Magazine
New permitting provisions in budget bill slight natural gas industry
(UI) — The natural gas industry greeted the permitting reform bill Congress passed, and President Biden signed last month with something short of enthusiasm. The permitting provisions in the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 had only glancing benefits for gas pipelines and were chiefly written to benefit wind, solar and electric energy deployment.
Newsline
Chemical manufacturer 3M Co. will pay at least $10.3 billion to settle lawsuits over contamination of many U.S. public drinking water systems with potentially harmful compounds used in firefighting foam and a host of consumer products, the company said.
LAN, Houston Public Works project earns state-wide recognition
Houston Public Works (HPW), Lockwood, Andrews and Newnam Inc. (LAN), and Harper Brothers Construction LLC (HBC) received the Texas Chapter of the American Public Works Association (TX-APWA) 2023 Project of the Year Award for Environment, $25-to-$75 million category, for the SWTP 72-inch Water Line from Emancipation to Tuam.
Asset management: Digging data
(UI) — There are already lots of good reasons for why you should digitally document underground construction jobs, from pre-drill planning to post-drill reporting.
Inside infrastructure: Latest ‘WOTUS’ rule upended by Supreme Court
(UI) — Looking at the increasingly high-profile issue of permit reform needed to get important infrastructure projects off the ground, few issues (if any) are as polarizing as the “Waters of the Unites States” (WOTUS) rulemaking.
Hard surface potholing the right way helps a business grow
(UI) — More Florida cities are seeing the advantages of core saws, since McKim & Creed expanded into coring solid surfaces to locate utilities.
Editor’s Log: Priceless - Safety and damage prevention
(UI) — After attending and helping produce countless trade shows, workshops and related educational functions over the decades, I’ve learned that many of the best sessions were not the most popular sessions – not by a long shot. It’s not always what you want to hear, but what you need to know that has the most impact on your business or job.
Newsline
Daniel Oefner, ENV SP, P.E., Assistant Director for Wastewater Operations at the city of Houston, was the guest speaker at the Underground Construction Technology Association’s Gulf Coast Chapter luncheon on June 7 at Maggiano’s Little Italy, Houston.
Exploring the future of the manhole camera industry: Unlocking hidden insights
(UI) — The manhole camera industry has undergone significant advancements in recent years, revolutionizing the way we inspect and maintain underground infrastructure.
NASSCO tech tips: PACPTM condition grading system
Each of NASSCO’S Pipeline Assessment Certification Program (PACP) inspection reports offer eight or nine different condition grades. How each of these condition ratings are calculated is outlined within the PACP Manual Appendix C, but what do they mean and how can they be interpreted?
Caverns of Calloway – Dirt pipes are expensive
(UI) — After a heavy rainfall in June 2022, the Trinity River Authority (TRA) was notified of a sanitary sewer overflow (SSO) on a sewer line within the Walker Calloway System, a 4.7-mile wastewater collection system built, owned and operated by TRA.
HDDA Mud School provides vital information to drillers
The Horizontal Directional Drilling Association recently held a complimentary, hands-on Mud School to share vital information for new drillers and provide a refresher course for veteran operators. More than 60 people attended the May 18 event held at the Doubletree Hotel near Love Field in Dallas, Texas.
New leak detection rules for pipelines proposed
(UI) — The federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has proposed major changes to its leak detection based not on concerns about safety but, rather, in order to reduce methane emissions related to their contribution to climate change.
Pressure pipe rehabilitation – what’s on the menu?
(UI) — Trenchless methods have been widely used for the rehabilitation of gravity pipelines for some time. The advent of these technologies and methods has lowered the cost of extending the useful life of gravity pipelines as opposed to outright replacing them.
Achieving more accurate utility infrastructure mapping with the help of an app
(UI) — More than 217,000 utility damage events were reported in 2021, according to the latest Common Ground Alliance DIRT (Damage Information Reporting Tool) Report. The three leading causes of these reported utility strikes were: digging without calling 811, failure to pothole and/or maintain clearance, and locating issues due to incorrect and/or outdated maps.
Rehab comes of age
From largely technological dreams to proven reality, the diversity of rehabilitation applications has spread like wildfire over the past 50 years.
Breakthrough time of styrene emissions through various CIPP coating materials
(UI) — Recent studies of cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) liners have shown that potentially dangerous concentrations of styrene can be emitted prior to liner installation in the cold storage unit or vehicle.
