Water
PG&E Tests Safety Drones For Infrastructure Inspections
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) announced its current testing of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), or drones, to enhance the safety and reliability of its electric and gas services. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) authorized PG&E’s use of drones to assist with electric and gas infra..
American Water Seeks Approval Of Plan in WV
West Virginia American Water filed an application with the Public Service Commission of West Virginia (PSC) seeking approval of an Infrastructure Replacement Program (IRP). The purpose of an IRP is to address the national challenge of aging infrastructure by directing additional investment to areas ..
Pennsylvania American Water To Acquire New Cumberland Wastewater System
Pennsylvania American Water, a subsidiary of American Water, announced it reached an agreement to acquire the wastewater assets of the Borough of New Cumberland in Cumberland County, earlier this year. Pennsylvania American Water and the Borough will seek approval of the acquisition from the Pennsy..
Interceptor Condition Assessment Program Spurs Environmental, Economic Benefits
The Fort Worth (Texas) Water Department earned a 2016 Texas Environmental Excellence Award – the highest environmental honor in the state – in the category of Innovative Operations/Management for its Interceptor Condition Assessment Program (ICAP), This new technology allows for more effective inspe..
Making A Triumph Out Of Tragedy
by Robert Carpenter Editor-in-Chief For a surprisingly large number of contractors and manufacturers in the infrastructure markets, the first half of 2016 has seen a tepid advance, even with favorable economic winds at their backs. Must be an election year. There are exceptions. The horizontal dir..
Surging 28%, US Municipal Water Infrastructure Forecast Reaches $532 Billion
Capital expenditures (CAPEX) for U.S. municipal water & wastewater utilities – including spending on pipes, plants, and pumps – are expected to exceed $532 billion between 2016 and 2025, according to new forecasts from Bluefield Research. This new outlook, which draws heavily from planned utility bu..
Feds Say Everyone in Flint Can Drink Filtered Tap Water
DETROIT (AP) — Filtered tap water is safe for everyone in Flint, Michigan, the federal government said Thursday, lifting a recommendation that pregnant women, nursing mothers and children under 6 drink only bottled water to avoid lead exposure. The announcement was based on tests of filters that ha..
American Water Receives 22 National Awards for Excellence in Water Quality
American Water Works Company, Inc. has been awarded 22 Partnership for Safe Water awards. The awards, which recognize water treatment facilities that have achieved higher than required water quality standards, will be presented during the 2016 American Water Works Association Annual Conference in Ch..
Michigan Sues Companies That 'Botched,' Worsened Flint Water
FLINT, Michigan (AP) — Michigan’s attorney general filed a civil lawsuit Wednesday against two water engineering companies, saying their negligence caused and exacerbated Flint’s lead-tainted water crisis and demanding what could total hundreds of millions of dollars in damages. Veolia and Lockwood..
EIV Capital and Partners Commit $100 Million to H2O Midstream
H2O Midstream, LLC has secured an initial funding commitment of $100 million, with investments from EIV Capital and co-investments from several of EIV’s institutional partners, as the company pursues oil and gas opportunities related to water infrastructure throughout North America. “We see a treme..
TPH Partners Form Multi-Service Water Business
Houston-based TPH Partners formed EnWater Solutions by combining of its existing water business in the Permian with assets acquired from Abilene, TX-based Pelagic Water Systems. The new company’s services are applicable to high-volume saltwater disposal facilities, and permanent and temporary water ..
18th Annual HDD Survey: Diverse Markets Drive HDD Forward
To say that we are in confusing economic times would be an understatement, not only for the United States but the world in its entirety. The U.S. market confusions result primarily from a mix of political uncertainty, lackluster economic growth and performance, and the collapse of the oil and gas in..
Flint: Problems Persist For Poisoned City
by Chantel Green, Associate Editor More than eight months have passed since the drinking water source in Flint, MI, was switched back to the Great Lakes, after a detrimental extended use of the Flint River – a decision that poisoned city residents, brought criminal charges against city and state of..
Water Organizations, EPA Release Effective Utility Management Report
Eight heavy-hitters in the water and utility industries collaborated with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop the Effective Utility Management (EUM) Report entitled, Taking the Next Step: Findings of the EUM Review Steering Group, which was announced at the National Wa..
Repairs to Pipeline that Waters Largest Navajo Farm Finished
FARMINGTON, N.M. (AP) – Repairs to a pipeline that supplies water to the largest farm on the Navajo Nation are finished. The Farmington Daily Times reports that testing will begin this weekend on the fixed pipe, which supplies water to 72,000 acres of farmland in northwestern New Mexico. A decades..
