May 2013, Vol. 68 No. 5

Construction employment expanded in 35 states in February as the industry added 48,000 jobs nationally, the largest one-month gain in nearly six years, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of Labor Department data.

Two residents in Mayflower, AR, have filed a class-action lawsuit against ExxonMobil after a pipeline rupture that allowed thousands of barrels of heavy crude oil to flow into a residential area on March 29. They are seeking more than $5 million in damages. As many as 22 homes had to be evacuated and wildlife was endangered.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Justice announced that the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, KS, has agreed to a settlement to address unauthorized overflows of untreated raw sewage and to reduce pollution levels in urban stormwater.

Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) has announced that the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) acknowledged that the company has completed three additional safety recommendations of the 12 that were issued in response to the 2010 pipeline accident in San Bruno, CA. In total, PG&E has completed action on seven of the safety recommendations.

Aegion Corporation’s subsidiary, Insituform Technologies, has been awarded a three-year term contract valued at approximately $5.6 million from the city of Dallas, TX.

The Common Ground Alliance (CGA), the organization dedicated to protecting underground utility lines and the safety of people who dig near them, has announced results from a recent survey that found 48 percent of American homeowners who plan to dig this year for projects that include landscaping, installing a fence or mailbox or building a deck, pond or patio, will put themselves and communities at risk by not calling 811 to learn the approximate location of underground utilities.

A recent experiment conducted aboard NASA’s rover, Curiosity, involved drilling holes into the red surface of Mars for mineral analysis. The results of the mineral tests showed that more than three billion years ago, Mars was a significantly warmer and wetter world. Having a warmer and wetter climate would have made Mars more habitable earlier in its life.

Oliver C. Klinger III, publisher of Underground Construction and Pipeline & Gas Journal, has announced the addition of two new editors. and the promotion of a third.

Last fall, RJN Group conducted a Phase I Sewer System Evaluation Survey (SSES) investigation for the city of Effingham, IL.

Bochum, Germany-based IST GmbH has just named Pipeline Renewal Technologies (PRT) a North American distributor and service center for its Power CUTTER brand of pipe cutting and lateral reinstatement robots.

The Diamond Wrap system includes a bidirectional weave of carbon fiber and a 100 percent solids epoxy, forming a composite system that is stronger than steel.

The Composi-Sleeve system is a non-welded pipe repair and reinforcing system that can be utilized to restore damaged or leaking pipe back to full design strength, add structural strength and increase the rating of a piping system.

StrongPIPE Hybrid FRP is a structural strengthening system for the restoration of damaged or weakened large diameter pressure pipe.

The new Condux Gulfstream 200 micro fiber optic cable blower is ideal for FTTH and Enterprise micro fiber installations.

ISP Specialty Rubber Products are custom fabricated and die-cut, molded, or machined to match specific OEM part performance and physical requirements for the application.

Steerable six-wheel drive, adaptable architecture, portability—these innovations have made ROVVER the most trusted brand in pipe inspection.

Burst and replace water, sewer, gas and other pipes with the Grundoburst static pipe bursting system from TT Technologies.

SamJack Products’ new SIMTAP drilling machine, now manufactured and distributed by the Ford Meter Box Company, is ideal for the contractor or utility needing the flexibility to make a fast and easy tap without pulling out the big machines. The SIMTAP drilling machine assembles in seconds and works with most corporation stops.

Since one-third of existing culverts are arched, Snap-Tite is now available for oval culvert rehabilitation too.

The Janssen Process no-dig remedy addresses the underlying cause of lateral connection failures – inadequate bedding and structural support.

Flow-Liner Glide pipe and conduit lining lubricant gel (patent pending) is an especially designed lubricating gel for use with Flow-Liner materials.

In early 2012, Cleveland, OH-based Great Lakes Construction undertook a new project: making the city’s west-side, beachfront Edgewater State Park more accessible for Cleveland residents.

Rock tools from Underground Tools, Inc., INROCK, Ballantine, Doosan, Barbco, Ditch Witch, Kenco, Sharewell HDD, Vermeer, Melfred Borzall, Bor-It Mfg., Railhead Underground Products, Radius HDD and Kennametal.

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

Padding and spoils handling from ALLU, Felco Industries, Ozzie’s Pipeline Padder and Worldwide Machinery <strong>ALLU</strong>

Track trenchers and rock saws from Vermeer, Ditch Witch, Tesmec, Mid America Trenchers and Trencor.

The Power & Communications Contractors Association recently held its 68th annual convention in Naples, FL, where 332 members and their families soaked up industry education and training, handled association business and enjoyed the company of friends and colleagues from all around the country.

The INGAA Foundation Inc. has released Construction Safety Consensus Guidelines designed to cover common natural gas construction operations such as basic personal protection equipment (PPE), pressure testing, overhead utilities safety and trenching and excavation.

For homeowners and businesses that have natural gas service, this economical and dependable source of energy is taken for granted for heating, hot water supplies and often for cooking.

Set among rolling ranchland and majestic live oaks in the limestone-laden terrain of Texas’ famed Hill Country, San Antonio-based contractor SACC Inc. enlisted a trio of Vermeer track trenchers to carve an intricate network of roads and utility lines that now serves as the infrastructure for an exclusive residential community.

More than eight years ago, representatives of municipalities and consulting engineers were asking that industry neutral training be made available, particularly applicable to the inspection of pipeline rehabilitation projects.

Even as our nation continues to struggle with a stagnant economy, our industry and our association is strong and getting stronger. The members I have talked to say they have more work than they can handle as utilities contract to rehab and replace miles of aging infrastructure.

On Feb. 27, the drill head of a horizontal directional drilling (HDD) machine clipped a 5/8-inch gas line in a residential neighborhood of Royal Oak, MI. Escaping gas migrated to a nearby home and soon after the drilling crew left for the day, the gas ignited, destroying one home and killing its owner.

If Ronald Cline was the type to back away from a challenge, it’s entirely possible that a natural gas gathering line, now securely in place in central Arkansas, would likely not have been installed underground. But this conscientious and ingenious native Razorback devised a trenchless approach that resulted in the successful completion of a continuous bore amid some of Arkansas’ most treacherous terrain, and through some of the state’s toughest and trickiest rock.

Another record attendance level marked the American Pipeline Contractors Association 42nd Annual Convention last March when the group met at the scenic Sanctuary Resort on Kiawah Island, just outside of Charleston, SC.

Accepting responsibility for our mistakes is something that never comes easy for individuals. So it is no surprise that often it is even harder for large organizations or corporations to also own up to their mistakes and react in a responsible manner.

One day last March, a Duke’s Root Control crew achieved a significant milestone when it applied root treatment chemicals to the company’s 200 millionth foot of sewer pipe.

Advertisers from the print edition of <em>Underground Construction</em>, Vol. 68 No. 5.

A Senate committee gave a big boost to a new source of water infrastructure spending by including an amendment in the Water Resources Development Act (S. 601). That WRDA bill passed the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on March 20 by a unanimous vote.

On March 25, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers jointly released a proposed rule clarifying protections for streams and wetlands under the Clean Water Act.