Pipeline Construction

California to Require Utilities to Plug Gas Leaks Big and Small

LOS ANGELES (AP) — California regulators adopted a stricter rule Thursday that requires utilities to plug leaks in natural gas lines. The rule adopted by California Public Utilities Commission aims to cut 40 percent of the potent greenhouse gases emitted from leaking pipes and gas distribution syst..

Technology Helps Utility Reduce Methane Emissions from Pipeline

Southern California Gas Co. recently used innovative gas capture technology to empty natural gas from a permanently abandoned pipeline in Santa Clarita, Calif.  The special process enables gas to be saved for later use while eliminating noise and emissions that occur in the traditional venting metho..

Southwest Research Institute Patents New Pipeline Inspection Technology

The Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has patented a new technology to inspect coatings of pipelines installed through horizontal directional drilling. The technology can identify both the extent and the configuration of any damage to the coating that occurs during HDD installation,” said Dr. Pav..

Gas Pipeline Project Expected to Cause Traffic Delays in New Mexico

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) – A utility company will be realigning a six-mile stretch of natural gas pipeline along New Mexico State Road 68, causing traffic delays in the height of the Rio Grande tourist season. The Santa Fe New Mexican reported (http://bit.ly/2s5GBmo ) Wednesday New Mexico Gas Co. plans ..

Judge: Redo Part of Analysis for Dakota Access Pipeline

FARGO, N.D. (AP) — A federal judge has handed a lifeline to efforts to block the Dakota Access pipeline, ruling Wednesday that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers didn’t adequately consider the possible impacts of an oil spill where the pipeline passes under the Missouri River. U.S. District Judge Jam..

Eversource Starts Pipeline Construction Project in Connecticut

Eversource Energy has started construction on a multi-phase project that will improve the reliability of the company’s natural gas distribution lines in Connecticut The company will invest $14 million in 2017 on the first phase of a 17-mile-long project that, once completed, will connect existing g..

Wisconsin Lawmakers Scale Back Lead Pipe Replacement Program

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Legislators have scaled back a bill that would create grants and loans to help people replace lead water pipes. The bill would allow water utilities to provide grants or loans to people subject to local government and state regulators approval. The utilities would be allowed to..

Raleigh's Millbrook Road Reopens After Sinkhole Repair

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A major road in Raleigh has reopened after sinkhole repairs. The News & Observer reports (http://bit.ly/2shyOn9 ) that Millbrook Road reopened on Saturday afternoon after repairs to the sinkhole that opened on May 31. The hole was between eight and 12 feet wide. Workers repla..

West Virginia's Senators Urge Appalachian Natural Gas Hub

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia’s U.S. senators have introduced legislation intended to help establish a major natural gas storage and distribution hub in the Appalachian region. Their legislation would designate it a “critical energy infrastructure” project, which they say would make ..

McElroy Releases New DataLogger® 6

McElroy has released the new DataLogger® 6, an Android-powered tablet that makes collecting and analyzing data on fusible pipeline projects easier than ever before. The DataLogger® 6 offers a modernized touchscreen interface and easy-to-navigate software system with on-screen instructions. Fusion o..

Keeping French Broad Clean Sometimes Takes Dirty Work

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Clad in waders and heavy boots, Hartwell Carson carefully lowered himself into a deep storm drain along Roberts Street in the River Arts District on Thursday, just a few blocks from the French Broad River. As French Broad riverkeeper for the nonprofit environmental group Moun..

Texas Town Receives Nearly $5 Million for Replacement of Water, Wastewater Pipelines

The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) has approved, by resolution, financial assistance in the amount of $4.81 million, consisting of a $2.2 million loan and $200,000 in loan forgiveness from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund and a $2.4 million loan from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund..

Dallas Gets $330 Million to Finance Water, Wastewater Pipeline Replacement Projects

The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) has approved financial assistance in the amount of $330 million, consisting of a $220 million multi-year loan from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund and a $110 million multi-year loan from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, to the city of Dallas to h..

