Stormwater
Raven Lining Systems Earns USDA Certified Biobased Product Certification and Label
Raven Lining Systems has earned the USDA Certified Biobased Product Label for its AquataFlex® 505 and 506 products. The USDA Certified Biobased Product Label verifies that the product or product familys amount of renewable biobased ingredients meets or exceeds levels set by USDA. Biobased prod..
LMK Hydro Hat Withstands Patent Reviews
LMK Technologies prevailed on petitions filed by BLD Services on patent claims surrounding LMK’s commercial embodiments for the Insignia Seal, specifically, claims covering the Hydro Hat remain 100% intact and valid following multiple challenges to LMK’s patent claims by BLD. The Patent Trial and A..
The Thrills! The Chills! Ten Underground Infrastructure Stories From 2015
by Elizabeth Fitzpatrick, Art Director As 2015 quickly moves into history, let’s take a look back at the thrilling days of yesteryear and some of the underground infrastructure stories that peppered the pages of UC in 2015. There were awards given and records broken and lumps of rock and the loss o..
CIPP In Jail
CIPP Keeps Maricopa County Within Budget, Without Disruption Estrella Women’s Jail in Maricopa County, AZ, can anticipate at least 50 years of improved flow with no more backups from its rehabilitated sewer system. The emergency cured-in-place-pipe (CIPP) upgrade was performed by Irontree Construct..
Green technology emerges for stormwater management
A new green technology has shown great potential for stormwater management – research efforts have shown potential for the use of floating treatment wetlands (FTWs) to remove nutrients and contaminants from stormwater retention ponds. FTWs float on the surface of wet ponds and provide a growing med..
Choose the right tool for the job
Total-solution HammerHead®/RS Lining Systems collaboration keeps pace with rapidly evolving noninvasive techniques Today’s pipe repair specialists can take a lesson from Maslow’s “law of the hammer,” revising it slightly to make a similar point: “To the contractor with a sledge, every bid includes ..
Business Shorts - October 2015
LMK Technologies On August 24, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) ruled in favor of LMK Technologies, declining institution of inter parts reviews on two petitions filed by BLD Services. The decisions were issued in IPR2015-00723 (Paper 7) and IPR2015-00721 ..
LMK Technologies Continues to Lead the Way in Trenchless Rehabilitation
LMK Technologies Continues to Lead the Way in Trenchless Rehabilitation of Main to Lateral Connections with the Addition of Man Entry Lapel Liner Located in Ottawa, Illinois, LMK Technologies has been a leader in trenchless Cured-In-Place Pipe (CIPP) lining since 1993. LMK is recognized by many mun..
New Products
John Deere The Final Tier 4 444K, 524K and 544K utility-class wheel loaders’ PowerTech engine deliver impressive torque, 444K (124 hp), 524K (141 hp), 544K (163 hp), to help maintain good boom and bucket speed in and out of the pile for heaped loads, even in wet or hard-packed material. The K-Seri..
Rehab Technology News
Reline America welcomes new installer, Whitaker Construction Reline America has announced the addition of Whitaker Construction to its team of authorized installers. Whitaker Construction, founded in 1953, has been in the underground utility construction industry for over 60 years. They have grown ..
Thompson Pipe Group Capabilities 2015
A Pipeline to the Future The 2015 California drought is projected to cost the state more than $2.5 billion and over 20,000 jobs. One of its most serious long-term consequences is the reduction in California’s groundwater reserves. This is like dipping into savings to make up for a shortfall in the ..
Rehab Technology New Products
Flowtite Stops Pipe Joint Leaks Flowtite Fiberglass Reinforced Pipe (FRP) takes full advantage of the specific characteristics of basic raw materials to create strong, corrosion-proof pipe and pipe components. Flowtite is lightweight, long-lasting and extremely resistant to both inner and outer cor..
Contech Engineered Solutions helps build 9/11 site
Contech Engineered Solutions supplied a new stormwater detention system to Liberty Park, an elevated public park under construction in the new World Trade Center in New York City. A stormwater detention system was needed to meet NYC Department of Environmental Protection stormwater regulations. The..
Building, Maintaining A Successful Safety/Damage Prevention Program
As Michigan’s largest utility provider, Consumers Energy provides natural gas and electric service to 6.6 million of the state’s 10 million residents, and the company’s safety and damage prevention efforts must address multiple challenges
Despite Higher Costs, Electric Utilities Increasingly Favor Undergrounding
The question invariably is asked after severe weather or other disasters knocks out electrical power and communications services: “Why don’t they put those overhead lines underground where they’re protected?” That question has been asked many times in many places over the past few years as heavy winter storms, tornadoes and hurricanes have affected much of the country, knocking out power, communications and other vital services.
