Telecom/Electric
California Utility to Use Echologics Leak Detection Technology
San Jose Water Company has selected Echologics’ EchoShore®-DX leak detection technology to continuously monitor its pipeline network to help the utility measure and reduce water loss. “This is truly a game-changing smart technology that will become a critical part of our water loss control program ..
Report: Utilities to Increase Investment in Smart Water Technologies
According to a new report, “US Smart Water: Defining the Opportunity, Competitive Landscape, and Market Outlook,” from Bluefield Research, the U.S. municipal water sector is projected to spend more than $20 billion on software, data, and analytics solutions over the next decade. As a result, more t..
West Virginia Targets Broadband Growth, Flood Protection
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Two newly signed laws in West Virginia are intended to extend broadband internet service to unreached parts of the state and help it better prepare for major flooding. The broadband measure acknowledges the Legislature and governor have set a primary goal of making ev..
Indiana Cities Rush to Control Wireless Equipment Installation
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Two Indiana cities are rushing to maintain control of where wireless equipment can be placed. The South Bend Tribune (http://bit.ly/2oENTxF ) reports that a plan approved by the Legislature will allow telecommunications companies to place equipment without a permit from loca..
Emera Set to Install North America’s Longest Submarine Electricity Cables
Nexans’ Skagerrak has arrived in Canada with the first of North America’s two longest submarine electricity cables to be installed as part of Emera’s Maritime Link Project. Each cable is 106 miles long and weighs 6,063 tons. The first cable was manufactured in Halden, Norway, while the second cable..
Chicago Utility Creates App to Respond to Incidents Impacting Waterways
As boaters and visitors flock to area waterways, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago is prepared to respond to local incidents impacting local rivers and streams. To alert the MWRD of odors, stream blockages and other environmental-related issues, the public is encouraged..
Report Touts the Benefits of PVC Pipe for Sewer, Water Projects
Sustainable Solutions Corporation has released the Life Cycle Assessment of PVC Water and Sewer Pipe and Comparative Sustainability Analysis of Pipe Materials, the first comprehensive environmental review of underground piping systems in North America. Based on a 100-year life cycle assessment metho..
Google Fiber Prepares to Start Construction in Louisville
Google Fiber today announced it will soon file its first permit for building its network in Louisville. The network construction will be done in phases, which will allow a more efficient build and reduce disruption. “Many have eagerly waited to hear these words: Google Fiber is coming to Louisville..
Industry Leaders Launch Fiber Optic Sensing Association
The Fiber Optic Sensing Association, the nation’s first trade association dedicated to fiber optic sensing, launched today with a focus on educating industry, government and the public on the benefits of this cutting-edge technology. The organization was formed with the mission to provide great..
Utility to Put Sewer Biogas in Pipeline
NW Natural has agreed to work with the City of Portland to put renewable natural gas converted from the city’s largest wastewater treatment plant on its pipeline and into vehicles. In a vote yesterday, the Portland City Council authorized the construction of a RNG production facility at the Columbi..
Utility to Use Recycled Sewer Biogas in Natural Gas Pipelines
HONOLULU (AP) — Honolulu officials say they are moving forward with plans to sell biogas produced at the city’s sewage plant to Hawaii Gas Co. The gas company says it plans to spend about $5 million on equipment to clean the sewage plant’s biogas before adding it into their pipelines. It also wants..
Vac-Tron Equipment Develops Game Changer In Micro Trenching
Primarily an installation method for fiber networks, micro trenching involves cutting a narrow and relatively shallow trench, usually on an asphalt roadway. During the process, a vacuum system connected to the cutter wheel cleanly diverts and transports debris away from the worksite. Once the condui..
ADS Introduces HPXR75 Stormwater Pipe Technology
Advanced Drainage Systems Inc. (ADS), a leading global manufacturer of water management solutions, has introduced HPXR 75, the latest breakthrough in stormwater pipe technology. The revolutionary design incorporates a corrugated polypropylene pipe with a smooth outer wall and oriented fiberglass re..
IPEG Launches UTTO Virtual Reality Training Studio
IPEG Corporation, a Naples, FL-based developer of mobile products and locate equipment for the telecommunications, pipeline and utility industries, has launched its UTTO Virtual Reality Training Studio. This latest line extension of UTTO’s buried asset digital services creates an immersive, real-wor..
Water Research Foundation Releases New Report on Lead Service Line Lining and Coating Technologies
The Water Research Foundation has released a new research report on lead service line lining and coating technologies that says certain lining and coating technologies can effectively reduce or eliminate the release of lead from lead service lines. The report, Evaluation of Lead Service Line Lining..
