January 2016 Vol. 71 No. 1

Logiball manufactures a complete line of Test and Seal Packers for the Trenchless Rehabilitation of collection systems. The lateral packers are used around the world by specialty contractors and municipalities to stop infiltration at lateral connections, and in lateral joints all from the mainline s..

Pipeline Machinery Intl. 71H pipelayer has the support of Caterpillar®, the engineering expertise of Vanguard Equipment Inc. and Kress Corporation, thus the challenge was met to create a utility-capacity pipelayer in the Tier 4 Interim/EU Stage IIIB class, designed for lifting 60,000-lbs. and engine..

Duke’s Root Control Razorooter II, the only diquat-based herbicide registered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for controlling nuisance tree roots in sanitary sewer line collection systems. Razorooter II also received a classification of “evidence of non-carcinogenicity for humans” ..

The CASE Construction Equipment 850M dozer includes best-in-class drawbar pull, an increased horsepower rating, fuel savings up to 14 percent, industry-leading visibility, new customizable and versatile controls, and a pressurized cab for optimal comfort. The M Series dozers are the first dozers in ..

The John Deere 750K and 850K Crawler Dozers not only meet Final Tier 4 emissions standards, but also incorporate value-enhancing features such as EcoMode and an updated Electro-Hydraulic (EH) control system. The 850K is the first John Deere dozer to feature EcoMode that optimizes fuel economy while ..

Huntingdon Fusion Techniques (HFT) has developed an Inflatable Pipestopper for use in reducing volume or blocking pipes, tanks or other circular orifices for purging, routine maintenance or preventing the entry of foreign bodies. A range of standard and non-standard Inflatable Stoppers for tanks, c..

General Equipment Company introduces the EP16ACP axial-flow confined space improved ventilation blower, adding to its extensive line of hazardous and non-hazardous location ventilation blowers. This new unit features a 16-inch diameter inlet/outlet and delivers greater airflow than previous models o..

The challenge for American was the need to excavate and expose both pipes which run parallel but at slightly different grades, then set up a system to support the concrete lines in order to dig out below the inverse of both pipes, and finally cast-in-place a new bypass junction chamber tying the tw..

Pipe bursting contractors now have 99 tons of pulling force for their sewer, water and gas line replacement jobs from the new, powerful, compact HydroBurst® 100XT static pipe bursting system from HammerHead Trenchless Equipment. Featuring tethered remote control, the streamlined 100XT pays out rod v..

The new Doosan DL200-5 and DL200TC-5 (tool carrier) are the first wheel loaders from Doosan to feature a hydrostatic drive system in place of a traditional torque converter transmission. The wheel loaders replace the -3 models and transition from an interim Tier 4 to Tier 4-compliant diesel engines...

Savant Wireline Guidance System Savant Technologies LLC, has made available a new “wireless wireline” guidance system for horizontal directional drilling. The Savant system can be used with large drill rigs that typically utilize conventional wireline guidance systems and also smaller machines, in..

by Jeff Griffin, Senior Editor It seems like every year is an eventful time for National Association of Sewer Service Companies (NASSCO), the national organization dedicated to improving standards relating to the assessment, maintenance and rehabilitation of underground wastewater infrastructure. ..

According to Fitch’s Ratings 2016 outlook report, U.S. municipal water, sewer utility sectors are facing increased pressure to the bottom line due to rising costs and lower sales. Despite the trials, Fitch’s Ratings and Sector Outlooks for municipal water and sewer utilities are stable. The sector i..

Vermeer Texas – Louisiana, a market leader in underground and environmental equipment opened a new facility in Amarillo, TX in October 2015. The new facility serves as a replacement to the company’s previous location on the southeast side of the city, which opened in 2007. The 15,000-square-feet fa..

Vactor Manufacturing, a provider of vacuum excavators for utility, oil and gas, telecommunication and industrial water system applications, announced its participation in the Association of Equipment Manufacturers’ (AEM) Vacuum Excavator Leadership Group – a group formed to develop essential marketi..

Between 2015 and 2019, the West Harris County Regional Water Authority (WHCRWA) plans to allocate $1.13 billion in bond funding toward the completion of West Houston water pipeline expansion projects, aimed to help the authority reach surface water usage goals mandated by the Harris-Galveston Subsid..

PEORIA, Ill. – Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT) announced today that the company’s Board of Directors has elected Denise Johnson, currently vice president with responsibility for the Material Handling & Underground Division, as group president of Resources Industries. The appointment follows the recentl..

Aegion has executed a definitive agreement to acquire Underground Solutions, Inc. for $85 million in cash and expects to close the transaction during the first quarter of 2016. The Company will separately pay for the discounted value of tax benefits (estimated today to be approximately $5 million) a..

