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PG&E Appoints New Vice President for Power Generation
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) has appointed Jon Franke as its vice president, Power Generation, effective Nov. 1. Franke, who currently serves as vice president, Generation Technical Services, will now lead PG&E’s Power Generation organization as vice president, Power Generation, with res..
Iroquois Pipeline President Jeff Bruner Elected Chairman of INGAA's Board of Directors
The board of directors of the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America has elected Iroquois Pipeline Operating Company (IPOC) President Jeffrey Bruner as chairman of the INGAA board of directors for a one‐year term, effective immediately. “As the chairman of INGAA, Jeff will lead our industry’..
Dr. Peter J. Winzer Honored for Advancements in Fiber Optic Technology
The Optical Society (OSA) and the IEEE Photonics Society today announced that Peter J. Winzer of Nokia Bell Labs, USA, is the recipient of the 2018 John Tyndall Award. The award, one of the top honors in the fiber optics community, will be presented at the Optical Fiber Communication Conference and ..
Dexheimer Appointed to ASCE Board of Directors
Heidi Dexheimer, project director in Atkins’ Henderson, Nevada, office, has been appointed to the American Society of Civil Engineers’ (ASCE) Utility Engineering and Surveying Institute (UESI) Board of Governors. UESI is ASCE’s newest institute, focused on encouraging worldwide excellence in plannin..
Michael Baker International Makes Leadership Change
Michael Baker International today announced the promotion of Michael J. Conaboy, P.E., to Regional Director for the firm’s West Region, succeeding Anna Lantin, P.E., who will transition to the newly created role of Senior Vice President of Business Development, where she will support Conaboy in ..
11-Year-Old Honored for Lead Detection Invention
3M and Discovery Education have named 11-year-old Gitanjali Rao from Lone Tree, Colo. the winner of the 2017 Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge. Gitanjali is working to develop Tethys, a sensor-based device that can detect lead in water faster than other current techniques. ..
Man Dies While Working in Sewer Line Outside Chicago
STREAMWOOD, Ill. (AP) — Authorities have identified a Gurnee man as the worker who died in a suburban Chicago sewer line. The Cook County medical examiner says 22-year-old Brett Morrow died in the accident in Streamwood, about 30 miles (48.28 kilometers) northwest of Chicago. Firefighters worked ro..
Utility Worker Cleaning Storm Debris in North Carolina Dies
TAYLORSVILLE, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina sheriff says a utility worker has been killed after cutting a tree which had fallen on a power line following a severe storm. Alexander County Sheriff Chris Bowman told local media outlets that 31-year-old Brian Keith Wilmoth was cutting the tree Wednesday..
Geospatial Corporation Makes Leadership Change
Geospatial Corporation has named Rob Brook to the company’s executive management team. Brook, who will serve as Team Lead GeoUnderground is a former Senior Director – Gas Infrastructure for Pacific Gas & Electric and he served as the Global Pipeline and Gas Utilities Industry Manager for ESRI. ..
Pressman Joins Metropolitan Water District of Southern California Board
Barry D. Pressman was seated today as the city of Beverly Hills’ representative on the board of directors of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Pressman replaces Robert Wunderlich, who had served on the board since July 2007. A professor and chair of the Department of Imaging ..
Authorities ID Victims in Western Michigan Trench Collapse
WYOMING, Mich. (AP) — Authorities have identified the man killed in a trench collapse in western Michigan and say the man who was rescued was his father. Wyoming firefighters said Tuesday the collapse killed 30-year-old Christopher James Godfrey, who was completely buried by dirt. Firefighters res..
Vincent Sapienza Named Commissioner of New York City's DEP
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has named Vincent Sapienza as the Commissioner of the City’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). During his 34 years with DEP, Sapienza has served in leadership posts for several of the key operating divisions, has overseen major capital improvements and..
1 Worker Dead, Another Rescued After Trench Collapse
WYOMING, Mich. (AP) — Authorities say a trench collapse in western Michigan has left one worker dead and one rescued. Wyoming Fire Chief Chuck Lark said firefighters were called about 2 p.m. Monday to a residence where the collapse occurred. He tells The Grand Rapids Press that when they arrived, o..
Ex-Santee Cooper Lawyer Returns to Run Utility
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina’s state-owned utility is bringing back a familiar face to temporarily lead the company as it deals with the problems created by a failed $10 billion nuclear power plant project. James Brogdon Jr. was named interim president and CEO of Santee Cooper by the utilit..
California Launches First-Ever Water Professionals Appreciation Week
California today announced it will celebrate its first-ever Water Professionals Appreciation Week from October 7 through October 15 as part of a new annual designation intended to highlight the important role of water industry professionals and local public water agencies in ensuring safe and reliab..
Tribal Head who Led Dakota Access Pipeline Fight Voted Out
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The Native American official who has been the face and voice of the fight against the Dakota Access oil pipeline has been voted out of office. Unofficial results from the Standing Rock Sioux tribe’s general election Wednesday showed that Dave Archambault received only 37 perce..
