Regulatory
Indiana Town Approves Sewer Contract
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) — A $187.7 million construction contract has been approved to build the Three Rivers Overflow Reduction and Protection Tunnel in northeastern Indiana. The project is part of a long-term plan to reduce the average number of combined sewer overflows in Fort Wayne from 76 to four..
Northeastern U.S. Needs Pipelines, Report Says
The lack of pipeline infrastructure in the northeast has caused some of the highest electricity rates in the nation for families and business—and it will only get worse, according to a new report by the U.S. Chamber’s Institute for 21st Century Energy. The latest installment in the Energy Institute..
Report: Wisconsin Must Spend Billions on Water, Wastewater Infrastructure
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A new report from the American Society of Civil Engineers says Wisconsin will have $7 billion in drinking water and wastewater infrastructure needs in the next 20 years. Wisconsin Public Radio (http://bit.ly/2pZe3qZ) reported the state is already facing water problems, such as ..
Kansas Regulators Reject $12.2B Utility Merger
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) – Kansas regulators on Wednesday rejected the proposed sale of the state’s largest electric company to a Missouri firm, concluding that the $12.2 billion price was too high and would leave the combined utility financially weaker than the separate companies. The Kansas Corporation ..
Virginia Governor Signs Bill Requiring Quicker Alexandria Sewer Fix
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – Gov. Terry McAuliffe has signed a bill that forces Alexandria to move more quickly to fix an infrastructure issue that sends millions of gallons of untreated sewage into the Potomac River. The legislation signed Friday requires the city to bring its four combined sewer overflow..
Minnesota Town Receives Funding to Fix Aging Sewer Collection System
The Minnesota Public Facilities Authority has awarded a $577,000 grant that will help the city of Cuyuna rehabilitate its sewer collection system. Cuyuna, a city of about 340 people in Crow Wing County, received the grant from the PFA’s Wastewater Infrastructure Fund. Other financial support for th..
EPA Administrator Visits Contaminated Site in East Chicago
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt visited the USS Lead Superfund in East Chicago, Ind., to discuss cleanup and hear directly from East Chicago residents affected by contamination in their community. Administrator Pruitt was joined by Governor Eric Holcomb, Senator Joe D..
Commissioners Question Gas Pipeline Replacement
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A disagreement about who should take on the financial burden of replacing miles of dilapidated Kansas gas pipeline is dividing three commissioners no the state’s utility regulatory agency. Shari Feist-Albrecht, Pat Apple and Jay Emler discussed at a Kansas Corporation Commission..
NARUC Creates Natural Gas Access and Expansion Task Force
The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners have established a new Presidential Natural Gas Access and Expansion Task Force. Pennsylvania Commissioner John Coleman and Mississippi Commissioner Brandon Presley have been appointed as co-chairs, with North Dakota Commissioner Julie Fed..
Flint Mayor Says Water Switch 'Too Risky' After Lead Crisis
FLINT, Mich. (AP) — In a reversal, Flint’s mayor on Tuesday recommended that the Michigan city keep getting its drinking water from a Detroit-area system for the long term, saying a planned switch would be too risky and expensive following a man-made crisis that left the supply contaminated with lea..
South Dakota City Gets $3 Million to Replace Cast Iron, Clay Pipes
The South Dakota Board of Water and Natural Resources has approved a $3.358 million funding package for the City of Salem to make improvements to the city’s drinking water distribution and wastewater collection systems. The funding package includes a $500,000 Consolidated Water Facilities C..
Hearings Scheduled for Gas Distribution Project
BLUE ASH, Ohio (AP) – Two key hearings have been set to discuss if a proposed natural gas pipeline can be built under Cincinnati’s suburbs. The Cincinnati Enquirer reports (http://cin.ci/2ou6x8a ) a public hearing June 15 at the University of Cincinnati-Blue Ash campus will allow citizens to expres..
$32 Million Awarded for Water, Sewer Projects in New York
The New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation Board of Directors has approved more than $32 million in grants and interest-free loans for one drinking water project and six wastewater projects in Upstate New York. This funding includes nearly $5 million in grants that were awarded last sum..
Texas Electric Regulators Nix $18B Oncor Sale
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas regulators have rejected the proposed more than $18 billion sale of Dallas-based Oncor Electric Delivery Co. to NextEra Energy Inc. The three-member Public Utility Commission of Texas on Thursday unanimously declined to accept the agreement as being in the public interest..
South Dakota Town Receives $1.6 Million for Relining Project
The South Dakota Board of Water and Natural Resources has approved a $1.606 million funding package for the City of Lake Norden to reline its wastewater collection system. The funding package includes a $321,000 Consolidated Water Facilities Construction Program grant and a $1.285 million C..