Company to Build Water Pipeline in the Delaware Basin

Layne Christensen Company today announced its new energy infrastructure business and the construction of a new high-capacity water pipeline and infrastructure system to serve energy producers in the Delaware Basin of West Texas. “This infrastructure business is an expansion of our water-focused pla..

Artesian Water Company Purchases Fort DuPont Water System

Artesian Resources Corporation’s principal subsidiary, Artesian Water Company, has closed on its purchase of water assets in the Fort DuPont Historic District, New Castle County, Delaware. The acquisition includes over $1 million of investment for the purchase of the existing water treatment plant,..

Lawmakers Tout Plan to Ensure Safe Drinking Water in Schools

HACKENSACK, N.J. (AP) — Two federal lawmakers from New Jersey are touting legislation that would help schools test water for lead and replace outdated water infrastructure. Sen. Cory Booker and Rep. Josh Gottheimer were at Hackensack High School on Monday to discuss the proposed “Get the Lead Out o..

Washington Town's Water Safe to Drink Again After Contamination

AIRWAY HEIGHTS, Wash. (AP) — Officials in the Spokane suburb of Airway Heights on Thursday said city tap water is now safe to drink, more than three weeks after tests found chemical contamination. On May 16, residents were told not to drink city water or use it to cook after tests by nearby Fairchi..

Environmental Groups Sue over Pipeline Permitting Decisions

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – Several environmental groups are suing the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality over part of the permitting process for two proposed natural gas pipelines. The Dominion Pipeline Monitoring Coalition, Bold Alliance and Preserve Craig Inc. filed suit this week in Richmond..

Top Virginia Environmental Official Defends Pipeline Reviews

BOLAR, Va. (AP) — Virginia’s top environmental official insists the state is going “above and beyond” in evaluating the water quality impacts of two proposed natural gas pipelines. Department of Environmental Quality Director David Paylor made the comments in an interview with The Associated Press ..

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..

Illinois Town Starts Second Year of Water-loss Reduction Program

ROCKFORD, Ill. (AP) — Rockford has 1.3 billion gallons of water it cannot account for each year. The Rockford Register Star reports (http://bit.ly/2ssgynG ) that city workers will embark this week on the second year of a program to reduce water loss. Rockford’s water division in 2016 pumped and tr..

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..

Officials: $70 Million Bond Sold to Help Fix Sewer Line

FRASER, Mich. (AP) — A $70 million bond has been sold to help pay for repairs to a sewer line that collapsed and caused a sinkhole north of Detroit. Macomb County officials say Wednesday that the bond will cover most of the $75 million cost. About $5 million from the state also will be used f..

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..

Proposed Fine on Pipeline Builder Increased in Wetland Spill

CANTON, Ohio (AP) — Ohio’s environmental watchdog agency has raised the proposed penalty against a company building a high-pressure natural gas pipeline across the state after tests found diesel fuel in samples taken from the 2 million gallons of drilling mud that spilled into a wetland in April. T..

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 ..

Dakota Access Operations Begin

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The $3.8 billion Dakota Access pipeline began shipping oil for customers on Thursday, as Native American tribes that opposed the project vowed to continue fighting. Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners announced that the 1,200-mile line carrying North Dakota oil through South..

Pipeline Developer Under Investigation for Alleged Construction Violations

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The developer of the Dakota Access oil pipeline, which is expected to begin shipping oil to contractors on Thursday, will face scrutiny later this summer over whether it violated North Dakota rules during construction. North Dakota’s Public Service Commission is looking ..

TRC Companies to Supply Real-Time Data for Pipeline Construction Project

TRC Companies, Inc. has received a $2.5 million contract to provide engineering and construction support to PSNC Energy for its 40-mile Franklin and Wake County Extension Project in North Carolina. “TRC has been honored to serve PSNC Energy for several years, and we are excited to support its work ..