Oil/Gas Pipelines

Utility: Weight of Fill Material Led to Gas Pipeline Fire

ORION TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan utility says the weight of 21 feet of fill material was responsible for a November gas line rupture and massive fire in Oakland County’s Orion Township. Jackson-based Consumers Energy says Monday in a statement that the weight of the material “stressed the pi..

Raven Lining Systems, VersaFlex Complete Merger

Raven Lining Systems® and VersaFlex® Inc. today announced the companies have merged, effective Jan. 1, 2018. As part of the merger, VersaFlex’s Polyurea University will be combined with Raven Lining Systems’ Certified Applicator Program to develop an industry leading training and technical support ..

Gates Open, Delays at Newark Airport After Manhole Fire

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Officials at Newark Liberty International Airport are reporting progress at restoring service at one of its terminals after a manhole fire forced an evacuation. The problem prompted the evacuation of a section of Terminal C and caused significant delays at security checkpoints. ..

Boil-Water Order Could End Thursday in Mississippi City

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A boil-water order might end by Thursday for water customers in Mississippi’s capital city. Jackson officials said Tuesday that they’ve been able to increase water flows from the larger of two city treatment plants, increasing water pressure. The city says it’s testing sample..

Frigid Temperatures Cause Water Main Breaks in Connecticut

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Frigid temperatures are causing water main breaks in Connecticut communities. Officials in the suburb of West Hartford say about 32 homes have been affected by two water main breaks Saturday. The Metropolitan District said one of the breaks was fixed by the afternoon, restori..

No Pressure Means No School as Jackson Water Woes Drag On

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Thousands of public school and college students are staying home Monday in Mississippi’s capital city as a water crisis brought on by broken water mains drags on. Jackson’s 27,000-student public school system, Jackson State University and Millsaps College all cancelled o..

North Carolina Communities Lose Water Supplies as Cold Snaps Lines

WAKE FOREST, N.C. (AP) — Water lines supplying communities across North Carolina are failing due to the extreme cold. Repair crews were at work Sunday from Wake Forest in Wake County to Marshville in Union County after water lines broke. Cumberland County’s water utility on Saturday directed consu..

Officials: Water Pipe Break at JFK Airport Weather-Related

NEW YORK (AP) — A water pipe break in one of the terminals at New York’s Kennedy Airport on Sunday added to the delays at the beleaguered airport trying to recover from the aftermath of a snowstorm that has stranded thousands of passengers. In a statement, the Port Authority of New York and New Jer..

Broken Water Pipe Disrupts Travel in Downtown Boston

BOSTON (AP) — One of the busier streets in downtown Boston is closed after water gushed from a broken pipe. The Boston Water and Sewer Commission says it’s working to control the leak that has left Congress Street closed on Monday from New Sudbury to State Street. Officials are urging motorists and..

Sewer Spill Closes LA County's Marina del Rey Beach

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles County health officials have closed a section of Marina del Rey beach after an 1,100-gallon sewage spill. Beachgoers were advised Sunday to avoid the water 100 yards up and down the coast next to the Ballona Creek outfall. The Los Angeles Times reports a sewer line..

1 Million Gallons of Sewage Spilled in Nantucket

(AP) — Massachusetts emergency officials say more than 1 million gallons of untreated sewage has spilled into Nantucket Harbor after a “catastrophic” sewer main break. They say the 20-inch mainfailed Thursday in several places on the island off the coast of Cape Cod, and they still were working to ..

Lawmakers Can't Flush as Water Systems Freeze Across South

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Cold weather is causing water woes across the South, as water mains break and people run faucets to keep pipes from freezing. Everyone on the water system in Jackson, Mississippi’s largest city, could be under a boil-water order for days because of low pressure from broken mai..

Water From Frozen Pipes That Burst Damages Iowa Casino

LARCHWOOD, Iowa (AP) — Water from frozen water pipes that burst has damaged a casino resort in northwest Iowa. Subzero temperatures outside froze the fire system pipes at the Grand Falls Casino & Golf Resort in Larchwood. The water loosed last Saturday damaged 18 of the hotel’s 97 rooms, a me..

Illinois Utility Expects Boil Order to Last Until Friday

BELLEVILLE, Ill. (AP) — Illinois American Water says it expects a boil water order for the Metro-East area near St. Louis to be lifted Friday in the early afternoon. Illinois American issued the boil order Wednesday after water main breaks in the area, which includes Belleville, East St. Louis, Alo..

Freezing Temps Cause Water Main Breaks in Mississippi City

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) – Mississippi’s largest city says record cold is breaking water mains, leaving some customers with little or no water flow. Jackson city spokeswoman Kai Williams said Wednesday that the city knew of 37 separate water main breaks that it attributed to cold. The city has declared a..

