Regulatory
Ohio Town Receives Funding for Sanitary Sewer Upgrades
The Ohio EPA has awarded the City of Chardon with a $230,685 low-interest loan from its Water Pollution Control Loan Fund that will allow the community to develop a plan to remedy undersized sewers and prevent sanitary sewer overflows into Lake Erie. With the loan, the city plans to design sanitary..
Water and Sewer District in Ohio Gets Funding to Inspect Water Lines
To ensure drinking water service reliability and quality, the Northwestern Water and Sewer District in Wood County, Ohio plans to evaluate several miles of pipe with help from an Ohio EPA loan. The project in the Toledo service area involves inspecting approximately 12 miles of 16-inch to 30-inch w..
Michigan Senate OKs $5M Sinkhole Loan, Allots Flint Funds
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The Michigan Senate has approved a $5 million state loan to help repair a sinkhole in suburban Detroit and has voted to allot $100 million in federal funding to address Flint’s water crisis. The mid-year budget bill cleared the Republican-controlled chamber 36-1 Wednesda..
Florida DEP Awards Funding for Stormwater Projects
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection recently awarded more than $500,000 in Total Maximum Daily Load water-quality restoration grants for stormwater projects in two communities. Total Maximum Daily Load water-quality restoration grants are awarded to local communities and water manage..
Natural Gas Pipeline Initiative Launched in Massachusetts
The Northeast Gas Association has launched a year-long initiative to raise awareness about the importance of natural gas infrastructure to Massachusetts’ economy and its essential role as the Commonwealth transitions to an electricity grid that becomes more reliant upon renewable energy. “Massachus..
Utility Leaders Elevate Water Infrastructure at AWWA Event on Capitol Hill
More than 140 water utility leaders from throughout the United States embarked on 352 meetings with members of Congress this week to elevate the importance of investing in water infrastructure. The utility leaders were part of the American Water Works Association’s Water Matters! Fly-In, an annual ..
Report: Closing Water Infrastructure Investment Gap Strengthens U.S. Economy
According to an economic impact analysis commissioned by the Value of Water Campaign, closing the water infrastructure gap in the U.S. would create 1.3 million jobs and spur total economic activity to $220 billion annually. The report, “The Economic Benefits of Investing in Water Infrastructure” wil..
Utilities Advocate for Investment in Water Reuse Infrastructure
WateReuse members from across the United States arrived in Washington, DC today to elevate water as national priority during the National Water Policy Fly-In, a highlight of Water Week 2017. WateReuse is participating with other water sector organizations to deliver a clear, consistent and unified m..
144 Canadian Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Projects Receive Funding
Amarjeet Sohi, Canada’s Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, and Peter Fassbender, British Columbia’s Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development, have announced $373.2 million in funding for 144 new projects in British Columbia through the Clean Water and Wastewater Fund. The Gover..
LA Water Commissioner Cuts Check for Pipeline Repairs
LOS ANGELES (AP) – A city water commissioner was so concerned about a broken pipeline at a California Indian reservation that she decided to pay for repairs with her own money. Department of Water and Power Commissioner Christina Noonan cut a check on Tuesday after members of the Big Pine Paiute tr..
New York Construction Firms Rally for More Water Spending
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Construction contractors, engineers, architects and environmental advocates are urging lawmakers to follow through with promises to increase spending on New York’s aging drinking water and waste water systems. The coalition, called Rebuild NY Now, rallied members Monday in Alban..
Effort to Replace Pipes to Flint Homes off to Slow Start
FLINT, Mich. (AP) – Flint residents could still be a few years away from drinking unfiltered tap water as the city makes incremental progress on an ambitious — if not overly optimistic — timeframe to replace old water service lines that leached lead into homes and businesses. Retired National Guard..
Honolulu Fined $100,000 for Sewer Spills in August 2015
HONOLULU (AP) — The city of Honolulu has been fined $100,000 for mistakes that triggered a number of sewage spills in August 2015. Heavy rains caused sewer overflows in Kailua and Kaneohe three times in August 2015. The damage forced the city to close Waikiki Beach for days. State health departmen..
Association Applauds Trump's Commitment To Water Infrastructure
The Ductile Iron Pipe Research Association applauded President Trump’s commitment to water infrastructure development in his proposed budget that was released yesterday. “We’re pleased that during a time of significant belt-tightening across the federal government, President Trump continues..
America to Celebrate 2nd Annual National Gas Utility Workers' Day on March 18
America will celebrate its 2nd annual National Gas Utility Workers’ Day on March 18, 2017. This day of recognition is a time when communities give recognition to the employees who provide one of their most valuable assets—their natural gas utility. Gas Utility Workers’ Day occurs on March 18 becaus..
