May 2010 Vol. 65 No. 5
WaterWorks
May WaterWorks News: Dayton water projects, Navajo gain clean water, Aqua replacing main, new CCTV tool
Dayton water projects reap benefits of stimulus bill
Navajo Nation to get clean drinking water
Aqua to replace water mains
New CCTV tool inspects pressurized water mains
GL wins Pipelines Industries Guild Award
Providence Water Supply Board acts decisively for proactive water conservation
Water main project begins in Troy
Texas Water Development Board receives award
Award recognizes commitment of Missouri American Water
Dayton water projects reap benefits of stimulus bill
The Dayton, OH, area has been inundated with stimulus funding for water projects. At least 18 projects in the region have been awarded more than $13 million in stimulus subsidies through the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.
Nine new projects totaling more than $22 million have been awarded a mix of stimulus subsidies and low-interest loans to fund the water projects.
The largest project is a $20 million expansion and upgrade of the Warren County wastewater treatment plant and replacement of aging and failing mechanical equipment that will double the plant’s average daily flow.
Warren County received a $5 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act subsidy and a $15 million low-interest loan from the Ohio EPA Water Pollution Control Loan Fund. The second-largest project is a $1.3 million subsidy for Greene County to restore a portion of North Fork Massie Creek and selected tributaries. The work is expected to minimize sediment and stream bank erosion to address impairments affecting the Little Miami River.
Other projects include:
- Clark County received nearly $83,000 to line Garden Acre sewers and install manhole dishes to eliminate overflows into the Mad River;
- Montgomery County received roughly $175,000 to stabilize sewer and water lines exposed at seven stream crossings and replace three sewer lines. It also received $150,000 to line 880 feet of sewer lines along Lesher Drive in Kettering; and
- Riverside received $20,600 to replace drains in the city maintenance building with oil separators, $122,000 to remove trash, overgrowth and pollutants from Lorella pond and $47,300 to build a new salt storage barn that will improve water quality by eliminating run-off caused by outdoor storage.
Navajo Nation to get clean drinking water
Reclamation’s Four Corners Construction Office began survey work for the western portion of the Navajo Gallup Water Supply Project on March 15. This work will establish the topography necessary to design the water supply pipeline in New Mexico and Arizona. Approximately 350 photo panels will be set up along roads in New Mexico from Fruitland to Shiprock; from Shiprock to Gallup; from Twin Lakes to Crown Point; and from Yah-ta-Hey to Window Rock, AZ. GPS survey equipment will be used to locate all the panels, which will then be photographed from an airplane flying at approximately 3,600 feet above the ground.
The Navajo Gallup Water Supply Project (NGWSP) was authorized for construction by Public Law 111-11 as a major component of the Navajo Nation San Juan River Basin Water Rights Settlement in New Mexico. Once completed, the NGWSP will provide a reliable municipal, industrial and domestic water supply to Navajo Nation communities, the city of Gallup, NM, Window Rock and Fort Defiance in AZ, the Navajo Agricultural Products Industry, and a portion of the Jicarilla Apache Nation Reservation. These areas currently rely on a rapidly depleting groundwater supply that is of poor quality and inadequate to meet the current and future needs.
The NGWSP will divert a total of 37,764 acre-feet of water annually from the San Juan River and the existing Cutter Reservoir, treat the water at two water treatment plants, and deliver water to the cities and chapters via 260 miles of pipeline and 24 pumping plants. The project is designed to provide for the water needs of approximately 250,000 people in these Native American communities by the year 2040.
The San Juan River diversion will occur downstream of Fruitland, just above the Public Service Company of New Mexico diversion structure. The water will be treated to drinking water standards at a treatment plant to be constructed near the diversion and piped along Highway N36 and south along U.S. Highway 491to provide water to the Navajo Indian Irrigation Project, the adjacent Navajo Chapters, and the city of Gallup. Pipelines will also be constructed to provide water to Crownpoint and the adjacent Navajo Chapters and to Window Rock, Fort Defiance, and adjacent Navajo Chapters. The Gallup Regional System will be constructed to distribute water throughout the city and to nearby Navajo Chapters.
