May 2015, Vol. 70, No.5

<strong>Lester Dale “LD” Garrett</strong>, 75, died on Oct. 7, 2014.

Company process its one thousandth HDD rig.

Schneider Electric announced the new flood management tools now available on its MxVision WeatherSentry Water Edition, a weather management tool specifically designed to help water utilities better anticipate severe weather events.

View the 2014 HDD Rig Census <a href="http://ucononline.com/sites/default/files/HDD Rig Census.pdf">here</a>.

More than 90 attendees gathered in San Antonio for the April luncheon of the Underground Construction Technology Association’s South Texas Chapter.

Representatives of the Distribution Contractors Association recently participated in the Common Ground Alliance Excavation Safety Conference at Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando, FL.

LMK Technologies joined the Chicago Innovation Award winners, in New York City on March 23 to close the NASDAQ Stock Market, the premier exchange for technology companies.

Dr. Tom Iseley, professor of civil engineering and construction engineering technology and director of the Trenchless Technology Center (TTC), Louisiana Tech University, recently traveled to Asia to participate in international education and training workshops and conferences and to help promote innovation in underground infrastructure development.

Thames Water plc (London, U.K.) has selected three teams to undertake portions of the $3.5 billion large-diameter tunnel work associated with the utility’s planned “mega-sewer” project, the 25-kilometer (15.53 miles) Thames Tideway project, reported to be the United Kingdom’s largest water infrastructure project.

For those interested in reducing cross bore risk associated of all types of utilities, the Cross Bore Safety Association (CBSA) is creating a “Leading Practices for Cross Bore Safety” document, with involvement from numerous participating organizations and their members to be inclusive of all underground utility stakeholders.

According to the <em>Akron Beacon Journal</em>, Texas-based Columbia Pipeline Group is seeking federal approval to build a new 161-mile pipeline for natural gas plus three compression stations in southeast Ohio and northern West Virginia.

Members of Congress have introduced a set of bills (called the Frack Pack) that would end exemptions that the oil and gas industry currently receive from some of the country’s bedrock environmental laws -- the Safe Drinking Water Act, Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.

A wastewater authority in Pennsylvania reached an $82 million deal with the federal government after it allegedly released eight million gallons of raw sewage into the Susquehanna River and Paxton Creek over six years, the Pennsylvania Record reported.

The Underground Construction Technology Association’s (UCTA) South/Central Texas Chapter will be hosting its first annual fundraising Clay Shoot at the San Antonio Gun Club on June 5.

Washington, D.C. – <em>Save America’s Infrastructure</em>, a new Android/iOS phone app, was released today by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). The app, released during national Infrastructure Week, tells the story of America’s aging infrastructure, then provides a way to take action by contacting elected leaders directly through the app.

Atlas Copco recently introduced two new rammers, replacing the LT5004 and LT6004.

The 210L EP and 210L are the newest members of the John Deere L-Series lineup.

The JD7 Investigator Gas incorporates high-resolution CCTV camera sensors and a highly sensitive acoustic sensor coupled with sonde for above ground location.

Vac-Tron Equipment’s new LP 533/833 SGT gas unit is powered by a 37hp Kohler gas engine with similar performance specs as the pre Tier 4 final SDT model with 1,000 cfm vacuum pump.

US Radar Inc. has begun production of its Q5C ground-penetrating radar system that delivers US Radar’s signature SmartGain digital clarity at a list price that’s just a little over half the cost of most competitive units.

TT Technologies offers a wide range of plastic pipe splitting heads developed by working directly with gas utilities to create optimum splitting head configurations.

HammerHead, a Charles Machine Works Company, announced that Brian Metcalf will be departing to assume the role of CEO at the Ring-O-Matic organization based in Pella, IA.

Polyflow LLC announced that its board of directors has selected Jim Moore as the new Chief Executive Officer.

Atlas Copco USA raised nearly $31,000 in individual and company-matched contributions for its employee-led Water for All charity organization.

