Associations
DCA President Mykyte Sees Progress On Workforce, OQ Issues
By Jeff Awalt, Executive Editor DCA Puts Spotlight On Workforce At 57th Annual Convention The Distribution Contractors Association (DCA) expects another year of record-breaking attendance when more than 500 members and guests meet on the California coast for its 57th Annual Convention. DCA’s bigg..
PLCA Members Experience Construction Rebound
The year 2017 was one of the busiest on record for the Pipe Line Contractors Association (PLCA), said association President Robert Osborn. “In an industry where workloads run on ups and downs,” Osborn said, “2017 was an upturn. The increase of work from 2016 to 2017 was 45 percent, quite dramatic i..
CIGMAT Strives To Transfer Research To Actual Applications
Research studies performed at the University of Houston’s Center for Innovative Growing Materials and Technology (CIGMAT) are focused on maintaining energy, water and wastewater infrastructure and pipelines; developing new, smart materials for construction, maintenance and repairs; and detecting and..
NASSCO Standard Bearers: Heather Myers
Growing up in Shippensburg, PA, I was lucky enough to have parents who fostered in me a love for culture and the arts. When I entered college, there was no question about my course of studies. I poured my fascination with dance, music, theatre, travel, language and food into the French for Internati..
AEM Launches ‘Behind Every Product’ Campaign
The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) launched a major advertising campaign, “Behind Every Product,” to promote the economic contributions of the industry among Washington influencers. “Equipment manufacturers want to be sure that President Trump, members of Congress and other leaders in..
Dangers Of Using Damaged Jetter Hose
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NASSCO Joins UESI As Charter Organizational Member
The National Association of Sewer Service Companies (NASSCO) has become a Charter Organizational Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers’ (ASCE) Utility Engineering & Surveying Institute (UESI). This partnership furthers UESI’s mission to foster a collaborative and growing institute to mee..
NASSCO Standard Bearers: Mark Metcalf
This month, NASSCO honors Mark Metcalf who epitomizes the association’s commitment to serving the industry in a positive manner. My original career plan was to get into real estate. I received my bachelor’s of science degree in business administration from Arizona State University in 1973, but inst..
INGAA Foundation Names Incoming Executive Director
Industry-veteran Jason M. Goldstein will formally assume the role of executive director of the INGAA Foundation, upon the August 31 retirement of Richard Hoffmann. As executive director, Goldstein will be responsible for managing the Foundation’s technical and economic studies, implementing its str..
DCA, AGA Joint Workshop Engages New Subjects, Expands Existing Efforts
The Distribution Contractors Association (DCA) and American Gas Association (AGA) held their third annual Utility Contractor Workshop at the Four Seasons Hotel in Chicago on April 18-19. Since the first joint workshop, the event has expanded both in attendance, as well as the scope of issues address..
PPI Division’s New Name Reflects Expanding Use Of HDPE Conduit
The Plastics Pipe Institute (PPI), the major trade association representing all segments of the plastic pipe industry, has renamed its Conduit Division as the Power & Communications Division (PCD). This change was prompted by growth within the division, uses of conduit in rapidly developing applica..
How To Get The Most From Your PACP-Certified Software
By NASSCO Member Ronnie Flannery-Guy, Business Development, Aqua Data Software certified by NASSCO’s Pipeline Assessment Certification Program (PACP) is required to generate and import a standard database file that is fully compatible with PACP. Contractors and system owners across the country have..
Big Crowd Enjoys PCCA Convention
Max Clark didn’t drop the mike when he closed the 2017 Power & Communication Contractors Association (PCCA) annual convention, but he did drop some serious knowledge on an appreciative audience about how to look at your life’s work, how to run a business, and how to love your family. Max provided a ..
ASCE Publishes Updated Practices For Auger Boring
Horizontal Auger Boring Projects, Second Edition, is a comprehensive manual of practice covering horizontal auger boring techniques for pipeline crossing. The second edition of MOP 106 presents current practices for the planning, design and construction of pipelines under highways and railroads usin..
CIGMAT 2017 Highlights Challenges, Changes
The University of Houston’s Center for Innovative Grouting Materials and Technology (CIGMAT), and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering organized and hosted its 22nd annual conference and exhibition at the college on March 3. Titled “Infrastructure, Energy, Geotechnical, Flooding and..
NASSCO Standard Bearers: Marilyn Baron
If someone would have told me, back when I was a young woman growing up on Long Island, NY, that I was going to make a long and distinguished career in the world of sewers, I would have told them they were crazy. From a very early age, I had my eyes set on the world of fashion. I attended the New Yo..
