Regulatory
Tennessee County's Water Doesn't Taste Right
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) – Officials in one central Tennessee county working to treat an algae bloom affecting the area’s water supply say it will take at least two weeks before the taste returns to normal. The Daily News Journal reports the Consolidated Utilities District in Rutherford County bega..
Vermont Governor Launches Clean Water Week
BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — Vermont Gov. Phil Scott and other state officials have launched Vermont Clean Water Week to highlight efforts to clean up water in the state such as Lake Champlain and to celebrate the state’s waterways. Vermont Public Radio reports (http://bit.ly/2vSngaw ) that communities a..
Report: New Mexico Has Yet to Spend All Water Project Money
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico authorized over $83 million in capital outlay funding for dozens of water infrastructure projects across the state in 2014, and more than one third has yet to be spent. A review by analysts with the Legislative Finance Committee shows 119 projects are classified as ..
Kansas City Selects Electro Scan Technology to Assess Sewer Mains
The City of Kansas City, Missouri has selected Electro Scan’s Next Generation leak detection technology for condition assessment of 15-inch and smaller diameter sewer mains as part of a pilot project. The partnership with Electro Scan will include the assessment of 100 pipe segments with an approxim..
Rhode Island Checking Water for Chemical Contamination
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Rhode Island has begun checking water systems for chemicals that have contaminated water at sites nationwide. Perfluorinated chemicals have been linked to cancer and other illnesses but currently aren’t federally regulated in drinking water. Water has been contaminated near ..
Pressure Mounts on Officials Weighing Pipeline Projects
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – Pressure is mounting on Virginia officials to slow or reconsider the water quality certifications they intend to issue for a pair of natural gas pipeline projects. The Richmond Times Dispatch reports (http://bit.ly/2weTFJn) that hundreds attended public hearings this month to e..
Police Investigating Natural Gas Explosion in Nebraska
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska authorities have launched an investigation into a natural gas explosion that seriously injured two people, leveled a house and significantly damaged nearly 20 other homes in Lincoln. Police are focusing on the home where authorities believe the explosion occurred Monda..
Officials in California's North Sue over Giant Water Project
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Northern California cities and counties on Friday were leading a surge of lawsuits to try to block Gov. Jerry Brown’s plans to build giant tunnels that would carry water from the north of the state far to the west and south. Sacramento County and other local governments, includ..
Court Rules New York Had Power to Deny Key Pipeline Permit
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — In a decision held up as an affirmation of the right of states to reject major oil and gas infrastructure, a federal court ruled Friday that New York acted properly when it blocked plans for a 124-mile natural gas pipeline from Pennsylvania’s shale fields. The U.S. Court o..
Minnesota Releases Review on Enbridge Oil Pipeline
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota regulators have released the final environmental review of Enbridge Energy’s proposal to replace its aging Line 3 oil pipeline, which carries Canadian crude across northern Minnesota to Wisconsin. The document has been updated since the draft was released for public com..
Ohio Utilities Board Signs off on FirstEnergy Rate Hike
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio regulators have rejected appeals of an earlier decision that allows FirstEnergy Corp. to impose electricity rate increases for three years. The move will give FirstEnergy an additional $204 million each year. Homeowners using an average of 750 kilowatt-hours of electricit..
Nebraska Town Warns Residents of High Nitrate Levels in Water
STEELE CITY, Neb. (AP) — Officials are warning Steele City residents about high nitrate levels in their water. The Beatrice Daily Sun reports that a sample collected from the Nebraska Public Water Supply System on Aug. 10 measured 14 milligrams per liter, above the legal limit of 10 milligrams per ..
Texas Utility May Lose Permit After Wastewater Violations
TROPHY CLUB, Texas (AP) — A north Texas utility district may lose its operating permit after receiving over 30 citations for state wastewater law violations over the last six years. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that an administrative hearing next month will determine if the Trophy Club Muni..
Lead Detected in Water at Several Utah Schools
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Authorities say they’ve found lead in drinking water at several Utah schools, showing the need for more schools to be tested. Utah Division of Drinking Water director Marie Owens tells the Salt Lake Tribune (http://bit.ly/2wSNN63) that voluntary tests of water at 10 out ..
2nd Discharge at Niagara Falls Believed to be Rain-Related
NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (AP) — New York state officials say the latest discharge near Niagara Falls is believed to be a rain-related sewer overflow and unrelated to a release last month that turned the water below the world-famous attraction black and smelly. Department of Environmental Conservation De..
Trump Speeds Up Oil, Gas Pipeline Approval Process
With an executive order signed yesterday, President Donald Trump has set out to speed up the approval process for major infrastructure projects, including oil and gas pipelines. The central tenet of the order is the One Federal Decision policy, to replace previous legislation requiring a string of ..
