Sewer
Fighting City Hall
Extreme economic hardships for many municipalities are pushing some cities to consider extreme actions – such as the rarely occurring municipal bankruptcy. Consider the case of Birmingham/Jefferson County, AL.
Northeast Ohio regional sewer plan approved
In an effort to clean up Lake Erie that began with the passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972, U.S. District Court Judge Donald C. Nugent has approved a 25-year regional sewer district plan to reduce the amount of untreated waste that is dumped into local waterways, usually during flooding.
Public-private solutions proposed to repair decaying water infrastructure
In the keynote address to the 2011 Pennsylvania Infrastructure Summit, Pennsylvania American Water President Kathy L. Pape said recently that expecting government bailouts is not a realistic, long-term solution to fix aging water and wastewater systems, which require tens of billions of dollars of capital investment.
Los Angeles Passes 1 Million Feet Of Trenchless Rehab
The city of Los Angeles, CA, recently completed 1 million feet of sewer that has been constructed or rehabilitated using trenchless technologies.
13th Annual Directional Drilling Survey: Mixed Market Recovery For HDD
While the overall market recovery for horizontal directional drilling appears to be improving at the mid-year point of 2011, many contractors are still struggling with sluggish economic conditions.
Tight Urban Directional Drilling
CenterPoint Energy Inc., Houston, TX, is a domestic energy delivery company that includes electric transmission and distribution, natural gas distribution, competitive natural gas sales and services, interstate pipelines and field services operations. It serves more than five million metered electric and natural gas customers in six states: Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi and Oklahoma.
Cities, counties getting funds for stormwater-control projects
The U.S. State Department of Ecology has announced the list of 43 cities and counties in the state of Washington that will get a share of $23.4 million to plan, design and build stormwater retrofit and low-impact development facility projects.
New guide helps municipalities monetize the value of green infrastructure
Quantifying the economic value of green infrastructure's benefits is the key to helping municipalities adopt this innovative and cost-effective stormwater management approach, according to a new report by the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) and American Rivers.
Equipment Spotlight: Downhole Directional Drilling Tools
Downhole directional tools from Railhead, Sharewell, INROCK, Melfred Borzall, American Augers, Horizontal Technology, HammerHead, Vermeer, Ballantine and Ditch Witch.
Rapid Response Minimizes Pipe Failure at Encina Wastewater Treatment Plant
A sewage spill is a disaster that no city wants to experience, but as America’s wastewater infrastructure ages, these types of accidents will be occurring more frequently. The city of Carlsbad, CA, recently had the opportunity to test their preparedness for such a situation.
Baby Steps: 14th Annual Municipal Survey
After more than two years of declining revenues, tightening budgets and helplessly watching from the sidelines as their sewer and water infrastructure continues to decay and they are increasingly struggling to maintain current service levels, U.S. municipal personnel are hoping to experience at least a minor measure of improvement in 2011.
BC Hydro to upgrade Vancouver system
BC Hydro began construction in November 2010 on a $200-million transmission system for Vancouver’s central neighborhood, making its first significant investment in the city’s power grid in 30 years. The project includes boring a tunnel under False Creek and building a new substation in Mount Pleasant.
DeKalb reports major sewage spill
In Georgia’s DeKalb County, officials say 12,600 gallons of raw sewage spilled near Emory University on Jan. 16. A sewer pipe under Hancock Drive burst, spilling the untreated sewage into Peachtree Creek behind the college campus, according to DeKalb watershed management records.
Indianapolis plans to provide cleaner water
The Department of Justice, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the state of Indiana have reached an agreement with the city of Indianapolis on important modifications to a 2006 consent decree that will make Indianapolis’ sewer system more efficient, leading to major reductions in sewage contaminated water at a savings to the city of approximately $444 million.
Proposed HDD To Advance Water System On Hawaiian Islands
The Kauai Board of Water Supply has issued a Request for Proposals for a water development project that uses groundbreaking advances in the art of horizontal directional drilling (HDD), while building on existing water development technology in the Hawaiian Islands.
Technology Report Released For Force Main Rehab
A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report published earlier this year contains a wealth of information about rehabilitation technologies available for sewer force mains. The report, “State of Technology Report for Force Main Rehabilitation,” was prepared as part of the EPA’s Sustainable Water Infrastructure Initiative. Here, the principal author of the report gives his summary of the contents.
