Regulatory
Flint Implements Programs to Keep Water Fund out of the Red
FLINT, Mich. (AP) — Flint officials are implementing several collection and restoration programs to keep its water fund solvent as the city attempts to rebound from a lead-tainted water crisis. Extending a trial water fee collection period and issuing water liens are part of Flint Chief Financial O..
Atlantic Coast Pipeline Construction Can Proceed Despite Vacated Permit
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Federal regulators declined to stop work Wednesday on the Atlantic Coast Pipeline after an appeals court invalidated a key permit for the multistate project. The decision came over the objections of environmental groups that insist the vacated permit means all construction must..
$62.5 Million Sewer and Water Project Begins in New York City
In honor of National Infrastructure Week, May 14-21, 2018, New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Vincent Sapienza and Department of Design and Construction (DDC) Acting Commissioner Ana Barrio announced that workers recently broke ground on a $62.5 million infrastru..
Legislation Proposed to Ban California Water Tunnel Lawsuits
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A California congressman wants to ban environmental lawsuits challenging a plan to build two gigantic tunnels to divert water from the north to the thirsty south. Rep. Ken Calvert, a Riverside County Republican, inserted the ban in a 142-page draft of an Interior Departmen..
Providence Offers Interest-Free Loans to Replace Lead Pipes
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — The city of Providence has launched a program offering interest-free loans to homeowners so they can replace old lead water pipes. The $1.2 million program will give homeowners three years to repay the loans with no interest. The average cost of replacing a home’s lead..
Atlantic Coast Pipeline Permit Vacated
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A federal appellate court vacated a key permit granted to the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, saying Tuesday that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service provided no specific limits for the allowable impact on threatened and endangered species. The order’s immediate impact was in dispute. ..
Washington Water Service’s Schlender Receives Drinking Water Week Commitment to Excellence Award
Washington Water Service’s (Washington Water) Water Quality Manager Carol Schlender has received the Drinking Water Week Commitment to Excellence award from the Washington State Department of Health (DOH). The Drinking Water Week Commitment to Excellence award is given to an individual water system..
Del Puerto Water District Wins ACWA's 2018 Clair A. Hill Water Agency Award for Excellence
The Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) has awarded the 2018 Clair A. Hill Water Agency Award for Excellence to the Del Puerto Water District for its North Valley Regional Recycled Water Program. The program is an innovative solution to water supply and reliability issues in the San Joa..
California's Brown Stresses Support for Water Tunnel Project
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Fresh off recent victories securing billions of dollars in financing for his ambitious plan to reroute California’s water system, Gov. Jerry Brown offered a genial yet urgent reminder Thursday of the need to set the project on stable footing before he leaves office next yea..
Report: More than 200 New York Waterways Hit by Untreated Sewer Spills
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — A new report says more than 200 waterways across New York were impacted last year by billions of gallons of untreated sewage and stormwater. State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said in a report released Thursday that the health of New Yorkers and their environment suffers when unt..
Mexico, 2 US States Could See Colorado River Cutback in 2020
DENVER (AP) — Mexico and the U.S. states of Arizona and Nevada face a better-than-even possibility of getting less water from the Colorado River in 2020 because of a persistent drought, water managers said Wednesday. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which manages the river, released projection..
Carmichael Water District General Manager Receives ACWA Leadership Award
The Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) has recognized Carmichael Water District General Manager Steve Nugent with its 2018 Excellence in Water Leadership Award – Building a World of Difference for his leadership and commitment to collaborative regional integrated water management throug..
West Virginia City OK's Higher Sewer Rates
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — An increase in sewer rates has been approved by a West Virginia city council. The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports sewer rates are expected to rise 16 percent in Dunbar after the City Council approved raising them during a meeting Monday. Mayor Bill Cunningham say..
Alabama Company Gets Federal Grant to Expand Broadband
HAMILTON, Ala. (AP) — Communications company Tombigbee has received a $3 million federal grant to expand broadband internet access to a rural community in northwest Alabama, the company’s president announced Thursday. Tombigbee Communications CEO and President Steve Foshee announced the grant from ..
$15 Million Awarded for Texas Sewer, Water Projects
The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) has awarded more than $15 million from the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds for water and wastewater pipeline projects across the state. The projects receiving funding include: $10.77 million to the city of Elmendorf. The city will use ..
API Names New CEO
The American Petroleum Institute (API) has elected Mike Sommers President and CEO. Sommers will succeed Jack Gerard, who is stepping down in August. Known for bipartisan collaboration and visionary strategic planning, Sommers brings two decades of political experience to API, including his current r..