Flint Tests System to Boost Chlorine in Drinking Water
Flint, Mich. (AP) — A utility official in Flint, Michigan, says the test of the temporary pumping system that will increase chlorine levels in the city’s drinking water went well. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency had recommended that Flint install a system by Friday. Utilities chief JoLisa ..
Flint-Inspired Water Infrastructure Bill Takes First Step Forward
A Senate committee passed a bill authorizing a new $100 million fund for cities like Flint, MI, which have drinking water emergencies on April 29. The bill also fully funds $70 million (i.e. no separate appropriation is needed) for the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Water Infrastructure Fin..
Case Releases Preventative Maintenance Tool Systemgard Fluid Analysis Kit
Case Construction Equipment has released the 4-in-1 Systemgard Fluid Analysis Kit – a preventative maintenance tool providing a picture of fluid and internal system conditions without the need for users to dissemble the machine. The kit monitors system cleanliness and filtration efficiency, which a..
Suit Seeks to Have Philadelphia Replace Lead Service Pipes
Philadelphia (AP) — A Philadelphia woman filed a lawsuit on Thursday seeking to have the city replace all lead service pipes running into homes from water mains and pay for a lead medical monitoring program. The lawsuit, filed by Eleni Delopoulos, alleged the city put her family and thousands of Ph..
EPA Reaches Settlement with Acme Foundry for Industrial Stormwater Violations
EPA Region 7 reached an administrative settlement with Acme Foundry, Inc to resolve industrial stormwater violations under the Clean Water Act. Under the settlement, Acme Foundry must comply with its industrial stormwater permit, pay a penalty of $28,975, and implement a Supplemental Environmental P..
Texas Water Development Board adopts 2017 State Water Plan
On May 19, the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) unanimously voted to adopt the 2017 State Water Plan. Conservation strategies are by far the most frequently recommended strategy in the plan, accounting for over one quarter of strategy supplies in 2070. The capital costs associated with impleme..
MyMaintenance Joins Growing List of John Deere Mobile Applications for Construction Professionals
The new John Deere MyMaintenance mobile application takes preventative maintenance and repairs to the next level for construction maintenance managers. The app enables users to view and document maintenance intervals by calendar date or by machine engine hours right on the jobsite or in the workshop..
Americans' Water Rates are Rising While Infrastructure Remains in Peril, Says New Survey; Special Town Hall on Finance and Infrastructure Held in Response
The price Americans pay for municipal water is rising faster than any other city household expense, according to a new survey published today by Circle of Blue, the award-winning network of journalists and researchers that reports on water and worldwide resource issues. Circle of Blue’s annual wate..
McElroy, Innovator Of Pipe Fusion Equipment, Announces Launch Of Website Redesign
McElroy, a manufacturer and innovator of pipe fusion equipment, announces the launch of its newly redesigned website – mcelroy.com. The new fusion website boasts an inviting, informative and mobile-friendly interface with an easy-to-use design, while providing even more machine and fused piping sys..
Marshalltown Water Works Earns Prestigious Industry Awards
Marshalltown Water Works (MWW) is among the first utilities to receive the Directors Award in the Partnership for Safe Water’s Water Treatment and Water Distribution System Optimization Program within the same year. The company, headquartered in Marshalltown, IA, was recognized with these awards fo..
5,000 Linear Feet Of Overhead Power Lines Go Underground In Arizona
Millions of miles of overhead utilities are strung across the United States, but the unreliability of overhead utility lines as well as increasing maintenance and operating costs have led more municipalities, particularly in urban areas, to convert their overhead distribution lines to underground. ..
Fort Worth Water Department Receives 2016 Texas Environmental Excellence Award
The Fort Worth Water Department earned a 2016 Texas Environmental Excellence Award – the highest environmental honor in the state – in the category of Innovative Operations/Management for its Interceptor Condition Assessment Program (ICAP), a new technology allowing for more effective inspections of..
Texas Water Development Board Approves $32.1 Million in Rural Water Assistance
The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) has approved more than $32 million in financial assistance for rural water projects. The projects receiving funding include: $24.68 million to the city of Cameron for wastewater and water system improvements $6.35 million to the Bastrop County Water Cont..
Water Delivery Commences For Colorado’s Southern Delivery System
The Southern Delivery System (SDS), one of the largest water projects under construction in the western United States, began the first phase of commercial operation in late April. Community leaders, contractors and partner communities celebrated the end of a busy 2015 with significant progress and ..
Survey: 89% Of Californians Willing To Use Recycled Water to Help Achieve Water Security
The historic, severe drought remains a hot topic in California; residents are willing and eager to consider long-term solutions in helping the state achieve water security. A new survey released by Xylem Inc. found California residents overwhelmingly supportive of the use of treated wastewater in th..
- 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