May 2012, Vol. 67 No. 5

Advertisers from the print edition of Underground Construction, May 2012, Vol. 67 No. 5.

The oilfield services and horizontal directional drilling divisions of Sharewell LP were recently separated into two independent companies. Sharewell HDD LLC will retain its original ownership under Todd Caspary while the oilfield services division is now owned by an investment firm.

Vermeer Sales Southwest Inc. (VSSW) announces its Albuquerque location has moved to a new, expanded facility. The previous facility, which opened in 2000, was only 6,000 square feet, and the new building is 13,000 square feet on 2.5 acres of land.

Sprayroq Inc., a developer of spray-applied polyurethane solutions for infrastructure rehabilitation, corrosion management and infiltration control, announced the addition of Kenny Orr to its corporate team.

The top 10 Ditch Witch dealerships were recently honored by The Charles Machine Works Inc., manufacturer of Ditch Witch products, as members of the 2011 Crescent Club. From sales and marketing to parts and service, these dealerships exhibited extraordinary service to their customers, to the industry and to the Ditch Witch organization in 2011.

Inside drops for sanitary manholes eliminate outside drops, clean up failed inside drops and are excellent as stormwater drops and in lift stations.

Estimating Calculators helps make ordering corrosion protection products easier, by providing quality estimates on how much products are needed to complete the corrosion prevention job.

WennSoft Evolution is a complete operational solution for organizations focused on work order management, asset management, installation, field service and maintenance.

Kubota’s new RTV400Ci, a16-hp utility vehicle that fits into the bed of a full-sized pickup, features a new Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT Plus) and is powered by Electronic Fuel Injected single-cylinder gasoline engine for climbing hills, overcoming obstacles and working in higher elevations or in colder climates.

The Lifespan System, manufactured by Hamilton Kent, is a watertight, corrosion-proof, non-conductive, locking rubber manhole frame and lid system that prevents rain derived inflow from entering sanitary sewers through the top of the manhole. And it retains the hydraulic, water-tight and structural integrity of the underlying concrete structure; thereby delivering a longer service life.

Vac-Con Inc. has partnered with Cues Camera to upgrade its Inspector Cam secondary product line. Vac-Con has been working with product engineers with Cues Camera since August of 2011.

The newest Version 6.4.5 of PipeLogix’s suite of pipe survey software tools features the redesign of the Recording and Playback forms in the DVS module. This change enables the user to take a picture during a survey and add it with one click during live recording and from playback of videos.

Rehabilitation specialist Janssen Umwelttechnik is offering a new injection process for no-dig rehabilitation of faulty joints in sewer lines from 8 to 24 inches. It is especially suited for sewer lines, where the lateral connections are still completely intact.

John Deere’s new K-Series Backhoe Loaders — 310K EP, 310K, 310SK, 310SK TC, 315SK, 410K, 410K TC, 710K — build on the success of the popular J-Series. Two economical tractor loader models (210K EP, 210K) round out the K-Series and provide additional jobsite versatility.

PipeLine Machinery International (PLM-Cat) now offers a purpose-built 90,000 pound pipelayer – the 72H.

The new L60G, L70G and L90G are the latest wheel loaders from Volvo Construction Equipment in the 13 to 17 ton class. Torque Parallel linkage combines power with precision making them ideal in material handling jobs and where fast work cycles are needed.

General Equipment Company introduces the new EP8ACP15 BLOW-R-PAC ventilation blower.

At the University of Houston, a leading public research university located in Houston, the Center for Innovative Grouting Materials and Technology (CIGMAT) and the university’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering held a successful one-day conference and exhibition.

Parker-Stockstill Construction, Elm City, NC, has carved out a solid niche installing natural gas transmission and distribution lines in central and eastern North Carolina.

Oil and gas shale production plays in several regions of the United States are having significant economic impact on the areas of activity and organizations that provide the equipment and services involved in tapping these rich sources of natural gas and oil.

In the past 10 years, the concept of climate change has become a big talking issue. There are two extreme camps that have become very polarized on either side taking the “pro or against” ideology. However like all issues, there is the silent majority still sitting in the middle.

Failed crops drooping over dry, rock-hard soil backed by record heat . . . dried lake beds and farm ponds . . . reservoirs falling to dangerously-low levels . . . wildfires burning tens of thousands of acres, consuming everything in their path . . . And the list goes on.

A photo shows an empty “room” with gleaming white walls and ceiling, perhaps part of a new laboratory facility? Perhaps a dust-free space in a manufacturing plant? Or will it be an environmentally-controlled storage area?

There’s a pipeline installation boom under way in South Texas, yet despite the promising outlook for steady work, contractors are still struggling with challenges -- many of which are situations they’ve faced before.