Leadership Changes Announced at SJW Group
SJW Group today announced that W. Richard Roth will retire as President and Chief Executive Officer on Nov. 5, 2017, and the company’s Board of Directors has appointed Eric W. Thornburg as President, Chief Executive Officer and a member of the board, effective November 6, 2017. Roth will serve as Ch..
Connecticut Water Service Makes Leadership Changes
The Board of Directors of Connecticut Water Service, Inc., announced today they have accepted the resignation of Eric W. Thornburg as Chairman, President and CEO, and unanimously appointed David C. Benoit to serve as the Interim President and CEO of the company, its Connecticut operating subsidiarie..
Conterra Names New Area Sales Manager for the El Paso Market
Conterra Ultra Broadband Holdings, Inc. today announced that Roy Lambert has joined the company to manage the expansion of its services to enterprise customers in the EL Paso, Texas metropolitan area. Lambert is a native of the El Paso area with deep ties to the community and comes with..
Brown and Caldwell VP Elected to AWWA National Board
The American Water Works Association has elected Brown and Caldwell Vice President Kelly Comstock to serve on its National Board as the Georgia Section director. A 20-year member of the Association, Comstock has distinguished himself as an influential advocate for the state’s water sector. With ove..
California Water Service Group Names Pottenger to Board of Directors
California Water Service Group today announced the election of Carol M. Pottenger to the Company’s Board of Directors, effective September 27, 2017. The first female three-star Admiral in American history to lead in a combat branch, Pottenger served for 36 years in the U.S. Navy. One of the first ..
Nebraska Utility Exec Chosen to Lead National Trade Group
COLUMBUS, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska Public Power District executive will lead a national utility trade group for the next year. NPPD’s Chief Operating Officer Tom Kent was recently chosen at the president of RMEL. The group serves the utility industry with education and networking services. The util..
Hired for His Strong Back in 1957, Honored for Brain in 2017
ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. (AP) — When Willie Holsclaw started working for the Elizabethton Water Department, he didn’t really get a lot of respect. It was 1957 and the city did not have any backhoes in its fleet back then. All the water department needed was a man with a strong back to dig ditches in al..
Illinois Association for Floodplain and Stormwater Management Names Ajay Jain to Board of Directors
The Illinois Association for Floodplain and Stormwater Management (IAFSM) recently appointed HR Green’s Ajay Jain, PE, CFM, to its Board of Directors. As a member of the Board, Jain will also be chairing the Inter-Organization Committee, charged with assuring regular communication between IAFSM and ..
Colin Sabol Appointed President of Xylem’s Sensus & Analytics Businesses
Xylem Inc. has named Colin Sabol Senior Vice President and President of Sensus & Analytics, effective October 1. Sabol succeeds Randy Bays, who will move into an advisory role with a focus on Xylem’s global manufacturing operations. Both will report to Xylem President and CEO, Patrick Decker. Xylem..
Ukiah Valley Sanitation District Announces New General Manager
The Ukiah Valley Sanitation District has named Joe Tait General Manager. In his new role, Tait will be responsible for navigating the district through its lawsuit against the City of Ukiah, while also restructuring the district and driving innovation and best management practices to provide ratepaye..
Ex-Water Corporation Boss Gets 8 Years for $1 Million Fraud
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — The former head of a not-for-profit corporation formed to oversee the water services for the city was sentenced on Friday to more than eight years in prison for accepting nearly $1 million in kickbacks. Linda Watkins Brashear pleaded guilty in 2015 to fraud for participating in ..
CommScope CFO to Retire
CommScope today announced that Mark Olson, executive vice president and chief financial officer, intends to retire from the company, effective March 31, 2018. CommScope will retain a leading executive search firm to help identify the company’s next chief financial officer and will consider internal..
Miners & Pisani, Inc. Expands Presence In Utility Market
Miners & Pisani, Inc. has hired two industry veterans to lead the company’s utility sales division, representing Honeywell’s HPS – Honeywell Process Solutions line of natural gas measurement, flow correction and flow control products as the Authorized Distributor and Channel Partner for gas utilitie..
Leadership Change Made at Black & Veatch
Black & Veatch has named Joe Lauria Vice President and Director of Planning and Growth for the Americas in the company’s water business. In this new role, Lauria will help clients identify and implement sustainable solutions to evolving water challenges. Based in Irvine, California, his primary focu..
- Fatal Shawnee trench collapse linked to Oklahoma contractor’s repeated safety violations, OSHA reports
- Tunnel boring machine ‘Clack-A-Mole’ nears one-third completion in Oregon outfall project
- Explosion in underground PG&E vault leaves one dead in Richmond, Calif.
- Tennessee pipeline gets initial FERC approval despite environmental concerns
- Sinkhole in Texas town accrues over $800,000 in sewer rehabilitation costs
- Wisconsin proposes new PFAS drinking water standards to align with federal rules
- Elgin, Ill., joins EPA drinking water initiative to accelerate lead pipe replacement
- GasTracker Accurately Locates Plastic Gas Pipes
- Florence, S.C., to fund $537 million sewer, water upgrade with bonds and 5% rate hike
- Union County, Ga., breaks ground on $20.5 million fiber broadband expansion project