Sewer
Eliminating the Need for Pulling Augers
S.J. Louis Companies recently deployed an auger-boring steerable rock system to complete an on-grade sewer install in record time.
Aegion Corporation Awarded $6 Million Wastewater Rehabilitation Contract
Insituform Technologies, LLC, a subsidiary of Aegion Corporation, has been awarded a $6 million sewer rehabilitation contract in South Carolina.
Tennessee House Panel Passes Private Sewer Oversight Bill
A House panel passed a bill that would block Tennessee’s Department of Environment and Conservation from regulating how some types of sewage treatment systems are designed and built.
Epidemic of Wipes and Masks Plague U.S. Sewers, Storm Drains
While drain clogs aren’t new, cities say they’ve become a more costly and time consuming headache during the pandemic. Home-bound Americans are flushing more wipes, and discarded masks and gloves are gumming up treatment plants.
USDA Invests $281 Million in Rural Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Improvements
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is investing more than $280 million to help rural communities improve their water and wastewater infrastructure.
Stantec to Lead Major Wastewater Development Project in Egypt
Global engineering services company Stantec has been selected to head up a massive wastewater infrastructure improvement project for the Fayoum governate in Egypt.
USDA Invests $12 Million in Rural Water Infrastructure Improvements in Texas
The United States Department of Agriculture is investing $12 million to improve water and wastewater infrastructure in rural communities across Texas.
WEF Panel to Study Biohazards, Safety for Wastewater Workers
To ensure the protection of wastewater workers during the coronavirus pandemic and beyond, the Water Environment Federation is convening a blue-ribbon panel of experts to evaluate information on biological hazards and safety precautions.
UT Arlington Joins Project to Prevent DFW Airport Flooding
The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) is partnering with Dallas Fort Worth International Airport on a five-year project to manage storm water and flooding at the airport.
Supreme Court Rejects Narrow View of CWA in Maui Wastewater Case
The Supreme Court ruled that a Maui treatment plant's discharge of polluted water into the ground, rather than directly into nearby waterways, does not relieve it of complying with the Clean Water Act.
Utility & Communications Construction Update
The spread of the coronavirus has upended almost every staple of U.S. life, and businesses have no sense of what the next two weeks, much less the next two months, could look like. With these themes as the backdrop, there are some takeaways we can share for planning the next six months, as we consider both oil and the spread of the coronavirus.
Researchers Test Wastewater to Track Spread of Coronavirus
Researchers have determined that wastewater testing can provide an effective way to measure the prevalence of Covid-19 and gain a better understanding of its spread in communities where other means of testing may under-report its presence.
Lametti & Sons Completes Complex Microtunneling Project
Lametti & Sons recently completed a complex microtunneling project as part of a $5 billion infrastructure development in Rochester, MN.
Underground Construction and Related Industries Respond to Coronavirus
While much of North America hunkers down to wait out the coronavirus pandemic, essential workers at companies throughout the underground construction industry are continuing to deliver vital services to customers.
Trump Administration Pushes for More Wastewater Recycling
The Trump administration is making a water-recycling push it says could get good use out of more of the wastewater that industries, cities and farms spew out, including the billions of barrels of watery waste generated by oil and gas fields each year.
Fort Lauderdale Fined Nearly $2 Million for String of Sewer Leaks
The state of Florida is fining the city of Fort Lauderdale $1.8 million for a series of sewage spills that spilled over 200 million gallons of sewage from December 2019 through February 2020.
North Carolina Rural Communities Getting Over $2 Million for Water Infrastructure Upgrades
The North Carolina Rural Infrastructure Authority (RIA) has approved grant requests to local governments in excess of $2.5 million to improve and update water and sewer infrastructure.
23rd Annual Municipal Sewer/Water Infrastructure Forecast
It’s a presidential election year, and usually that spells trouble for public works funding programs. However, for the sewer, water and stormwater markets, that doesn’t seem to be the case in 2020. Cities expect spending to be stable, or even grow.
California Could Limit ‘Flushable’ Wipes Tied to Sewer Clogs
Legislation in California that advanced on Thursday would require that wet wipes products that cannot be flushed down the toilet – the scourge of sewer systems nationwide – must be clearly labeled as such.
2020 Outlook and Utility & Communications Construction Update
The United States construction market is steady and growing slightly amidst the second-longest period of sustained economic expansion since 1964. Despite fears of an impending slowdown, FMI Research projects that construction put-in-place will increase year-over-year by slightly less than 1 percent in 2019 (down from 3 percent in 2018).
$234 Billion CAPEX Expected over Next 10 Years for Water/Wastewater Infrastructure
More than $234 billion of capital expenditures (CAPEX) are forecasted over the next decade to address aging municipal water and wastewater pipe network infrastructure. Precipitated by decades of underinvestment, municipal utilities are under increasing pressure to address deteriorating linear assets at a faster pace.
Sewer Blockage Pushes Waste Into 300 New York City Homes
A blocked sewer main flooded basements last month with brown filth and left residents in the neighborhood near New York City’s Kennedy Airport feeling sickened by the stench.
New Mexico Communities get Funding for Water Projects
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is directing nearly $34 million in federal funding for improvements to water and wastewater systems in New Mexico, including projects at Laguna Pueblo and the cities of Lordsburg and Truth or Consequences.
USDA to Invest Over $630 Million in Water Improvement for Rural Communities
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development Donald “DJ” LaVoy has announced that the department is investing $635 million in 122 projects to improve water systems and wastewater handling services in rural communities in 42 states.
Construction Begins to Repair Damage From 120 Million Gallon Sewer Leaks in Florida
Construction has begun to repair damaged sewer lines in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida after nearly 130 million gallons of sewer water leaked over several days last December.
NJ American Water to Purchase Long Hill Township Sewer System
New Jersey American Water said it has signed an agreement to acquire the wastewater assets of the Township of Long Hill, N.J. for $12.7 million.
Don't Blame the Fatbergs: Collapsed Pipe Caused NYC Sewage Backup
New York City officials initially named fatbergs as the likely suspect when 127 homes were flooded with raw sewage last month. But an investigation found that the flooding was caused by a collapsed pipe, a newspaper reported, opening the city to liability damages that could reach millions of dollars.
US: Barrel Company Used Hidden Drain to Pollute County Sewer
A Seattle barrel company indicted in a "long-running pollution conspiracy" is accused of using a hidden drain to pump caustic wastewater directly into the King County sewer system.
Austin Approves $78 Million Wastewater Upgrades
The Austin City Council this week approveda $78 million project to expand the capacity of its wastewater treatment facility to 10.4 million gallons per day (MGD) from 8.475.
LAN Starts Construction of Conroe Treatment Plant
Construction has started on a $60 million wastewater treatment plant for Conroe, Texas—the fast-growing U.S. city—located north of Houston.
- 290-mile gas pipeline expansion proposed across Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina
- $227 million Garnet Valley water project advances, set to create 73,000 jobs in Nevada
- Pasadena, Calif., undergrounding project could take 500 years to finish
- Construction underway for $1.4 billion, 60-mile water pipeline in Chicago
- Worker dies after trench collapse at sewer project site in Norwich, Conn.
- Gehl and Mustang offer world’s largest skid loader
- Growing Pains and Gains
- Authorities investigating trench collapse that killed worker in Ashburn, Va.
- City of Albuquerque halts fiber optic construction in response to damage, complaints
- Pasadena, Calif., undergrounding project could take 500 years to finish