PLCAC Works To Promote Industry
The Pipe Line Contractors Association of Canada (PLCAC) and its members generally had a good, solid year in 2016, believes the association’s President Neil K. Waugh. The PLCAC represents pipeline contractor members in labor relations with the four craft unions (whose members are involved in pipelin..
Digging Safely Starts With A Call To 811
Whether you are a professional excavator, contractor, engineer or utility owner, you play an important role in keeping people safe with every dig. Laws governing excavation vary by state, and they can be confusing. Answering the question, “Do I have to call 811?” can be difficult if you don’t unders..
PLCA Draws 548 Delegates To 69th Annual Convention
The Pipe Line Contractors Association (PLCA) 69th Annual Convention was held at the Hyatt Regency in Scottsdale, AZ, with 584 attendees. Many past presidents and honorary members attended the convention, and elected officers for 2017 were announced. Robert C. Osborn, senior vice president of the Pi..
Many Positives From Common Ground Alliance DIRT Report
The latest Damage Information Reporting Tool (DIRT) report released in October 2016 by the Common Ground Alliance (CGA) contained the good news that efforts to reduce accidental damage to the nation’s underground utility infrastructure and build awareness of the free 811 service are making significa..
APCA Looks To Strong Future
The American Pipeline Contractors Association (APCA) closed out the year 2016 stronger than ever and with a high level of optimism for the energy policies of a new president and administration. “Over the past 12 to 18 months, APCA members were involved in building the majority of new natural gas in..
WRF Releases Results From Direct Potable Reuse Study
The Water Research Foundation (WRF), a leading sponsor of potable reuse research, has released interim results from the ongoing study, “Blending Requirements for Water from Direct Potable Reuse Treatment Facilities” (#4536). The objective of this project is to provide guidance for the appropriate us..
Controversial BLM Rule Could Stimulate Gathering Line Construction
It is not often that a federal regulatory dictate is good for one section of the oil and gas industry but bad for another. But the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which is part of the Department of Interior, manages to create that divergence with its November final rule which affects nearly 100,000..
Water Council Establishes ICE Institute Focused On Technology
The Water Council, headquartered in Milwaukee, WI, launched a groundbreaking commercialization initiative that will match manufacturers, utilities and the agricultural industry with promising water and water-related technology research and innovations for advancement into the marketplace. The ICE (..
Municipal Sewer Grout School
The tradition continues as Aries, Avanti and Logiball join forces to bring hands-on demonstrations of equipment performance, and test and seal process of injection grout for compliance with the NASSCO/ICGA Operating Standard, Jan. 11-12, at Avanti International in Houston. Catering to those who spe..
Guy Leslie Joins Trio Vision As VP Sales
Guy Leslie has joined Trio Vision LLC as vice president of sales to help develop the manufacturer of closed-circuit television inspection equipment and grow its portfolio of regional, national and global accounts. Leslie brings a wealth of experience within the wastewater and water management indus..
NASSCO Standard Bearers: Rudy Fernandez
EDITOR’S NOTE: NASSCO just completed its 40th anniversary and continues to set standards for the assessment and rehabilitation of underground infrastructure. As the association continues its phenomenal growth, this series profiles those who have made significant contributions and impacted the cont..
Christine Wehrman Receives Lifetime Achievement Award
Christine Wehrman, CEO and executive vice president of the American Rental Association (ARA), was presented with the European Rental Association (ERA) Lifetime Achievement Award. Wehrman, who previously announced her planned retirement from ARA, was honored by the recognition. “It has truly been a..
Pipeline Safety Bill Becomes Law; New Proposed Regs Become More Significant
The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) new rule requiring transmission pipelines to plug methane leaks at compressor stations includes some softening of earlier-proposed requirements, but will still impose substantial costs as companies move to repair leaks at new or modified compressors and co..
Infrastructure Vision 2050 Names “Dream” Phase Winners
The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) has announced five winners in the second, “Dream”, phase of the Infrastructure Vision 2050 Challenge. Launched earlier this year, the three-phased competition challenges a community of innovators to reimagine personal mobility, freight movement, and ..
- OSHA cites Florida contractors for trench safety violations at sewer and excavation sites
- Cadiz to reuse steel from terminated Keystone XL pipeline for California groundwater project
- Lynchburg, Va., breaks ground on largest-ever Blackwater CSO tunnel project
- Biden-Harris administration invests $849 million in aging water infrastructure, drought resilience
- The EPA announces $6.2 billion in funding for Iowa and Kansas water infrastructure