September 2015 Vol. 70 No. 9
Rehabilitation
Rehab News for September 2015
AWWA reports water infrastructure renewal still biggest concern
The Clean Water Council provided a summation of the AWWA 2015 State of the Water Industry Report quite succinctly in their online newsletter, Clean Water Weekly.
The state of water and wastewater infrastructure and how to finance critical capital improvements once again top the list of concerns facing water professionals throughout North America, according to the American Water Works Association’s 2015 State of the Water Industry Report.
AWWA’s annual report surveys water industry professionals’ views of the industry’s biggest challenges and priorities. The 2015 report analyzed the responses of 1,747 water professionals throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico, eliciting responses to such questions as “In your opinion, what is the current state of the water industry in the region where you work most often?” and “Looking forward, how sound will the water industry be five years from now in the region where you work most often?” Participants were also asked to rate the importance of several challenges to the industry’s health on a scale of 1 to 5. As has been the case for the last several years, the most important issue to respondents in this year’s survey was “renewal and replacement of aging water and wastewater infrastructure,” followed by “financing for capital improvements,” then “long-term water supply availability” and “public understanding of the value of water systems and services.”
Of the top 10 issues facing the water industry identified in the 2015 survey, half – and four of the top five – relate to what the AWWA calls “system stewardship,” i.e., how water and wastewater systems are operated, maintained and replaced. The report makes the point that these issues continue to top the list of water professionals’ concerns because so many water and wastewater systems built and financed by previous generations are approaching or have exceeded their useful lives. Because local budgets rarely cover the costs of necessary maintenance and replacement, and because in many cases utility revenues are declining due to system efficiencies and successful conservation efforts, critical infrastructure fixes are delayed, and system stewardship fails.
LMK’s VAC-A-TEE meets new ASTM Standard
LMK Technologies’ VAC-A-TEE Trenchless Cleanout System now meets the newly published ASTM F3097-15 Standard. ASTM Standards are an instrumental tool used by specifying engineers throughout North America to provide guidelines that ensure the optimum results for a given product or procedure. These standards are often adopted into project specifications for the purpose of describing installation methods, materials, testing procedures, and a minimum level of quality for products and a specific scope of work.
ASTM F3097-15 is a standard practice for installation of an outside sewer service cleanout through a minimally invasive small bore created by a vacuum excavator. The process begins with locating the service lateral pipe by use of a locatable sewer camera that is robotically launched from the main pipe. Once the lateral pipe is exposed, a self-clamping saddle is prepared with a special adhesive and lowered into the small diameter bore hole until it contacts the lateral sewer service pipe; a downward force is applied to the riser pipe causing the side walls of the saddle to spread and encompass more than 50 percent of the host pipe.
Larry Kiest, president of LMK Technologies, said: “We are very excited to have another one of our products comply with a very important industry ASTM standard. The VAC-A-TEE system is yet another technology example of how LMK continues to drive the industry forward with high quality products. The utilization of this practice greatly reduces disruption to home owners and cities. By using this method, the installation of a cleanout has a nearly unrecognizable effect on the external surface of the ground, and most homeowners aren’t even aware that it has been installed.
The standard can be viewed and purchased at www.astm.org/Standards/F3097.htm.
CUES offers used equipment and vehicles
Take advantage of great deals on everything from cutters, transporters, cameras and more with inventory specials from CUES. Contact the CUES Parts Department to take advantage of the company’s inventory specials.
For used vehicles, contact Tim Wilson at (800) 327-7791, x-339. Items are sold on a first come/first serve basis and come with a three-month warranty. Vehicles do not come with a warranty and are sold on an as-is basis. Some items are sold as a “set” and truck wiring/modifications may need to be made depending on your specific truck configuration. 800.327.7791, www.cuesinc.com
SAK Executive Jack Boatman Honored
SAK’s Jack Boatman, senior vice president of government affairs, is honored as “2015 Corporate Leader of the Year” by the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE).
Boatman was honored with a plaque at the NSBE St. Louis Gateway-Professional Chapter’s Annual Scholars Reception. His plaque read: “Jack is a dedicated 20-year member of the St. Louis Gateway Chapter and a corporate leader who has dedicated a significant amount of his time to helping the displaced workers, promoting engineering as a profession and speaking the voice of inclusion in the work force.”
Boatman joined the management team at SAK Construction in 2009 to manage business development efforts in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi. He is an industry expert with 13 years of experience in business management, community development, safety and training in the pipeline rehabilitation industry. His background also includes 27 years with McDonnell Douglas Aircraft Co., where he served in various engineering and upper management roles. He is also a member of the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) and serves on the corporate advisory committee of the National Forum of Black Public Administrators (NFBPA).
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