EM, GPR: Complementary Damage Prevention Technologies
by Daniel Bigman, Ph.D. Damage prevention plays a vital role in underground construction. Identifying existing buried services prior to installing new ones is critical to maintaining site safety and limiting project costs. There are various technologies that assist in detecting and marking buried f..
Sanitary Sewer Overflows May Be Linked to Outdated Technology, Faulty Inspections
Electro Scan Inc. recently informed the California Environmental Protection Agency, State Water Resources Control Board, and the Office of Enforcement that sanitary sewer overflows experienced by California cities and counties may be due to reliance on older visual-based technologies and faulty insp..
Fibrwrap Construction
Fibrwrap Construction specializes in trenchless structural strengthening of underground pipelines over 30-inches utilizing the advanced Tyfo Fibrwrap carbon fiber system. With more than 20 years of experience, Fibrwrap has the knowledge and expertise to meet pipeline strengthening needs, and has per..
World's Largest Tunnel-Boring Machine Reaches End of Long, Troubled Journey
SEATTLE (AP) — The world’s largest tunnel-boring machine broke through a concrete wall beneath Seattle on Tuesday to reach the end of its long, troubled journey, a milestone in a multibillion-dollar project to replace an aging highway hugging the city’s waterfront. Critics of the effort to build an..
Power-to Gas Tech Could Be Used in NatGas Pipelines, Increase Renewable Energy
In a partnership with University of California, Irvine researchers, Southern California Gas Co. earlier this week announced that new research on power-to-gas technology shows the technique holds the ability to dramatically increase the use of intermittent renewable energy. “The ability to increase ..
250 Miles of Fiber-Optic Cable Installed in Alaska
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — An Anchorage-based telecommunications company has recently finished installing 250 miles of fiber-optic cable connecting two communities in Alaska as part of a larger project to improve communications between Europe and Asia using the underwater cables. The Fairbanks ..
Company Helps Water Utilities Identify Leaky Pipes
FlowNetworx, an affiliate of LB Water Service, Inc., is helping U.S. water utilities find and pinpoint leaks in their distribution networks within a foot of the source, without having to dig large trenches or disrupt service to customers. The company offers leak detection, leak pi..
Research and Markets Adds Water infrastructure Repair Tech Report
Research and Markets has announced the addition of the “Water Infrastructure Repair Technologies: Global Markets” report to their offerings. The scope of the market analyzed in this report includes water infrastructure repair technologies used in global drinking water distribution and wastewater co..
FTTH Council is Now the Fiber Broadband Association
FTTH Council President & CEO Heather Burnett Gold has announced that the association has launched a modernized brand that better reflects the evolution and makeup of the industry the organization represents and the consumer services its members deliver. The new brand and descriptor is “Fiber Broadba..
Companies Install First Intelligent Wastewater Pumping System in North America
Xylem and DC Water today announced they have successfully completed the first installation of Xylem’s Flygt Concertor, the world’s first wastewater pumping system with integrated intelligence, in North America. The Flygt Concertor significantly advances the sustainability of the wastewater sector b..
M-I SWACO Drilplex HDD Inorganic Viscosifier
M-I SWACO, a Schlumberger company, offers Drilplex HDD inorganic viscosifier, specially engineered for water-based bentonite drilling fluids to accommodate both maxi and mini HDD rigs. Drilplex HDD allows the formulation of fluids with shear-thinning properties, resulting in a drilling fluid with bo..
Water Research Foundation Releases RFPs for 11 Projects
The Water Research Foundation has released Requests for Proposals for nine new research projects funded under the Focus Area Research Program. Two additional RFPs, for projects under the Emerging Opportunities and Tailored Collaboration Research Programs, are also available. All RFPs are available a..
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..
Shore Approaches For Fiber Optics Cable In Arctic Conditions
By Brian “Butch” Webb and Zachary Casey A communications company is installing a subsea fiber optics cable from Europe to Asia around North America through the Beaufort and Bering Seas. At various points along the main line, branching units are installed to allow for branch legs to be laid to vario..
CETCO VELOXITY-PRO Drilling Fluid Improves Cuttings Removal
CETCO’s newest drilling fluid has been created to improve cuttings removal, as well as circulation. This high-quality bentonite drilling fluid increases viscosity and lowers fluid loss. VELOXITY-PRO mixes quickly and easily in freshwater and will improve borehole stability. This NSF/ANSI Standard 60..
- 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
- Construction worker killed in trench collapse near Prosperity, S.C.
- Two workers rescued after hours trapped in Mich. trench collapse
- WES tunnel boring machine retrieved from Oregon river after seven-month project
- 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