Geopolymers: Promising Materials For Underground Applications
There was a time when engineers designed structures to last for eternity. Since the beginning of mankind, civilizations have desired to create an enduring legacy through their architecture. Engineers from ancient civilizations such as Egypt, Greece and Rome did not build their fabulous structures and monuments with the intention of having them repaired every 50 years.
Ongoing Rehab In Indianapolis
A major sewer rehabilitation program is under way in the city of Indianapolis addressing a backlog of structural repair and inflow and infiltration issues.
Industry Veteran Keith Hanks Retires
Keith Hanks, senior environmental engineer for the Wastewater Conveyance Engineering Division for the city of Los Angeles, CA, retired from the industry effective Sept. 21.
Corrugated HDPE pipe receives TDOT approval
The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) has approved the longitudinal installation of large diameter, corrugated high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe for storm water drainage systems.
Miami-Dade agrees to upgrade its sewer system
Under a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced recently, Miami-Dade County in Florida has agreed to invest in major upgrades to its wastewater treatment plants and wastewater collection and transmission systems in order to eliminate sanitary sewer overflows.
EPA Survey Shows $384B Needed For Water Infrastructure By 2030
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently released results of a survey showing that $384 billion in improvements are needed for the nation’s drinking water infrastructure through 2030 for systems to continue providing safe drinking water to 297 million Americans.
Water leaders call for reinvestment in water infrastructure
In April, nearly 200 water leaders from the private and public sector joined together in Washington, DC, as part of the Water Matters! Fly In, sponsored by the American Water Works Association and the Water Environment Federation urging Congress to vote for legislation that addresses the nation’s water infrastructure and confronts mounting affordability concerns.
New Technology Leads To Successful Electric Transmission Project
Since the first building in Houston, TX, was air conditioned in 1923, media has often dubbed the city, “the air conditioning capital of the world.” With summer temperatures often exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit, it’s no wonder that Houstonians are concerned about reliable electricity to keep the units running.
HDD Specs Developed For Ohio DOT
The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) is reviewing a draft of a proposed Standard Specification for Horizontal Directional Drilling which would ensure quality trenchless installations of underground pipelines and conduits.
Ice Pigging: New Water, Sewer Pigging Method Offers Unique Benefits
A new breed of pipeline “pig” has arrived in the United States. “Pigging” to clean pipelines is an accepted procedure used by utility pipeline owners. The process is relatively simple: a device (pig) is inserted into a pipe where pressure forces it through the pipe, scraping the inside sidewalls and carrying debris to an exit point out of the pipe. A variety of pig designs are available.
The Texas Water Development Board approves financial aid
The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) has approved financial assistance loans totaling $29,382,800 as follows:
The Development Of St. Petersburg’s Water Resources Department Succession Plan
Around 2005, many utilities across the country were aware of the statistical data indicating that as the baby boomer generation reached retirement, there would be a substantial number of employees with many years of experience and expertise departing the workforce.
Remote Inspection Equipment: Product Focus
Remote inspection equipment from CUES, Radiodetection, Aries Industries, Envirosight, Pearpoint, RapidView, Ratech Electronics, RedZone Robotics and R.S. Technical Services.
Five-year plan to replace Pittsburg, KS water lines
In June, a five-year water line replacement project for the city of Pittsburg, KS, was presented to city commissioners by John Bailey, public utilities director. The cost to replace the city’s 100-year old water lines and hydrants is expected to be at least $250,000 annually.
IPR, EcoCast Thwart Threat Of Sewer Collapse
The threat that a large, severely deteriorated Houston sewer line could cause the collapse of a road at the intersection of a major highway was averted by a timely trenchless rehabilitation project.
- Authorities investigating trench collapse that killed worker in Ashburn, Va.
- NTSB publishes preliminary report on fatal gas pipeline explosion in Lexington, Mo.
- Mass. governor slams Trump for ‘dangerous delay’ of $50 million in lead pipe replacement funds
- Ditch Witch West sells first Bulldog trencher to speed up undergrounding work along West Coast
- Centuri awarded nearly $400 million for U.S. gas infrastructure work
- Maryland lawmakers push to curb BGE pipeline spending, citing safety and cost concerns
- 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
- City of Albuquerque halts fiber optic construction in response to damage, complaints
- Pasadena, Calif., undergrounding project could take 500 years to finish