Cold Causing Pipes to Burst, Even at Water Company

ST. LOUIS (AP) — How hard is the bitter cold weather on water pipes? In suburban St. Louis, even the water company is dealing with a pipe burst. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that an Alton, Illinois, call center for American Water had to be evacuated Tuesday night after a pipe broke. Employee..

Illinois Utility Issues Water Boil Order

BELLEVILLE, Ill. (AP) — Numerous water main breaks in the metro-east area near St. Louis has resulted in a boil order for most of St. Clair County and parts of Monroe County in Illinois. Illinois American Water on Wednesday issued the boil order for most of its metro-east service area, which includ..

Cold Snap Sends Baltimore Skidding With Water Main Breaks

BALTIMORE (AP) — Amid a prolonged spate of low temperatures, Baltimore has recorded nearly 30 water main breaks. News outlets report a portion of the roadway in Upper Fells Point has frozen over as a result of a leak, reported Saturday and not fixed as of late Monday. Department of Publi..

Cold Weather Causing St. Louis-Area Water Main Breaks

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Bitter cold weather is causing water main breaks throughout the St. Louis region. Missouri American Water reports that more than 40 breaks have been reported in St. Louis County alone since frigid weather descended on the area more than a week ago. One neighborhood in the Fenton ar..

Broken Water Line Causes Outage in New Mexico Town

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — Authorities in Las Cruces say residents and businesses in the area of Calico Drive, Agave Lane, Cypress Court and Village Drive are experiencing an emergency water outage. They say the outage is expected to last until about 6 p.m. Monday for repairs to a broken water line. ..

Gas Line Explosion Raises Concerns About Old Michigan Pipes

ORION TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — Environmental advocates say Michigan’s aging gas pipelines have a heightened risk of corrosion or other material failure that could cause a fire or explosion. The concerns follow last month’s gas explosion in Orion Township, about 30 miles north of Detroit, The De..

Nobody Hurt in Natural Gas Pipeline Fire

SOMERVILLE, Texas (AP) — Authorities are trying to determine what sparked a natural gas pipeline fire in Central Texas in an early-morning blaze that could be seen for several miles. The Burleson County Sheriff’s Office says nobody was hurt in the fire reported about 3 a.m. Wednesday at a rural sit..

Multiple Manholes Catch Fire, Explode in Boston

BOSTON (AP) — Authorities say no one was hurt when multiple manholes caught fire and exploded in Boston. City fire officials say crews responded to the city’s Brighton neighborhood on Sunday morning for a report of a manhole explosion. Five Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority manholes were o..

Company: Cause of New Mexico Natural Gas Pipeline Rupture Unknown

LOVING, N.M. (AP) – A Houston-based energy company says it’s investigating what caused one of its natural gas pipelines to rupture, explode and catch fire in southeastern New Mexico’s oil patch. Spokesman Rick Rainey of Enterprise Products Partners L.P. says the incident early Wednesday morning in ..

Father, Son Killed in Northern Illinois Pipeline Explosion

NACHUSA, Ill. (AP) — Authorities in northern Illinois say a father and son were killed in a natural gas pipeline explosion while working on a farm field. Officials on Wednesday said 59-year-old father Rory Miller of Amboy and 30-year-old son Ryan Miller of Oregon died in the Tuesday morning explosi..

Natural Gas Pipeline Ruptured, Explodes in Northern Illinois

NACHUSA, Ill. (AP) — Authorities in northern Illinois say two men working on a farm field were killed and two others seriously injured in a natural gas pipeline explosion. The Lee County Sheriff’s Department says the explosion happened at about 9 a.m. Tuesday at a farm near Nachusa. Saukvalley.com ..

Natural Gas Pipeline Explodes in New Mexico

LOVING, N.M. (AP) — A pipeline exploded in southeastern New Mexico’s oil patch, closing two highways but causing no reported injuries. Eddy County Emergency Manager Jennifer Armendariz says the pipeline that exploded early Wednesday morning is in a sparsely populated area about 10 miles (16 k..

Water Main Break Causes I-694 Sinkhole in East Twin Cities

OAKDALE, Minn. (AP) — Authorities say a large water main break has caused a giant sinkhole under Interstate 694 in Oakdale and is slowing water pressure for residents of the eastern Twin Cities suburb. The Washington County Sheriff’s Office says the freeway was temporarily closed for two miles in b..

CIPP Lateral Sewer Rehabilitation: Does It Perform As Expected?

By Larry Kiest, Jr. A major challenge faced by nearly every utility is how to address its aging underground infrastructure. Sewer pipes are failing from coast to coast as America finds itself on a fast track to replace or renew sewer collection systems. A major driving force is the mandate set fort..

Parked Car Falls into Hole Formed When Old Water Pipe Breaks

MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — A major water main break has opened up several holes on a New Hampshire street, and a parked car has fallen into one of them. WMUR-TV reports the empty car was lifted out of the hole in Manchester just before 9 a.m. Wednesday. Officials say the water pipe broke just after 5 ..