As the city of Houston tackles the challenge of aging infrastructure, the Department of Public Works and Engineering is looking at how to best outreach to contractors who can handle the task.

New Castle County, DE, has awarded RJN Group Inc. two collection system project extensions within the White Clay Creek Sewer Basin.

The Charles Machine Works Inc., manufacturer of Ditch Witch underground construction equipment, has introduced a new line of compact and powerful walk-behind trenchers.

The optimism and enthusiasm evident during The Rental Show 2012 in New Orleans was reflected in the show’s attendance.

United Rentals Inc. has acquired the assets of Coble Trench Safety, a market leader in specialty rentals, with 11 locations in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast region.

SemGroup Corporation, Gavilon Midstream Energy LLC, a subsidiary of The Gavilon Group LLC, and an affiliate of Chesapeake Energy Corporation announced plans to form a joint venture that will construct a 210-mile pipeline in western and north central Oklahoma which will deliver crude oil to a 1 MMbbl storage facility in Cushing, OK.

Williams Partners L.P. announced two major milestones in its strategy to create a major natural gas supply hub in northeastern Pennsylvania. Williams owns 72 percent of Williams Partners.

Energy Transfer Partners L.P. has entered into new multiple long-term, fee-based agreements with producers to provide natural gas gathering, processing and liquids services from the Eagle Ford Shale in South Texas.

The Pennsylvania Senate has unanimously passed Senator Ted Erickson’s Senate Bill 1261 allowing municipalities to create stormwater authorities.

The developer of a 333-mile transmission line that will run from Canada to New York City plans to issue a solicitation for an engineering, procurement and construction contract after reaching a settlement on Feb. 24 with state agencies and environmental groups in New York. The settlement re-routes some sections of the line away from environmentally sensitive areas and creates a $117 million environment benefit fund.

On March 13, Senate Democrats voted to kill a legislative amendment to a transportation bill that would have opened the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for drilling and approved the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. The amendment was defeated in the Senate by a 41-57 vote.

In a landmark agreement on an enforcement Order to improve the overall water quality in New York Harbor waters, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and New York City Department of Environmental Protection announced the city will invest approximately $187 million over the next three years and an estimated $2.4 billion of public and private funding over the next 18 years to install green infrastructure technologies to manage stormwater before it enters the city’s combined sewer system.

Laney Directional Drilling Co., a leading provider of horizontal directional drilling services to the energy, telecommunications and infrastructure sectors, announced that it has successfully completed the horizontal directional drill (HDD) installation of nearly 11,000 feet of 6-inch steel gas pipeline in one pull under Lake Houston.

With congressional funding of the state revolving funds likely to continue to decline, water infrastructure groups are pushing an alternative funding mechanism -- meant to serve as a supplement to the SRFs, not a replacement -- called a Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Fund.

By now, most people in North America – indeed, around the world – are well aware of the growing energy treasure trove being discovered in shale rock.

U.S. Congressman Bob Gibbs (R-Ohio) recently urged water utility leaders to ask their Congressional representatives to co-sponsor draft legislation that would create a federal Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Authority (WIFIA).

EPA has awarded $388,000 to the City of Russell, KS, for improvements to its drinking water system. The project is expected to be completed by the fall of 2012.

Miya, a wholly owned subsidiary of Arison Investments, has been awarded a contract by the Water and Sewerage Corporation (WSC) to maximize the efficiency of its water systems. The contract value is estimated at $83 million, comprising $59 million in fixed fees and the balance in performance fees over a ten year period.

State and federal agencies are proposing a giant canal or tunnel to divert a portion of California’s Sacramento River flow out of the San Joaquin Delta, carrying the water directly to export pumps already running near Tracy.

The National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) and six national water groups sent a letter to Congress urging the House and Senate to reject the offered reductions to the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) and to maintain funding for these two key clean water programs at the FY12 levels.

Manhole and pipe coating methods from SpectraShield, Raven Lining Systems, Sauereisen, Standard Cement Materials, Sprayroq, The Strong Company and AP/M Permaform.

Auger boring equipment from McLaughlin Group, American Augers, ICON Tunnel Systems/Bohrtec, Akkerman, Bor-It Mfg., The Robbins Company and Barbco.

Rock tools from Doosan, Vermeer, Melfred Borzall, INROCK, American Augers, Sharewell, Kennametal, Caterpillar, Ditch Witch, Ballantine, Underground Tools Inc., Bor-It Mfg., Kenco and Barbco.

Padding and spoils handling equipment from ALLU, Felco Industries, Ozzie’s Pipeline Padder, CRC-Evans Pipeline Int’l. and Worldwide Machinery.

Track trenchers and rock saws from Vermeer, Trencor/Astec, Tesmec, Trench-Tech and Mid America Trenchers.