Baltimore to Get $11M Loan to Help Sewer Infrastructure
BALTIMORE (AP) — Baltimore will get an $11 million loan to help keep its sanitary sewers from releasing untreated sewage. The Maryland Board of Public Works approved the project Wednesday. The funds will be used for the planning, design and construction of improvements to the city’s sewer infrastru..
Arizona Utility Tries to End Multi-State Colorado River Feud
DENVER (AP) — Arizona’s largest water provider tried Tuesday to defuse a multi-state dispute over the Colorado River, saying it regretted the belligerent-sounding words it used to describe its management strategy for the critical, over-used waterway. The Central Arizona Project, which provides wate..
ACWA Spring Conference to Highlight Improving California’s Water Supply
Leaders, experts and elected officials from throughout California’s water community will gather in Sacramento May 8-11 for the Association of California Water Agencies’ (ACWA) 2018 Spring Conference & Exhibition. Themed “CA Water: Building for the Future,” the first of two biannual ACWA conferences..
West Virginia American Water Seeks Rate Increase to Cover Infrastructure Upgrades
West Virginia American Water filed an application with the Public Service Commission of West Virginia (PSC) to adjust its rates for water and wastewater service. The company is seeking a base water rate increase to produce additional revenues of $32.69 million per year, and an increase in wastewater..
New York City Sewer Project to Be Completed Ahead of Schedule
According to representatives from the New York City Department of Design and Construction (DDC) and the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), a $12.7 million infrastructure project addressing stormwater runoff from the highest neighborhood in Queens will be completed a month ah..
U.S. Supreme Court Rejects Constitution Pipeline over New York Permit
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday dealt another setback to a proposed natural gas pipeline running from Pennsylvania to New York, rejecting Constitution Pipeline Co’s bid to challenge New York state’s refusal to issue a needed water permit for the project. The high court left ..
Professor Gets EPA Grant for More Lead-in-Water Research
ROANOKE, Va. (AP) — A Virginia Tech professor who helped expose the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, is getting a nearly $2 million federal grant for further research into lead contamination. The Roanoke Times reports the three-year grant from the Environmental Protection Agency will help Marc Edwa..
Report: Pipelines Helping America's Environment
Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA) has released “Increased Environmental Benefits from Pipelines & Energy Development for Nation and New York,” a report highlighting improvements in air quality that have been made possible by the shale energy revolution and America’s safe and reliable pipeline network. ..
Group to Sue New Jersey Town over Lead in Water
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — An environmental group has filed a notice of its intent to sue the city of Newark over what it says are elevated levels of lead in the city’s drinking water. The Natural Resources Defense Council has 60 days to file a lawsuit. In its notice filed this week, the group cited a fe..
Chemical Not Found in Treated Water in West Virginia, Ohio
PARKERSBURG, W.Va. (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency says a little-studied chemical compound has not been found in treated drinking water that came from contaminated wells in Ohio and West Virginia. The Parkersburg News & Sentinel reports the agency had requested Chemours to test the..
California Town, Water District Fined for Sewer Spills Into Bay
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says the city of Oakland and a water district are being fined $350,000 for allegedly allowing sewage water to flow into the San Francisco Bay. The EPA says in a statement Tuesday that Oakland will have to pay more than $220,000 in ..
Washington Regulators Host Hearing on Avista, Hydro One Merger
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Customers of Avista Corp. told the state Utilities and Transportation Commission they’re happy with their local electric and natural gas utility and see little benefit from its sale to a Canadian corporation. About 80 people attended a public hearing in Spokane Monday on..
Pennsylvania Regulators Suspend Laboratory's Accreditation for Water Testing Violations
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has suspended the laboratory accreditation of Analytical Laboratory Services, Inc.’s Middletown facility (ALS-Middletown) for continued violations relating to the handling and reporting of Safe Drinking Water compliance samples. As a resu..
- 27 pipeline safety violations tied to deadly Pa. chocolate factory explosion
- Contractor gas line strike triggers home explosion in Missouri
- FiberLight to build 1,400-mile West Texas dark fiber network in $350 million expansion
- Fatal trench collapse in Mass. leads to $4.6 million OSHA penalty, dozens of violations
- OSHA investigates fatal trench collapse at Conroe construction site
- T-Mobile to expand fiber broadband infrastructure footprint with $4.9 billion Metronet acquisition
- Cityside launches $100 million fiber build in Corona, Calif.
- FiberLight to build 1,400-mile West Texas dark fiber network in $350 million expansion
- Alaska fiber buildout to expand broadband in rural communities
- 11-mile Texas pipeline replacement upgrades 72-in. PCCP to 102-in. steel