Water
National Safe Digging Month Highlights Importance of Calling 811
(UC) - As the calendar turns to April and spring temperatures arrive, home improvement and construction work steadily increases. Since these projects often require digging and excavation, it is appropriate that April is designated as National Safe Digging Month. This nationwide public safety initiat..
EPA Announces New WIFIA Funding for Water Infrastructure Projects
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler announced the availability of funding to provide an estimated $6 billion in Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loans in 2019.
WSSC Now Accepting Applications for Commissioners’ Engineering Scholarship Program
LAUREL, Md. – Why is tap water better than bottled? That’s what engineering students will answer as part of their application to WSSC’s annual Commissioners’ Engineering Scholarship Program, worth up to $10,000 in scholarship money and paid internship experience over four years. The scholarship prog..
CASE Announces Fourth-Annual Dire States Equipment Grant
CASE Construction Equipment has issued the call for entries for the 2019 Dire States Equipment Grant. Submissions can be made at DireStates.com/Grant. The 2019 entry deadline is March 31, 2019, and the winner will be announced in April 2019.
NASSCO: Active Year Marks Diverse Efforts For NASSCO
Welcoming a new executive director, continuing programs to establish and improve wastewater infrastructure standards, and educating the industry about maintaining and rehabilitating sewer infrastructure kept members and staff of NASSCO busy throughout 2018.
Gas Distribution Replacement Work Continues Strong Pace
As recently as 2017, the federal Department of Transportation (DOT) estimated 30,000 miles of cast-iron pipe still carried gas in the United States, with the highest percentage of these mains located in older eastern cities such as New York City, Philadelphia, Boston, Baltimore and Washington, D.C.
First Look: Utilizing Inertial Navigation Technology for 3D Mapping, Locating, Management
Over the last two decades, significant advances have been made in the quality and application of inertial navigation technology targeted at mapping underground pipe and duct assets. This article provides information on pipeline technologies that are available to map a minimum internal diameter (ID) of 1.6-inch to larger sizes. The pipeline mapping system offers a range of solutions that can map any pipe, regardless of its material, depth or type of utility.
Breaking Records in a Conservation Park
Watercare Services of New Zealand engaged McConnell Dowell and McMillen Jacobs to increase the outfall capacity for its Army Bay Wastewater Treatment Plant. The project involved installing a new wastewater outfall, upgrading the existing pump station and building a new ultraviolet disinfection facility.
Hard Work, Vision Bring Success to Great Lakes Fusion
As the owner of Great Lakes Fusion, Marks’ company specializes in all facets of landfill construction: excavation, drilling and HDPE pipe fusion services for pipe up to 65-inches and installation of methane and leachate collection systems. He’s also diversified by starting related companies.
Plastic Pipes 2020 Conference Goes to the Netherlands
The Plastic Pipes Conference Association (PPCA) announced that Amsterdam, The Netherlands, is the location for the next conference and exhibition, Plastic Pipes XX, Sept. 21–23, 2020.
Pennsylvania American Water Expands Wastewater Footprint with Acquisition of Municipal Sewer System in Chester County
Pennsylvania American Water, a subsidiary of American Water, announced today that it has acquired the wastewater system assets of Sadsbury Township in Chester County for a purchase price of approximately $8.6 million. The transaction marks Pennsylvania American Water’s second acquisition to close under recent legislation that allows municipalities to sell water and wastewater systems for a price based on the fair market value of the system.
Call or Click for Safe Digging
Calling 811 before any digging begins starts the process of identifying and marking buried utility lines in the United States and preventing the damage, service disruption, injuries, potential fines and costly repairs that result from unintentionally hitting them.
L.A. Wants to Spend $8 Billion to Recycle All of Its Wastewater by 2035
The City of Los Angeles is considering a wastewater reclamation project that could end up supplying one-third of the city’s water by 2035.
Florida Utility Warns Customers to 'Think before They Flush' in Spoof Horror Movie Trailer
In an effort to educate its customers about a widespread and costly issue lurking beneath city streets, Florida utility company JEA created a mock horror movie trailer warning customers that “what goes down, might just come back up.”
New Jersey Raises Protective Status of 749 miles of Waterways
New Jersey is adding 749 miles (1,205 kilometers) of rivers and streams to its inventory of waterways that have a high level of protection from pollution and development.