Rehab Technology: Emergency repair of unexpected leak
(UI) — Created in 1951, by the Texas Legislature, North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD) consists of 10 original member cities, including Farmersville, Forney, Garland, McKinney, Mesquite, Plano, Princeton, Rockwall, Royse City and Wylie. By 1956, this new agency was providing water to the region.
Business News
Ring-O-Matic has expanded dealer coverage in several major markets, improving product availability and machine application expertise.
NASSCO Standard Bearers: Kathy Romans
This month, Underground Infrastructure profiles Kathy Romans, who not only has been a tremendous force within the rehabilitation industry, but an effective leader for NASSCO. In additional to her committee work and service on the board of directors, Kathy was the first woman president of NASSCO.
How digitally mapping, documenting HDD jobs can aid compliance, profitability
Collecting bore and equipment data may seem like added work. If you install fiber, you may worry that it will eat into tight profit margins that are common in the industry. But the truth is, you likely already have much of what you need to record the data.
DCA/AGA workshop provides forum on wide range of topics
In late March, the Distribution Contractors Association (DCA) and the American Gas Association (AGA) held the 8th Annual DCA/AGA Workshop in Chicago, Ill. The event brought together some 150 gas distribution operators, contractors, manufacturers and other service providers to discuss and evaluate ways to communicate and collaborate effectively.
Newsline: Arkansas Valley clean water pipeline project starts construction after 60-year wait
Newsline: Arkansas Valley clean water pipeline project starts construction after 60-year wait; a DOJ probe finds Alabama ignored sewer issues in impoverished communities; Pittsburgh water rates could increase nearly 60% over next 3 years; and more.
Despite challenges, HDD market continues impressive growth
(UI) — The 25th Annual Underground Infrastructure HDD Survey provides insight into the complex, yet generally lucrative, world of directional boring. Indeed, HDD is a technology that continues to expand to even further heights. It has clearly demonstrated how the introduction and development of this disruptive technology forever changed the face of utility and pipeline construction.
GPR: From glaciers to conduits, digs deeper so you don’t have to
(UI) — The ability to accurately map underground or encased infrastructure allows construction and excavation professionals to plan groundbreaking and other destructive activities more efficiently. By knowing where not to dig, cut or core, these professionals eliminate the risks associated with striking buried utilities or severing structural components, such as rebar or post-tension cables.
B&B Underground and Drilling tackles reclaimed water project
(UI) — While many HDD companies perform strictly small-diameter fiber work, those focused on larger water and sewer utility work are specialty companies. Building a team for the task can be more challenging, too. That’s why B&B Underground and Drilling emphasizes the importance of training.
Editor’s Log: A fiber road paved by HDD
(UI) — By the late ‘90s, fiber backbone construction was marching across the land like Sherman to Atlanta. It was the early version of cryptocurrency – every investor was going to become a multi-millionaire overnight. The market for directional drills hit unprecedented – and unrealistic – highs. HDD was the perfect technology to aid the expansion of fiber installation, along with trenching and plowing. It was the telecom version of the early 1980s oil boom.
Rehab News
(UI) — The regional manager changes at Avanti and Aegion acquires trenchless water rehabilitation provider Infraspec Services.
Pneumatic piercing tool helps innovative utility solutions grow
Fiber installation business creates strong demand for stitch boring in residential areas
Trenchless methods: Trenchers remain valuable for utility construction
(UI) — In the 1970s, new residential developments were being built with all utilities underground. Of course, water, sewer, and gas lines always had been buried, but now telephone and electric dissertation wires were, too, as would cable television services that would come later.
- DeLa Express seeks FERC approval for Permian-to-Louisiana gas pipeline project
- OSHA penalizes Houston contractor over safety violations resulting in worker's death
- Fiber infrastructure has no known expiration date, Fiber Broadband Association research concludes
- Nevada OSHA fines Elon Musk's Boring Company over safety violations in Vegas tunnel project
- Damage prevention and safety: Turning awareness into action
- Ditch Witch 1030
- Michigan lawmakers introduce bills to create septic codes throughout the state
- Indiana American Water to gain 8,000 water customers with Silver Creek Water acquisition
- Arkansas governor allocates $42 million for water infrastructure projects
- Federal judge finds Flint, Mich, in contempt over lead water pipe crisis