Michigan Governor Will Drop Lead Limit Below Federal Cap
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder said Thursday his administration will enact the country’s toughest lead limit for water in the wake of the lead contamination in Flint, following up on a proposal he first unveiled nearly a year ago. Snyder said he will gradually lower Michigan’s “act..
EPA Awards $100 Million to Michigan for Flint Water Infrastructure Upgrades
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded a $100 million grant to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality to fund drinking water infrastructure upgrades in Flint, Mich. The funding, provided by the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act of 2016, or WIIN, enables Fli..
Flint to Stay on Detroit Water Through Connector
FLINT, Mich. (AP) — Michigan’s Genesee County is planning to build a connector to the Karegnondi Water Authority pipeline in order to start treating Lake Huron water and allow the city of Flint to continue receiving Detroit water. The county Water and Waste Services Advisory Board voted in support ..
Few Ohio Water Suppliers Miss Deadline for Lead Pipe Maps
TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — Ohio regulators say nearly all of the state’s public drinking water systems have turned in maps showing where they still have lead pipes. The state’s Environmental Protection Agency said last week that about half of the drinking water suppliers were in danger of missing a dead..
Wisconsin Communities to Get State Loans for Lead Pipes
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Three Wisconsin communities will receive more than $1 million in state subsidies to replace lead pipes. Gov. Scott Walker’s office announced Friday that the Department of Natural Resources has reached financial agreements with Racine, Clintonville and Florence through the agenc..
Kentucky Town Gets Grant to Fix Water Issues
OLIVE HILL, Ky. (AP) — The city of Olive Hill in northeastern Kentucky has been approved for a $243,000 grant to fix its aging water system that is losing about half its capacity. The grant is coming from the Appalachian Regional Commission. The city’s cast iron water line dates back to the 1960s...
Virginia Sewer Bill Sparks Intense Debate
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — One of Virginia’s wealthiest cities has an unpleasant problem: part of the sewer system in Alexandria gets overwhelmed during almost any type of wet weather, sending untreated waste into nearby waterways and on to the Potomac River scores of times each year. The Washington subu..
New ASCE Report Shows Water Systems Need Upgrades
The American Society of Civil Engineers’ (ASCE) latest Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, issued every four years since 2001, recently gave the nation’s water systems a D grade, and wastewater systems a D+ grade, both of which are among the worst of the infrastructures studied in the report. ..
$60 Million OK'd to Upgrade Water and Wastewater Systems Across New York
The New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation Board of Directors has approved nearly $60 million in grants and interest-free and low-cost loans to support vital drinking water and wastewater infrastructure projects across New York State. This funding will provide much-needed assistance for..
Detroit Lead Pipe Replacement Could Be Long and Costly
DETROIT (AP) — Detroit’s water chief said it could take decades and up to $500 million to remove underground water lines that could potentially threaten people’s health with lead. Water and Sewerage Department Director Gary Brown cited the figures this week at a national water conference held in Fl..
Pittsburgh Raises $1 Million to Address Lead Contamination
Pittsburgh Mayor William Peduto announced that the city has partnered with Peoples Gas and the Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority to invest $1 million to provide filters to every PWSA customer to reduce high lead levels in their drinking water. The city plans to offer the free filters to all homeow..
East Chicago Officials Say $56M is Needed for Lead Crisis
EAST CHICAGO, Ind. (AP) — East Chicago officials estimate the city needs at least $56 million to deal with its ongoing lead contamination crisis. Mayor Anthony Copeland submitted an inventory on Friday to Gov. Eric Holcomb about the resources needed to address the contamination in the Calumet neigh..
50 Wisconsin Lawmakers Sign Bill to Remove Lead Lines
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Almost 50 legislators from both parties have signed onto a measure that would let utility companies raise rates to help customers replace dangerous lead service lines. Still, its sponsor, Republican Sen. Robert Cowles of Green Bay, warned supporters at the bill’s Senate committ..
Many Ohio Cities May Miss Deadline on Mapping Lead Pipes
TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — Many of Ohio’s public drinking water systems are in danger of missing a deadline requiring them to map out the locations of their lead pipes, the state’s Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday. Only about half the surveys from the nearly 1,900 public drinking water..
Flint's Water Line Replacement to Take Until at Least 2019
FLINT, Mich. (AP) — The head of Flint’s water pipe replacement program says the city in Michigan hopes to finish the project in 2019. Retired National Guard Brig. Gen. Michael McDaniel coordinates the FAST Start initiative to replace lines that leached lead into homes and businesses. He made his co..
- 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