Army Corp Of Engineers Taps SAK Construction For Sewer Rehab Project
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Louis District, MO, has awarded a $9.178 million contract to SAK Construction for the Old Mill Creek Phase 1A project for the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District. The project, which targets the aging Old Mill Creek Sewer and smaller connecting sewers, is designed to eliminate or control related sewer overflows that affect both the city of St. Louis and St. Louis County, MO.
Dallas’ CIP Program Presented At UCTA
Charles Stringer, assistant director of Water Operations for the Dallas Water Utilities, Dallas, TX, did double duty when he delivered presentations at two chapter meetings for the Underground Construction Technology Association (UCTA). Attendees at the Gulf Coast Chapter meeting held in Houston on Oct. 12 and those who attended the new North Texas Chapter meeting in Euless, TX, on Oct. 14 had the opportunity to hear about the city of Dallas’ recommended 2010 Capital Improvement Plan.
Increased cost for Akron’s sewer fix
The new figure is derived from $500 million for the sewer overflow work plus $150 million for other mandated sewer and storm-water improvements, inspections and maintenance work needed to comply with the federal Clean Water Act.
Increased cost for Akron’s sewer fix (1)
The city of Akron, OH, has been federally mandated to improve its sewer system to help curtail overflow over the next 18 years at a cost of $650 million. The city previously had estimated the work would cost more than $500 million.
EPA issues Clean Water, Drinking Water Infrastructure Sustainability Policy
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing a Clean Water and Drinking Water Infrastructure Sustainability Policy with the goal of increasing the sustainability of water and wastewater infrastructure in the United States. Communities across the country are facing challenges in making costly upgrades and repairs to their aging water infrastructure, which include sewer systems and treatment facilities. The new policy is part of EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson's priority to protect America's waters.
VUEWorks 2010
VUEWorks 2010 offers a major upgrade of its map-centric, web-enabled, GIS-integrated work order and asset management software.
2010 Large Directional Drilling Rig Census
When horizontal directional drilling (HDD) professionals discuss the size of an HDD rig, they usually refer to the maximum pullback force the unit can develop. The most common industry standard for a large directional drilling unit is defined as having a minimum of 100,000 pounds of pullback force. In addition to pullback, the most common specifications used to categorize HDD equipment are rotary torque of drill stem, rotation speed and the size of drill pipe.
Fort Worth sewers get overhaul
Sewer lines will soon be getting a major overhaul in the city of Fort Worth, TX. The city council approved a $446,192 engineering contract with White Rock Consultants to begin work on the new improvement project. Fort Worth is paying for the project using money already budgeted in the Water and Sewer Fund.
Indianapolis Shifts Utility Ownership, Ops To Charitable Trust
Early in 2011, ownership and operation of the water and wastewater utilities of the city of Indianapolis will shift from the city to a charitable trust, the Citizens Energy Group, which was established more than 123 years ago by the municipal code as the department of utilities.
Survey focuses on US cities’ water/wastewater rates
Black & Veatch has released the results of its sixth 50 Largest Cities Water and Wastewater Rate Survey, a resource for water and wastewater utilities. The survey highlights customer charges for water and sewer service for residential, industrial and commercial customers.
Proper Nozzle Selection In Sewer Cleaning
Choosing the correct nozzle (or nozzles) for a sewer cleaning job can be a daunting task for the uninformed. However, with a little bit of information and understanding of the task at hand, this process can be quite simple. The purpose of this installment of NASSCO’s Tech Tips is to provide the buyer and the end user a quick guide to the initial purchase and field usage of the proper sewer tool.
NASSCO Selects New Executive Director
The National Association of Sewer Service Companies’ (NASSCO) Board of Directors has selected Ted DeBoda, P.E., to succeed Irvin Gemora as executive director. In October 2009, Gemora announced his decision to retire effective February 2011. He purposely made an early announcement because he knew that it would take considerable time and energy to recruit the best candidate.
Pumps And Dewatering Equipment
Dewatering equipment from Rain for Rent, Thompson Pump & Mfg., Godwin Pumps, Grindex Pumps, Gorman-Rupp Pumps, Goulds Pumps/ITT, Multiquip, ITT Flygt Water & Wastewater, Allegro Industries and Griffin Pump & Equipment.
Rehab Of A 100-Year Old Brick Storm Sewer
The Waterfront Mall Project under construction in Washington, DC, will contain retail stores, restaurants, offices and residential units. Through the middle of the site there is an existing 100-year-old, 90-inch diameter storm sewer about 800 feet long. In what should have been a relatively simple project to rehabilitate the pipe, with a few significant yet manageable challenges, circumstances quickly changed to create the “job from hell.”
- 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