On the eastern side, water will be diverted from the Cutter Reservoir, treated at a water treatment plant located near the base of the dam, and piped south along U.S. Highway 550 to provide water to adjacent Navajo Chapters, the Jicarilla Apache Nation, and additional Navajo Chapters south of the highway.
Many of the remote locations to be served, which include sites on the Navajo and Jicarilla reservations, Gallup, Window Rock, Ariz., Fort Defiance, Ariz., and Navajo Agricultural Products Industry, rely on shrinking ground water supplies that are of poor quality and are inadequate to meet future needs.
The authorizing legislation requires completion of construction of all features by Dec. 31, 2024.
Aqua to replace water mains
Aqua Pennsylvania Inc.’s Honesdale, PA, division (Aqua) has begun the $970,000 replacement of approximately 5,750 feet of 4-, 6- and 8-inch leaking cast iron main with new 8-inch ductile iron main on Main, Ridge, Forest, and 18th streets in Honesdale. The new main will increase service reliability and water flow throughout the area.
Once the main is in place, crews will begin to install and connect the new service lines to properties along those streets. The four-month project is scheduled to be completed in July.
“This main replacement is one of several similar projects Aqua will undertake in Honesdale this year to replace a total of 23,000 feet of aged water main, and is part of Aqua’s $11.3 million capital program for the entire operating division. Of that amount, $4.2 million is being invested in the Honesdale water system,” said Aqua’s Honesdale Division Manager Steve Clark. “At a cost $3.8 million, main replacements make up the majority of our capital plan.”
New CCTV tool inspects pressurized water mains
The Pressure Pipe Inspection Company Ltd. (PPIC) has introduced the industry’s first CCTV tool capable of inspecting up to 6,000 feet of an operating water main. The video capability is the latest tool to be added to the Sahara platform, which already includes leak and gas pocket detection.
The Sahara Video tool gives utilities the ability to see inside large diameter, pressurized water pipelines without costly shutdown or dewatering. The CCTV video tool can be used for a number of applications including:
- Locating lost line valves;
- Investigating unexplained flow conditions;
- Locating debris and partial blockages;
- Searching for illegal connections;
- Locating and assessing tuberculation of all types;
- Visually inspecting pipe walls and liners; and
- Examining the condition of suspect valves.
Sahara Video is easily inserted into a live pipeline through a standard two-inch or larger tap. Tethered to the surface, the Sahara CCTV camera is gently pulled by the flow of the water transmitting real-time video data from inside the pipeline.
The first tethered tool designed for live inspection of large diameter water mains, the Sahara pipeline inspection platform is the most accurate technology available for detecting leaks, pockets of trapped gas, and other defects in large mains. Sahara is a critical component of condition assessment and water loss management programs for utilities around the world.
GL wins Pipelines Industries Guild Award
The Pipeline Industries Guild (PIG) Award was given to Germanischer Lloyd (GL) for significant contribution to utility pipeline technology for their Burstfinder Technology at the 53rd annual awards ceremony in London.
“Burstfinder” is GL’s leakage and demand location technique and is provided as a service to water utilities and leakage contractors to help identify “hotspots” of anomalies in water networks such as non revenue water, boundary breaches and possible burst locations.
The Burstfinder software has helped water utility companies with leakage detection and repair activities, resolution of problem networks and location of leakage, and other forms of unaccounted for water.
Providence Water Supply Board acts decisively for proactive water conservation
Itron Inc. announced that Providence Water Supply Board (PWSB), which serves approximately 73,000 retail Rhode Island customers, is deploying an advanced leak detection system from Itron. With over 870 miles of water distribution lines, PWSB will be able to proactively monitor its system for leaks with MLOG acoustic leak detection technology from Itron.