Pending Loss Of Community Water Supply Prompts Missouri Contractor’s Fast Action Construction in Lathrop, MO, specializes in water main projects and contracts. In fact, about one-third of the company’s business is dedicated to maintaining more than 20 different municipal water systems across northw..

Telematics Technology Aids Crews In Operating More Efficiently, Productively Josh Alkire always understood that, on the typical utility installation, his crew’s horizontal directional drill spent a decent amount of time idling. After all, it’s not nonstop boring on a job. But it wasn’t until he sa..

By Chantel Green, Associate Editor UCTA Training, Education From its inception in May 1992, the Underground Construction Technology Association (UCTA) has been committed to educating and training its members on the use of traditional, trenchless and rehabilitation technologies, and promoting the u..

In a response to a shortage of drill operators in the horizontal directional drilling industry, Vermeer has introduced HDD Circuit – an intensive horizontal directional drill (HDD) operator training  program. The HDD Circuit training program is a tuition-based, two-week instructor-led program that ..

Two methods of trenchless construction are being employed in a project to improve the water infrastructure on the island nation of Barbados. Using trenchless methods on this segment of the project allows aging water mains to be replaced while greatly limiting the amount of excavation needed to bury ..

The number of homes in the United States directly connected to fiber optic networks continues to grow – 13 percent in 2015, reports the Fiber to the Home Council (FTTH) survey released in November. More than 12.3 million homes in the U.S. are connected to fiber, said Michael Render, president of RV..

Members of the Distribution Contractors Association (DCA) will gather in Naples, FL, Feb. 15 – 20 for the association’s 55th Annual Convention. DCA Chief Executive Officer Rob Darden expects more than 400 members and spouses will attend the annual convention at the Naples Grande Beach Resort situate..

Company Has Developed Strategic Partnership With Ditch Witch, Vermeer Last fall, Ericsson announced plans to become a major provider of broadband deployment (fiber-to-the-home (FTTH)) services in the North America which would provide consumers with faster delivery of high-speed broadband services. ..

Michels Corporation utilized horizontal directional drilling (HDD) to drill beneath the Athabasca River in Canada and completed an industry milestone on Nov. 21. The 42-inch, 7,200-foot crossing was near Fort MacKay, about one-hour north of Fort McMurray, Alberta. The 1.36-mile installation is a new..

Underground Construction’s 2016 survey figures of oil and gas pipelines construction indicates 34,027 miles of pipelines are currently planned and under construction in North America. Of these, 21,412 miles represent projects in the engineering and design phase while 12,615 miles are in various stag..

LMK Technologies prevailed on petitions filed by BLD Services on patent claims surrounding LMK’s commercial embodiments for the Insignia Seal, specifically, claims covering the Hydro Hat remain 100% intact and valid following multiple challenges to LMK’s patent claims by BLD. The Patent Trial and A..

This month, NASSCO honors Harold Kosova and his many contributions to the rehabilitation industry. Kosova was born in 1935 in Chicago and graduated from DeVry Technical Institute. His career began at National Power Rodding Corp. in 1960 and continued until he retired as president in mid-2014. Nation..

As operators and contractors continue to work beneath the earth’s surface, especially as fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) and other applications take off, thousands of underground utility lines will need to be exposed to avoid possible damages. It is important to be educated and know your options when it co..

The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) today announced the Infrastructure Vision 2050 Challenge— a three-phased, crowd-sourced competition to award a total of $150,000 in prizes for innovative ideas to overhaul the crumbling infrastructure that Americans rely upon to move people, materials..

Latest Industry Developments S&N Partners With  Bechtel To Build Fiber  Optic Networks S&N Communications, a U.S. provider of construction and maintenance services for telecom, cable and utility companies, finalized a partnership with Bechtel, an engineering, construction and project management co..

According to a market study conducted by Applied Market Information Ltd (AMI Consulting), the current European market for gravity pipe use has been estimated at approximately $6.6 billion. The study, entitled Gravity Pipes – European Market 2015, includes a 300-page report with 157 data tables and 7..

by Robert Carpenter, Editor-In-Chief Ed Malzahn abruptly passed away the evening of Friday, Dec. 11. When he succumbed, Ed was in the home he loved overlooking the campus of the company he loved and the town of Perry, OK, which he loved as well. At 94, Ed accomplished more than most can hope for in..

FERC’s Cumulative Impact Policy The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued its long-awaited decision clearing a Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co. project in Pennsylvania shale country after a federal court had forced the agency to revisit an environmental assessment FERC performed in 2012. The FERC ..