Oil/Gas Pipelines Rehabilitation

NTSB Heading Investigation into Fatal Natural Gas Explosion

LANCASTER, Pa. (AP) — The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation into an apparent natural gas explosion that destroyed a Pennsylvania home and killed a utility worker. The UGI Utilities worker was checking out a reported gas odor when the house in Manor Township, near Lan..

Missing Pipe Caused Sewage to Spill into Arkansas Creek

BENTONVILLE, Ark. (AP) – A gap in a wastewater connection in a northwestern Arkansas city sent sewage spilling into a local creek. Bentonville public works director Mike Bender tells the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (http://bit.ly/2sZIfqj ) that the sewer issue has been repaired and the Town..

Cut Fiber Optic Cable Forces North Carolina DMV Offices to Close

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — An internet network outage in central North Carolina has forced approximately 35 driver license and license plate agency offices to suspend services. The N.C. Department of Transportation said in a news release that Division of Motor Vehicles officials were told by Time W..

2 Dead, 3 Injured After Indiana House Explosion

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) — Firefighters found two bodies in the basement of a southwest Indiana house after it was destroyed by an explosion and fire Tuesday that also injured three people. Searchers located the first body amid the rubble about four hours after the explosion was reported around 8:45 a..

Broken Illinois Line Dumping Sewage Into Mississippi River

GRANITE CITY, Ill. (AP) — Authorities say a sewer line in southern Illinois broke last month and daily is dumping about 2 million gallons of storm water and sewage into the Mississippi River. The Belleville News-Democrat reported Friday (http://bit.ly/2t3KVEi ) that the Metro East Sanitary Di..

Couple Escapes Just Before Gas Explosion Rocks LA Home

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Authorities say an elderly Los Angeles couple escaped just before an explosion rocked their home after a contractor accidentally severed a gas line. Assistant Fire Chief Patrick Butler says the couple was saved by a gas company worker who called them out of the house moment..

Settlement Approved in 2016 Seattle Natural Gas Explosion

SEATTLE (AP) — The state’s largest energy utility will pay at least $1.5 million for a natural gas explosion in Seattle’s Greenwood neighborhood last year. The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission on Monday approved a settlement between Puget Sound Energy and commission staff reached ..

Drain Pipe Collapse Forces Street Closure in Macomb County

HARRISON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — A drainage pipe collapse has forced the closure of a street in Macomb County’s Harrison Township. The Macomb Daily of Mount Clemens reports (http://bit.ly/2tl9ObK ) Monday that the 48-inch pipe beneath North River Road near Interstate 94 collapsed Friday. ..

Downed Power Line Ignites Gas Leak in Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Residents of about 40 homes near Pittsburgh have been forced to stay inside after a downed power line ignited a leaking natural gas line, causing a fire. A tree downed by lightning is being blamed for knocking down the wire early Monday, just after midnight. Sparks from the downed..

TTC Celebrates 10-Year Partnership With China For Trenchless R&D

For 27 years, the Trenchless Technology Center (TTC), an industry/university/government research center at Louisiana Tech University, has served as a global leader for the development of technologies influencing almost every aspect of trenchless construction methods.  In April, the TTC’s Dr. Thomas ..

North Carolina Rest Stop Closure Extended to Fix Water Line

BURLINGTON, N.C. (AP) — A broken water line means it will take a little longer to reopen the restrooms at a North Carolina rest stop. The N.C. Department of Transportation says in a news release that work crews from the city of Burlington need more time to repair the pipe that provides water to the..

Construction Error Dumps up to 1,000 Gallons of Raw Sewage

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — Construction in Vermont’s capital city hit a snag over the weekend after utility workers drilled into a sewer line Friday, dumping hundreds of gallons of raw sewage into the Winooski River. A Montpelier Public Works spokesman says the leak wasn’t discovered until Saturd..

Water Main Break Leaves 85 Pennsylvania Homes Without Service

ABINGTON, Pa. (AP) — A water main break has left 85 homes without service in Pennsylvania. Officials say a 16-inch main broke around 2 p.m. in Abington Monday. The Abington Township Police Deputy Chief says thousands of gallons of water rushed into a nearby neighborhood, forcing the evacuation of s..

Swimming Halted on North Carolina Lake After Sewer Spill

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Nearly 400 gallons of sewage have been spilled into a North Carolina lake, leading officials to suspend swimming for the weekend. Rusty Rozzelle, water quality program manager for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services, told local media outlets that the sewage was spill..

Boil-water Advisory Issued for New Jersey Capital City

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) – A boil-water advisory has been issued for some residents and businesses in New Jersey’s capital city. The Trenton Water Works on Tuesday announced there is a potential or actual threat to the water quality. Officials are not saying what the problem is. Officials say ..