Utility Denies Water Pollution Allegations
A utility is denying allegations by two environmental groups that it polluted a river with heated wastewater from a coal-fired power plant in New Hampshire.
Maryland Stormwater Partnership Ahead of Schedule, Under Budget
A stormwater partnership between Prince George’s County, Maryland and Corvias reported it has completed its initial pilot phase ahead of schedule and under budget.
Infrastructure Funding Chances, Opportunities Looking Up in 2019
It's uncertain whether infrastructure legislation will be approved in 2019, but the good news is that any bill will likely include water projects. This was not the case last year, when spending talk centered on roads and bridges instead of water and sewer construction.
22nd Annual Municipal Sewer/Water Infrastructure Survey
Underground Construction's exclusive annual survey revealed stronger budgets for many cities and growing expectations for a prolonged, stronger economy – but municipal personnel remain cautious.
Feds Fund Houston-Area Stormwater Tunnel Feasibility Study
The Harris County Flood Control District, whose systems were overwhelmed by Hurricane Harvey in 2017, is set to begin a $400,000 study into the feasibility of constructing large-diameter, deep underground stormwater conveyance tunnels.
American Augers/Trencor Launch New Website
American Augers/Trencor, a Charles Machine Works company and leading manufacturer of horizontal directional drills, auger boring machines and large-scale trenchers and surface miners, launched a newly designed website. Bringing together the two brands with the message – “Two Brands. One Commitment” ..
Detailed Planning Helps Resolve Leak on Critical CWA 102-Inch Line
Greg Henry, P.E., LAN | Greg Olinger, P.E., CWA A major component of the Texas Coastal Water Authority (CWA) is the Lynchburg Pump Station and three, large-diameter pipeline distribution systems that make up the Trinity River Water Distribution System. These three pipeline distribution systems, k..
Cleaning, Preparation for Water Main Lining Rehabilitation
Second in a 3-Part Series EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the second of a three-part series on pressure pipe presented by the NASSCO Pressure Pipe Committee. There will be an in-depth program track on these topics and more at UCT, Jan. 29-31, 2019, in Fort Worth, Texas. Every water main rehabilitation proje..
LAN to Design Major East Texas Utility Project
The City of Tyler, Texas, selected civil engineering firm Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, Inc. (LAN) to design improvements to two of its major sanitary sewer basins. The East Texas city’s wastewater collection system includes more than 690 miles of sewer mains ranging in sizes from 6-inches to 54-inch..
Aqua America to Acquire Peoples in Merger of Water, Gas Utilities
Water and wastewater utility Aqua America said it agreed to acquire natural gas utility operator Peoples in a $4.2 billion deal to create a company that is “uniquely positioned to have a powerful impact on improving the nation’s infrastructure reliability.” The combined company would have $10.8 bil..
San Angelo Unveils Concho River Water Supply Plan
The City of San Angelo has identified the leading option for its next water supply and taken the first step toward its development. The Concho River Water Project is a move to extend San Angelo’s sources beyond its lakes and the Hickory Aquifer. It will do so by adding a reliable and sustainable so..
Virginia Tech SWIM Center Offers Water Infrastructure Certificate, Conference
The Virginia Tech Sustainable Water Infrastructure Management (SWIM) Center is offering the Digital One Water Smart Utility Water conference, Dec. 5-6, at its Research Center in Arlington, Va. Addressing one of the most pressing societal needs over the next several decades, the conference will focu..
Using Risk to Drive Pipeline Integrity Programs
Jennifer Steffens, P.E. | NASSCO Pressure Pipe Committee The management of critical infrastructure is a major challenge for water and wastewater utilities as populations increase, available resources decrease, and pipelines need to be maintained, since wholesale replacement of these assets is not..
2018 Drilling Fluids Guide
BENTONITE Baroid Industrial Drilling Products, (281) 871-4613, baroididp.com Aquagel: Premium grade Wyoming sodium bentonite used as viscosifier and filtrate reducer in freshwater drilling fluids. Meets the requirements of API Specification 13A, Section 9. NSF/ANSI Standard 60 certified. Bore-Gel..
- 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
- HDD industry faces challenges as cities push back on fiber drilling disruptions
- 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