decades of innovation in horizontal directional drilling.
Underground Infrastructure has named the 2026 UI Awards finalists across HDD, water, sewer, asset management and fiber, with MVP + UI Honors to be presented at the Underground Infrastructure Conference in San Antonio.
Hydrate plugs can halt pipeline operations and raise safety risks. This guide explains how high-frequency pressure analytics and AI help operators locate obstructions quickly, target remediation, and cut downtime in midstream systems.
New Products
This issue’s New Products highlights gear for underground crews: Melfred Borzall’s smaller Tri-Con HDD connection, Vermeer microtrenching and restoration attachments, Boretec’s pit-launched 10HD drill, Vactor Ramjet dual-reel sewer jetter, and Cat backhoe/mini-excavator updates built for urban, utility and pipeline work.
- Glenfarne Alaska LNG targets late-2026 construction start for 807-mile pipeline project
- U.S. water reuse boom to fuel $47 billion in infrastructure spending through 2035
- $2.3 billion approved to construct 236-mile Texas-to-Gulf gas pipeline
- Major water pipe break in Puerto Rico hits over 165,000 customers
- Potomac River Tunnel project enters construction phase beneath Washington, D.C.
- Pennsylvania American Water launches interactive map to identify, replace lead water service lines
- Trump's tariffs drive $33 million cost increase for Cincinnati sewer project
- Utah city launches historic $70 million tunnel project using box jacking under active rail line
- Tulsa residents warned after sewer lines damaged by boring work
- Fatal trench collapse halts sewer construction in Massachusetts; two workers hospitalized