Pipelines
Plans for Arkansas Trail Swerve With Utilities Project
FORT SMITH, Ark. (AP) — By the year 2024, an extension of the Old Railroad Trail will be the first city trail in Fort Smith to carve a path through the middle of town and serve as much as an alternative transportation route as a recreation trail. The nearly 3-mile paved trail will connect Cre..
Five Cabinet Chiefs to Testify Before U.S. Senate on Infrastructure
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Trump administration will send five cabinet secretaries to a U.S. Senate hearing next week to tout its plan to spur $1.5 trillion infrastructure improvements using $200 billion in new federal funding. The heads of the Transportation, Commerce, Labor, Agriculture and Labor..
Virginia Community Colleges, Union to Offer Pipeline Jobs Training
ROANOKE, Va. (AP) — A labor union has reached an agreement with regional community colleges in Virginia to train workers hoping to nab construction jobs on the Mountain Valley Pipeline. The Roanoke Times cites a release from the Laborers’ International Union of North America that says one- to two-w..
Many Metro Atlanta Residents Told to Keep Boiling Water
ATLANTA (AP) — Schools were resuming and a highway in metro Atlanta has reopened after a massive water main break in one of Georgia’s largest counties, but residents are still being advised to continue boiling water. DeKalb County officials said late Wednesday that water pressure was being re..
San Diego Gas Leak Prompts Evacuation of 1,100 Homes
SAN DIEGO (AP) — A ruptured gas pipeline in San Diego was capped Wednesday after the leak prompted the evacuation of more than 1,000 homes and shut down a 5-mile (8-kilometer) stretch of freeway for about nine hours. A construction worker helping with a road expansion project accidentally dri..
Pennsylvania Shuts Down Mariner East 1 Pipeline Because of Sinkhole
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – State regulators are temporarily shutting down a major pipeline after sinkholes in the Philadelphia suburbs exposed the 8-inch-diameter pipe, threatening nearby homes and a rail line. The Philadelphia Inquirer says the Public Utility Commission chairwoman ordered an immediate..
Mexico City: Water Cutoffs in Capital Worsened by Sabotage
MEXICO CITY (AP) – Mexico City officials say intentional sabotage may be contributing to recurrent water shortages that have caused protests on the streets of the city of 9 million people. In recent weeks, officials have blamed dry faucets in many neighborhoods on everything from power shortages..
Water Pressure Begins to Return in Metro Atlanta
DORAVILLE, Ga. (AP) — Authorities say water pressure is beginning to return to parts of a Georgia county after a major water main break shut down schools and businesses in a large part of metro Atlanta. DeKalb County authorities said Wednesday afternoon that crews had isolated the break just ..
$22 Million Sewer and Water Project in New York City Ahead of Schedule
The New York City Department of Environmental Protection today announced a $21.8 million sewer and water infrastructure project in Southeast Queens is on track to be completed three months ahead of schedule. As part of the project, 4,100 feet of new storm sewers, some as large as nine-feet wide and..
Democrats Would Reverse Some Tax Cuts to Fund Infrastructure
WASHINGTON (AP) — For Senate Democrats, voting against the Republican tax cuts that President Donald Trump signed into law wasn’t opposition enough. Now they have a plan to reverse some of the tax breaks for corporations and the wealthiest Americans and put the money instead toward a $1 trillion inf..
Schools, Roads Close After Water Main Break Outside Atlanta
ATLANTA (AP) — A massive water main break sent water gushing into neighborhoods and flooded a major highway near Atlanta on Wednesday morning, forcing more than 100 schools to close and shutting down businesses miles away. The break in a major transmission main also caused water woes for hospitals,..
Alaskan Town to Supply Water for Natural Gas Pipeline
KENAI, Alaska (AP) — An 800-mile (1,287-kilometer) natural gas pipeline will use water from the city of Kenai if the Alaska Gasline Development Corporation builds its proposed liquefaction plant and export terminal in Nikiski, the Peninsula Clarion reported Monday. The previous plan for the LNG pro..
Ohio County Receives $3.5 Million for Water Projects
Muskingum County has received $3,507,000 from the Ohio EPA for two projects to extend public drinking water service to 124 residences and businesses in two rural areas in the county. The larger project will construct 66,000 feet of water lines and a 93-foot tall water tank in the Rix Mills area of ..
Study: U.S. Water Pipeline Failures Cause for Concern
Utah State University’s (USU) Buried Structures Laboratory has published a second comprehensive study on break rates of the most commonly used water pipe materials titled, “Water Main Break Rates In the USA and Canada: A Comprehensive Study.” According to the study, break rates have increased 27% i..
Advanced Drainage Systems Launches “ADS Installation Guides” Mobile App
Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (ADS), a global manufacturer of water management products and solutions, today launched the “ADS Installation Guides” mobile application, offering everyday installation instructions for its thermoplastic pipe products. The app is a resource to provide guidance on the ..