Tarlton Corp., a St. Louis-based general contracting and construction management firm, has achieved a new milestone in its Power & Energy group, putting its 13th hydro truck in operation to provide hydro excavation and industrial vacuum services.

Toro Australia entered the horizontal directional drilling (HDD) market in early 2014 with a strong line of powerful machines.

Brierley Associates and Mike McTeer Consulting (MMC) have merged to expand Brierley's Building Information Modeling (BIM) capabilities.

To accommodate growing staff and project work, the Portland office has moved to a bigger space!

The digital edition of <a href="http://digital.turn-page.com/i/507882-may-2015"><em>Underground Construction</em></a>, May 2015, Vol. 70, No. 5.

The Ditch Witch® organization, a Charles Machine Works company, is launching a new website to enhance the user experience by offering a modern look and functionality, new and enhanced interactive features, an easy-to-use customer account portal, faster access to local dealer information, and much more.

Gas Technology Institute (GTI) announced that Peter Witty has joined the company as its new general counsel.

Jeff Davies, PE, has joined Kleinfelder as a senior program manager specializing in the oil and gas market.

Professional Service Industries Inc. (PSI) has hired Ather Mohiuddin, P.E., as geotechnical department manager in its Houston office.

GEI Consultants Inc., a leading geotechnical, environmental, water resources and ecological science and engineering firm, announced the expansion of its leadership team with the election of four senior vice presidents and five new vice presidents.

CRC-Evans Pipeline International Inc. (CRC-Evans) – an international leader in pipeline construction technologies and product development – was recently awarded an International Safety Award with Merit for 2015 by the British Safety Council. This represents the fifth consecutive year that CRC-Evans has been recognized with this award for an outstanding commitment to the health, safety and well-being of its employees.

Steven M. Sottung, LEED AP, has been promoted to vice president of STV and named director of business development for the firm’s Energy Services Division and its energy subsidiary, STV Energy Services Inc.

iF International Forum Design GmbH, Hannover, Germany, has awarded the Atlas Copco LT6005 rammer series with the 2015 International iF Product Design Award. For more than 60 years, the iF Design Award has been recognized all over the world as a label of design excellence, identifying outstanding achievements in design.

Tesmec USA Inc., a leader in the design, manufacturing and marketing of mechanical and hydrostatic trenchers, has entered into an agreement with Glynn General Corporation (GGC) to provide extended powertrain warranty on all new trenchers sold to U.S. and Canadian end users.

Al Asher & Sons Inc., www.alasher.com American Augers, www.trencor.com American Pipeline Contractors Assn., www.americanpipeline.org Applied Felts Inc., www.appliedfelts.com Arntzen Corp., www.arntzenrolling.com Avanti International, www.avantigrout.com Bit Brokers, www.bitbrokers.com BKW Inc., www.bkwinc.com Caterpillar Inc. (CATBC), www.cat.com Copperhead Industries, www.copperheadwire.com Cretex Specialty Products, www.cretexseals.com Ditch Witch, www.ditchwitch.com Duke's Root Control, www.dukes.com E&M Supply Group, www.drillpipesupply.com

Mary Andringa, CEO and chair of the board for Vermeer Corporation, has accepted a key advocacy role for the Business-20 (B20), the G20’s most tenured outreach group comprised of business leaders from the world’s largest advanced and emerging economies.

CASE Construction Equipment has expanded the coverage of its SiteWatch telematics service into areas without cellular network coverage through a new partnership with Iridium satellite connectivity.

Hyundai Construction Equipment Americas Inc., a leading manufacturer of earthmoving and material handling equipment, announced the 2014 winners of the Hyundai Pinnacle Award, an honor bestowed on the company’s leading construction equipment dealers in North America.

From its beginnings as a small Houston firm with two Aggie engineers in 1935 to its current standing as a leading civil engineering firm in the United States, the journey of Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam Inc. (LAN) has been one filled with milestones.