Wisconsin Town Receives Funding to Replace Lead Lines
The Eau Claire City Council has accepted a $500,000 a grant from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources that will provide money to replace residential lead service lines. The city estimates this grant will allow for about 440 private lead service line replacements. “Now there are things that..
DeKalb County Approves Sewer Contracts
The DeKalb Board of Commissioners has approved a $7.2 million contract to Atlanta-based Compliance Envirosystems to remove trees and grease from sewer trunk lines. Government officials hope the contract will allow the county to add sewer capacity without having to invest in new infrastructure. “Th..
South Dakota Town Receives $3 Million for Water and Wastewater Upgrades
South Dakota’s Board of Water and Natural Resources has approved a funding package of $3.35 million for the City of Onida to make wastewater system improvements and replace drinking water mains. The funding package includes a $2.4 million Clean Water State Revolving Fund loan for the wastewater sys..
South Dakota City Gets $6 Million for Water, Wastewater Upgrades
The South Dakota Board of Water and Natural Resources has approved a $6.274 million funding package for the City of Miller to make improvements to drinking water distribution mains and wastewater collection systems. The funding package includes a $1.3 million Consolidated Water Facilities Construct..
North Carolina Towns Get Funding for Sewer and Water Repairs
Under the Disaster Recovery Act of 2016, the Rural Economic Development Division of NC Commerce has awarded state-funded recovery grants to four communities to repair water and sewer systems damaged by Hurricane Matthew. The communities receiving grants are: Ayden in Pitt County will get $266,50..
Ohio Town Receives Loan to Repair Water Lines
The City of Geneva has received a low-interest loan of nearly $606,000 from the Ohio EPA to repair deteriorating water lines. With the financing, the city plans to replace water mains on Elm St. between Eagle St. and North Broadway and along North Broadway from Elm St. to North Ave. The project is ..
Kansas Town Finds Zebra Mussels in Water Transmission Line
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Lawrence city officials have approved buying special equipment to combat zebra mussels after a nearly 2-inch thick layer of the invasive species was found lining a main that carries water from Clinton Lake to a water treatment plant. City utility workers inspecting the p..
Sacramento Sewer District to Pay Fine for Multiple Spills
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – A California sewer district has agreed to pay a $225,000 fine to the state for 80 spills over three and a half years, including one that dumped raw sewage into a suburban creek. The spills covered by the settlement between the Sacramento Area Sewer District and the state d..
Iowa Officials Work to Fix Ongoing Sinkhole Problem
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Some Sioux City residents are getting anxious about a spate of sinkholes, typically caused by broken water mains or storm sewers that cause the surface to collapse. Residents worry the sinkholes could cause motor accidents or impact their property, the Sioux City Journ..
Senators Introduce Water Infrastructure Bill
U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-OH) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) have introduced the Water Infrastructure Flexibility Act, bipartisan legislation that would provide local communities with increased flexibility when complying with Clean Water Act requirements for updates to water infrastructure projects. Th..
Houston Gets Nearly $65 Million to Replace Collection System Pipelines
The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) has awarded $64.68 million in financial assistance to the city of Houston to finance wastewater system improvements. The funding, which is courtesy of the state’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund, will enable the city to replace collection system pipelines w..
Mojave Desert Water Project Gets Boost from Trump Administration
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Reversing an Obama-era policy, the Trump administration is clearing a path for a private company to pump water from beneath the Mojave Desert and sell it in Southern California. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management previously ruled that Cadiz Inc. couldn’t use an existing federal r..
Virginia House Rejects Governor's Alexandria Sewer Amendments
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia lawmakers have rejected Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s proposal to give Alexandria more time to fix an infrastructure issue that sends millions of gallons of untreated sewage into the Potomac River. The House of Delegates on Wednesday voted down McAuliffe’s amendments to..
Illinois Water System Approved for Use After Lengthy Consent Decree
Following a consent decree that lasted for more than a decade, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency has approved the Village of Ransom’s drinking water system, which is owned by Illinois American Water. Illinois American Water resolved the village’s water quality issues by connecting Ransom..
Central Indiana City Rejects Resuming Fluoride for its Water
ALEXANDRIA, Ind. (AP) — A central Indiana city has rejected a proposal to resume adding fluoride to its water supply. The (Anderson) Herald Bulletin reports (http://bit.ly/2ox12YW ) that the Alexandria City Council voted 4-3 against measure Monday. Some residents of the community 70 miles northeas..
- 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