Possible 2nd Niagara Falls Water Discharge Being Probed
NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (AP) — New York state officials say they’re investigating a possible wastewater discharge near Niagara Falls similar to one last month that turned the water below the world-famous attraction black and smelly. The Department of Environmental Conservation announced Tuesday evening..
Arizona Regulators OK Utility Rate Hike
PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona utility regulators elected with confirmed or suspected financial backing from the state’s largest electric utility on Tuesday approved a rate increase for the company and cuts to how much its new rooftop solar customers will be paid for excess power. The 4-1 vote by the Arizo..
North Dakota Regulators Postpone Construction Violations Hearing
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota regulators have granted a request by the developer of the Dakota Access pipeline to postpone a public hearing on whether the company violated state rules — but not without dissent. The Public Service Commission is looking into whether Energy Transfer Partners remo..
North Dakota to Get $10 Million for Pipeline Protest Costs
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — U.S. Sen. John Hoeven says North Dakota will receive $10 million from the federal government to help pay state law enforcement bills related to months of protests over the Dakota Access pipeline. The state applied to the Justice Department’s Emergency Federal Law Enforcement A..
North Carolina Agency Getting More Public Input on Pipeline
ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. (AP) — The public is getting more formal opportunities to speak up about a proposed natural gas pipeline running through eastern North Carolina. The state Department of Environmental Quality scheduled three “listening sessions” this week on the Atlantic Coast Pipeline projec..
Arizona Regulators to Ponder Rate Boost for APS
PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona utility regulators are set to consider a rate increase for the state’s largest electric company that could go into effect as soon as next month. Tuesday’s planned meeting by the Arizona Corporation Commission comes months after Arizona Public Service reached a deal with..
Water Agency Hires Firm to Evaluate Niagara Falls Discharge
NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (AP) — The public agency that was responsible for black, smelly water being discharged into water below Niagara Falls says it’s hired an engineering firm to evaluate the discharge. The Niagara Falls Water Board said in a statement released Monday that it’s retained Los Angel..
Settlement Offered to Dakota Access Developer
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota regulators offered Monday to settle state allegations that the Texas-based developer of the Dakota Access oil pipeline improperly reported the discovery of American Indian artifacts during construction. The state Public Service Commission last November proposed a ..
After 22 Water Breaks, Lawrence Learns of Installation Woes
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Lawrence officials have learned that 13 miles of pipeline was improperly installed after 22 water main breaks. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that the breaks have occurred over a three-week period. Director of Utilities Dave Wagner says repair and replacement costs from th..
$60.7 Million Approved to Upgrade New York's Water and Wastewater Systems
On Aug. 10, New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced that $60.7 million in grants, in addition to interest-free and low-cost loans, have been approved by the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation Board of Directors to support vital drinking water and wastewater infrastructure projec..
Pennsylvania DEP Approves Utility's Source Water Protection Plan
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has approved a Source Water Protection Plan for Appalachian Utilities, Inc., which delivers drinking water to approximately 3,000 people in Avis Borough and Pine Creek Township, Clinton County. The plan, which Appalachian created with te..
Tetra Tech Awarded $113 Million Contract to Support EPA Watershed Protection Program
Tetra Tech, Inc. has been awarded a five-year, $113 million contract to provide technical support services for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Water. Under this multiple-award contract, Tetra Tech will support the EPA Office of Water’s Assessment and Watershed Protection Div..
Company: Pipeline Construction Project Was Sabotaged
CANTON (AP) – Officials from the company building twin high-pressure natural gas pipelines across northern Ohio have told federal regulators that sabotage or leaky equipment caused drilling slurry to become contaminated while cleaning up a spill near the Tuscarawas River. The Canton Repository repo..
New DIRT Report Estimates Damage to Buried Utilities Cost Society at Least $1.5 Billion in 2016
The Common Ground Alliance (CGA) today announced findings from its comprehensive 2016 Damage Information Reporting Tool (DIRT) Report. The report, which is the sum of all 2016 data submitted anonymously and voluntarily by facility operators, utility locating companies, one call centers,..
- Intrepid Fiber breaks ground on fiber optic network in Superior, Colo.
- Excavator collides with I-95 overpass in Henrico, Va., causing multi-vehicle crash
- Shrewsbury, Mass., expands sewer inspections and cleaning efforts
- Two workers rescued after hours trapped in Mich. trench collapse
- Trump calls for Keystone XL pipeline revival, but developer has moved on
- Illinois overhauls Peoples Gas pipeline program, mandates focus on high-risk pipes
- Ameren Illinois to invest $140 million in natural gas pipeline replacement program
- Charlottesville, Va., to begin work on 24-inch water line for Rivanna River crossing
- Mass. governor slams Trump for ‘dangerous delay’ of $50 million in lead pipe replacement funds