The Southern Delivery System (SDS), one of the largest water projects under construction in the western United States, completed 50 miles of pipeline construction in March.

In 1994 when the Northridge Earthquake hit Los Angeles, more than 1,000 underground water lines were damaged at a cost of $41 million.

At Huddinge, seven miles south of the country’s capital, the Stockholm Water Company is building a new water pipeline.

National Plant Services Inc. now has two new mobile water jet sewer cleaning systems that use water reclamation technology to capture, filter, and reuse the wastewater from the water jet cleaning of sewers.

The Center for Innovative Grouting Materials and Technology (CIGMAT) and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Houston, hosted a one-day conference and exhibition on at the University of Houston on March 6. More than 350 people comprised of owners, consulting engineers, material supplies, contractors and academia participated in the annual conference.

Last winter, crews of Points Athabasca Contracting LP were laboring in the sub-zero weather to replace old drainage pipe along the highway between Melville and Regina in the Canadian Province of Saskatchewan for the Saskatchewan Department of Highways and Transportation.

The Power & Communication Contractors Association celebrated its 70th Annual Convention, March 6-11, in Palm Beach, Aruba, with more than 300 members and their families in attendance.

Underground construction jobs are sometimes like Christmas: You never know for sure what you’re going to get.

<em><strong>EDITOR’S NOTE:</strong> In 2016, NASSCO will celebrate its 40th year of setting standards for the assessment and rehabilitation of underground infrastructure. As we look forward, we also look back to those who have made significant contributions and have impacted the continued acceptance and use of trenchless technologies.</em> <em>This installment in the series features Marc Anctil. It is the seventh installment in a series of articles exploring the history of NASSCO through the eyes of industry leaders.</em>

Another record registration of 297 attendees marked the American Pipeline Contractors Association’s 44th Annual Convention at Boca Raton Resort in Boca Raton, FL.

A newly-developed and comprehensive guideline for replacement of sanitary sewer laterals by pipe bursting is available now from the International Pipe Bursting Association (IPBA).

North-central Kentucky is famous for its exceptional horses and bourbon, and fans of each believe the limestone found under the surface in that area of the Bluegrass State plays a role.

New Zealand polyethylene pipe manufacturer Aquaduct NZ Ltd. recently completed a project to convert an open channel irrigation system to a closed polyethylene pipe system to provide water to farmers on the Canterbury Plains of New Zealand’s South Island.

Plans are under way for a Trenchless Technology Center Auger Boring & Pipe Jacking School to be held in October at the National Trenchless Technology Research Facility at Louisiana Tech University.

Paddingspoils handling by Ozzie’s Pipeline Padder, ALLU, Superior Mfg. and Felco Industries.

Track trenchers by Ditch Witch, Trencor, Tesmec, The Toro Co., Vermeer and Mid America Trenchers.

Manhole/pipe coatings by The Strong Co., Standard Cement Materials, SpectraShield, Sauereisen, Raven Lining Systems, AP/M Permaform, Warren Environmental, SewperCoat Kerneos, Infrastructure Repair Systems and Parson Environmental Products.

Auger boring equipment by McLaughlin, American Augers, The Robbins Company, Bor-It Mfg., Akkerman and Barbco.

Rock Tools by Railhead Underground Products, Ditch Witch, Doosan, Kenco, Bor-It Mfg., Vermeer, INROCK, Melfred Borzall, Ballantine, Barbco, Sharewell HDD Services, Radius HDD, Caterpillar and HammerHead Trenchless.

After legislation to approve construction of the Keystone Pipeline project was vetoed immediately last winter, most thought the fabled pipeline’s saga had finally come to a close. But much of the story remains to be told.

There is $5 million in President Obama's proposed fiscal 2016 budget for the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA), the new program Congress established in 2014 to supplement lagging funding for the sewer and drinking water state revolving funds (SRFs).