Mountain Valley Pipeline Construction Could Soon Start on Private Land in Virginia
ROANOKE, Va. (AP) — Work on a natural gas pipeline in southwestern Virginia could soon begin on private land despite property owners’ objections. The Roanoke Times reports that a federal judge on Friday granted Mountain Valley Pipeline access to the areas. The company gained access through the laws..
Great Lakes Advocates to Ask Congress for Water Protections
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) – A coalition of Great Lakes advocates is urging Congress to provide funds for cleaning up the region’s waters and strengthening its water infrastructure. Groups representing businesses, industry, environmentalists, cities, states and tribes will make their annual lobbying..
Pennsylvania DEP Issues Permits for Construction of New Natural Gas, Water Lines
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) today announced it has awarded to Birdsboro Power LLC, DTE Midstream Appalachia, LLC, and the Reading Area Water Authority the permits necessary for the construction of a 450 mega-watt natural gas fired Birdsboro Power electrical generati..
Nearly $17 Million Awarded for Water Projects in Texas
The Texas Water Development Board today approved more than $16 million in financial assistance from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund and the Clean Water State Revolving Fund for the following construction projects: $3.56 million to the city of Lawn. The city will use the assistance to cons..
Oysters Recalled After South Carolina Sewer Spill
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Health officials in South Carolina have ordered a recall of oysters harvested where a sewage spill occurred last month. Media outlets reported the Department of Health and Environmental Control estimates about 2.4 million gallons (9 million liters) of raw sewage flowed into ..
API Supports EPA Decision to Roll Back Obama-Era Clean Air Standards
The American Petroleum Institute (API) today released the following statement in support of the EPA’s amendments to its oil and gas air emissions standards and the proposed withdrawal of EPA’s 2016 emissions guidance (Control Technique Guidelines). “We welcome EPA’s technical modifications to its N..
HDD Activities OK’d at Another Nexus Gas Transmission Site
FERC has approved Enbridge’s request to move ahead with construction at the Tuscarawas River horizontal directional drill (HDD) site associated with the Nexus Gas Transmission Pipeline. Last month, the commission approved HDD construction activities at the following 11 sites along the project: W..
Public Hearing Set in Ohio Concerning Proposed Lead and Copper Rule Changes
Ohio EPA today announced it will hold a public hearing on March 6, 2018 concerning proposed changes to lead and copper rules for public water systems. These changes incorporate a new law that ensures homeowners get the timely public notice they deserve whenever high levels of lead are found in drink..
Gas Service Stops for Thousands of Dallas Homes Due to Leaks
DALLAS (AP) — Natural gas service will be shut down to thousands of Dallas homes following a series of leaks that has brought repeated evacuations in the wake of a house explosion that killed a 12-year-old girl. Authorities announced early Thursday that gas service will be discontinued for up to th..
Sterling Construction to Replace Sewer, Water Infrastructure as Part of DFW Freeway Project
Sterling Construction Company, Inc. today announced that its subsidiary, Texas Sterling Construction Co. (TSC), has been awarded a contract by the City of Coppell to replace all existing water and wastewater infrastructure associated with the reconstruction of the Freeport Parkway. Work is schedule..
Air Quality Permit Issued for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A proposed pipeline to bring fracked natural gas from West Virginia to points east and south has won another North Carolina state permit. The Department of Environmental Quality issued Tuesday an air quality permit to Atlantic Coast Pipeline developers for a Northampton County ..
Iowa Officials: Refrigerator Likely Caused Natural Gas Explosion
FORT DODGE, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a refrigerator likely touched off an explosion of natural gas that ripped through a house in Fort Dodge. The four residents had just been told to leave the house when the blast occurred Feb. 14. Two were unharmed. Two were taken to a hospital. The Messenger ..
Common Ground Alliance Seeks Data Submissions for 2017 DIRT Report
Common Ground Alliance (CGA), the stakeholder-run organization dedicated to protecting underground utility lines, people who dig near them, and their communities, today released a statement urging damage prevention stakeholders to submit data from 2017 underground excavation damages and near miss ev..
Kentucky Water District Gets $3.4 Million Project to Solve Supply Issues
U.S. Rep. Harold “Hal” Rogers (KY-05) and Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin today announced a $3.4 million project to alleviate water supply issues within the Martin County Water District. The project will help secure clean water for the people of Martin County and will be administered by the Kentucky D..
Wyoming Joins Iowa, Ohio In Anti-Pipeline Protest Legislation
Wyoming has become the third state to introduce a bill targeting pipeline protests, envisaging penalties of up to 10 years in prison for “impeding critical infrastructure” and up to US$1 million in fines for any organization that “aids, abets, solicits, encourages, hires, conspires, commands or proc..
- OSHA cites Florida contractors for trench safety violations at sewer and excavation sites
- Biden-Harris administration invests $849 million in aging water infrastructure, drought resilience
- Cadiz to reuse steel from terminated Keystone XL pipeline for California groundwater project
- Texas contractor penalized by OSHA for repeated trench safety violations
- West Virginia approves $67 million for water, sewer projects