PWSB deployed more than 8,400 MLOG sensors in early March, starting in North Providence and expanding into the remainder of its retail territory. PWSB received partial funding for the project from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for its focus on water infrastructure and conservation. Progressive water utilities like PWSB are deploying advanced leak detection solutions to reduce water losses, lower associated pumping and treatment costs and prevent major leak events.
Situated in New England, where the water supply is currently abundant, PWSB recognizes the importance of water conservation. Since the early ‘90s, PWSB has focused on educating customers on their consumption and on managing their distribution system infrastructure. PWSB’s distribution system is more than 100 years old and benefits from a program of ongoing infrastructure improvements to ensure the reliable delivery of clean drinking water to its customers.
MLOG sensors, capable of hearing a pinhole leak, transmit leak data to a drive-by collector. The leak locations are identified through an online software application, which are then investigated by PWSB. This allows the utility to proactively monitor their distribution system and mitigate costly water leaks.
Water main project begins in Troy
A water main replacement project to stop 500,000-plus gallons of city-owned water from leaking into the ground on a daily basis got under way in early March in Troy, MT, according to The Western News.
Contractors plan to replace eight-inch water mains on Yaak Street and Fourth Street, and 10-inch mains on Third Street.
Approximately 800 feet of 12-inch pipe will also be installed to loop the city well to the water main on Highway 2. Construction is slated to continue through the end of May.
The report further states that stimulus funding and appropriations for this second phase of the project to replace the city’s water distribution system costs almost $1.77 million. About $1.49 million came from grants and $277,500 from of a 20-year, low-interest loan.
The first phase of Troy’s water project began in 2007 when the city put $3.35 million in grants and loans toward installing water meters, replacing more than 19,000 feet of water mains and installing a second water storage tank.
Texas Water Development Board receives award
The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) received the Texas Water Conservation Association (TWCA) President’s Award at the Annual Convention held March 3-5. There to accept the award were TWDB’s Chairman James Herring, Executive Administrator Kevin Ward and Lewis McMahan, board member.
The TWCA President’s Award is presented to an individual, group, entity or organization for recognition of their outstanding dedication, contributions and service to the TWCA and the water resources of the state of Texas. The TWDB is the first organization so honored. The award is so named because the selection is made by the president and the last three immediate past presidents of the TWCA.
The TWCA is a statewide organization composed of individuals, firms, corporations, cities, water districts and authorities, public and private agencies and groups dedicated to the task of conserving, developing, protecting and utilizing the water resources of Texas for all beneficial purposes.
The TWDB is the state agency charged with collecting and disseminating water-related data, assisting with regional planning and preparing the State Water Plan for the development of the state’s water resources. The TWDB administers cost-effective financial programs for the construction of water supply, wastewater treatment, flood control and agricultural water conservation projects.
Award recognizes commitment of Missouri American Water
Missouri American Water has earned the 2009 Source Water Protection Award from the Missouri Rural Water Association (MRWA). The annual award recognizes Missouri American Water’s commitment to protecting sources of drinking water in four of the company’s operating districts.
Missouri American Water’s operating districts in Brunswick, Mexico, St. Joseph and Warrensburg have implemented successful wellhead protection programs, endorsed by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. These voluntary environmental programs protect the land and water near the water wells – the natural sources of drinking water in these communities.
“These source water protection programs are strictly voluntary and are meant to be growing, living programs that sustain environmental education in our communities,” said Gary Webber, MRWA groundwater protection specialist.
The programs have successfully expanded source water protection areas, involved landowners in planning efforts, identified and addressed potential contaminant threats, monitored water quality and encouraged community participation in environmental action planning.
“Safe drinking water is essential to public health, public safety and economic opportunity in our communities,” said Frank Kartmann, president of Missouri American Water. “While these source water protection programs are not mandated by environmental regulation, for Missouri American Water, providing safe and quality water service is an absolute requirement that begins with doing our part to support the safety of our source water.”
Missouri American Water, a wholly owned subsidiary of American Water, is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and /or wastewater services to approximately 1.5 million people.http://www.undergroundconstructionmagazine.com/may-waterworks-news
Comments