Primoris Services Corporation Acquires Florida Gas Contractors

Primoris Services Corporation has acquired the assets of Florida Gas Contractors, a utility contractor specializing in underground natural gas infrastructure. Total consideration was approximately $33 million paid in cash at closing. Florida Gas Contractors can also receive an additional $1.5 millio..

INTREN Announces New CEO, Board Leadership

INTREN has announced that Loretta Rosenmayer, founder and CEO, will become Chairwoman of the Board of INTREN, and Kelly Tomblin, President and Chief Executive Officer at Jamaica Public Service Company Ltd., will become the company’s new CEO, effective July 10, 2017. “This evolution come..

The Evolution Of Grouting Solutions

Injection grouting is described by its proponents as the first trenchless technology to repair leaks in underground pipes. First used for municipal applications more than 50 years ago, injection grouting has advanced to become the most economical and reliable method for controlling infiltration in ..

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..

Water Line Break Could Leave Mississippi Town Without Water for 5 Days

VICKSBURG, Miss. (AP) — Too much water will mean none at all for almost 30,000 customers in and around Vicksburg for five days or more. The line carrying treated water from the city’s water plant to all customers broke Wednesday morning in an area that’s currently flooded by a Mississippi River bac..

Energy Company Unhooks Gas Lines after Fatal Colorado Explosion

DENVER (AP) — The company that owns a gas well linked to a fatal home explosion in Colorado said Tuesday it will permanently disconnect other pipelines in the area like the one blamed in the explosion. Anadarko Petroleum, which owns the well, did not say how many pipelines would be disconnected. Bu..

NTSB Joins Investigation into Fatal Gas Pipeline Explosion

FIRESTONE, Colo. (AP) — The National Transportation Safety Board has joined the investigation into a fatal Colorado house explosion blamed on unrefined natural gas flowing from a severed pipeline. The Longmont Times-Call reported Wednesday (http://bit.ly/2r2W8Rz) the agency got involved because pip..

Huge Sinkholes Are Now Appearing in the Wrong Places

FRASER, Mich. (AP) — Dora Linda Nishihara was driving in San Antonio one dark evening in early December when she suddenly disappeared from sight. Later, her car, with her body inside, was found at the bottom of a 12-foot-deep water-filled sinkhole that had swallowed the road ahead of her. Two days ..

Sewer Main May be Cause of San Francisco Sinkhole

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — San Francisco Public Utilities Commission spokeswoman Betsy Rhodes says a sewer main may be the cause of a sinkhole in San Francisco but officials won’t know for sure until they can move a big-rig truck that is partially swallowed by the hole. A truck driver escaped unharmed ea..

Colorado Pipeline Explosion Brings Calls for Safety but no Quick Fix

DENVER (AP) — Colorado regulators have ordered a snap review of oil and gas pipelines after a fatal house explosion near a well, but they haven’t said how they plan to fix a fundamental flaw in the system: They don’t know where all those pipelines are. Matt Lepore, the state’s top oil and gas..

Leaky Gas Pipeline Blamed in Fatal Colorado Blast

FIRESTONE, Colo. (AP) — A red-orange fireball that killed two people and destroyed a Colorado home prompted the governor to order sweeping inspections of natural gas lines and is certain to worsen tensions in state already divided over how to regulate the industry. Fire investigators said Tuesday t..

Heavy Rains Cause Sewer Overflow in North Carolina

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — April’s heavy rains caused a sewer line running through Asheville’s Biltmore Estate to overflow into the French Broad River. The Asheville Citizen-Times reports (http://avlne.ws/2qxmqeE) a public announcement mandated by state law says the public line expelled 25,130 gallons ..

Broken Pipe to Blame for Saltwater Spill in Oklahoma County

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — Environmental tests on an Oklahoma creek have led to the discovery of a saltwater spill into the main source of freshwater for Tallgrass Prairie Preserve. The Tulsa World (http://bit.ly/2oQconk ) reports that an Environmental Protection Agency inspector working on Bird Cre..

Sewer Leak in New York Town Stopped

GLOVERSVILLE, N.Y. (AP) – State environmental officials say a mainline sewage leak in a Mohawk Valley city has been stopped with temporary repairs and no drinking water supplies have been affected. Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos says Friday the sewage leak in Glo..

Patients Evacuated From Texas Hospital Following Water Leak

FRISCO, Texas (AP) — A suburban Dallas hospital was evacuated and dozens of patients moved to other facilities after a pipe burst and caused water to rain on the floors below. Officials in Frisco said in a statement that 78 patients at Baylor Scott & White — Centennial Hospital were moved els..