Pipeline Construction

Colorado Needs More People Monitoring Pipeline Safety

DENVER (AP) — State records show Colorado has only three people assigned to check on the safety of pipelines running from about 54,000 active oil and gas wells, a task that came under scrutiny after a leaking pipeline was blamed for a fatal house explosion. The Denver Post reported Sunday (http://d..

Groundbreaking Underground Electric Transmission Line Installed in California

Burns & McDonnell has completed construction of Southern California Edison’s Mira Loma-Vincent 500kV Underground Transmission Project in Chino and Chino Hills, California.   The project was one of the world’s first 500kV transmission lines ever installed underground and is the final link in Sou..

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..

API: Oil and Gas Infrastructure Could Create 1 Million Jobs

API has released a new study that shows private investment in U.S. natural gas and oil infrastructure could create more than 1 million U.S. jobs. API contracted with ICF to analyze the scope of the economic opportunity and the amount of oil and natural gas infrastructure development likely in the U..

DOE Awards 21 Energy and Water Infrastructure Contracts

The Department of Energy has awarded 21 new energy and water saving contracts to private-sector companies that will help improve the efficiency of federal facilities. These indefinite delivery indefinite quantity energy savings performance contracts are awarded to energy service companies that provi..

California Utility to Use Echologics Leak Detection Technology

San Jose Water Company has selected Echologics’ EchoShore®-DX leak detection technology to continuously monitor its pipeline network to help the utility measure and reduce water loss. “This is truly a game-changing smart technology that will become a critical part of our water loss control program ..

Report: Utilities to Increase Investment in Smart Water Technologies

According to a new report, “US Smart Water: Defining the Opportunity, Competitive Landscape, and Market Outlook,”  from Bluefield Research, the U.S. municipal water sector is projected to spend more than $20 billion on software, data, and analytics solutions over the next decade. As a result, more t..

Rockslides Damage Grand Canyon Water Pipeline

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. (AP) — Grand Canyon National Park officials say the North Rim will open as scheduled May 15 but some services will be limited while a water supply pipeline is repaired after being damaged by rockslides over the winter. Officials say trucks are hauling water to fill..

2 More Deaths Blamed on Flooding in Missouri

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Two more people were confirmed dead Tuesday after their vehicles were swept away by floodwaters in Missouri, bringing the death toll from sudden spring flooding in the state to at least five. The latest deaths occurred in an area of southeast Missouri where heavy rains pushed river..

Water Pipeline Project Receives Financing

Cadiz Inc. has entered into a strategic transaction with Apollo Global Management, LLC to initiate financial arrangements for the construction and implementation of the Cadiz Water Project. Under the terms of the transaction, Cadiz’s senior secured mortgage debt will be replaced and refinanced and $..

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 ..

Michigan City to Remove Hundreds of Lead Water Pipes

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) — More than 200 lead water pipes will be removed from a southwest Michigan city this summer. MLive (http://bit.ly/2oU9UII ) reports the Kalamazoo City Commission approved a nearly $850,000 construction contract on Monday with Rieth-Riley Construction Co. to replace the lines. ..

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..

PHMSA Raises Fines for Violations of Pipeline Safety Regulations

PHMSA has issued a Final Rule to alter its regulations and raise the maximum civil penalty amount for violations of federal pipeline safety law. According to the Final Rule, the maximum civil penalty for a single violation is now $209,002 for each day the violation persists, or $2,090,022 for a rel..

Lawmakers Don't Want Illinois' Water to Hit Rock Bottom

SPRINGFIELD (AP) – Lawmakers and environmentalists from parts of Illinois that rely on groundwater want tougher monitoring of porous rock quarries that are being “reclaimed” by filling them with construction waste, saying they want to regulate them to make sure drinking water doesn’t become contamin..

Plastics Firm to Pay for Water Design Work in Vermont Town

BENNINGTON, Vt. (AP) — A plastics company that once used a chemical that has been found in local private water systems is going to repay the state of Vermont about $760,000 for engineering studies of extending municipal waterlines to affected homes in Bennington and North Bennington. The chemical P..

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..

FERC Member Won't Pursue Another Term

WASHINGTON (AP) — One of the two remaining members of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission says she will not seek a second term, a move that could leave the five-member panel with a single commissioner and further hobble its ability to make decisions. Democrat Colette Honorable said Friday ..

$80 Million Infrastructure Bill Fails in Montana

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Montana lawmakers adjourned the 2017 legislative session Friday just like they did two years ago — failing to authorize bonds to pay for state infrastructure projects after negotiations collapsed and threats failed to sway intransigent legislators. The Montana House tried twice..

California American Water to Acquire Fruitridge Vista Water Company

California American Water has entered into an agreement to acquire the operating assets of the Fruitridge Vista Water Company for $20.75 million. Fruitridge Vista is a family owned Class B Water Utility in south Sacramento County and is regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission. Fruit..

Montana House Again Rejects Infrastructure Bonding Bill

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — The Montana House has voted down an $80 million infrastructure bonding bill after rejecting similar bills three times this session. However, representatives then voted Thursday to try another vote on the issue later. The House needed a supermajority of 67 votes to ap..

Last Chance for Infrastructure Bill in Montana

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — The Montana House will get one last shot at passing an $80 million infrastructure package Friday, with the Senate promising to adjourn the legislative session that afternoon with or without a bill. Gov. Steve Bullock, lawmakers and lobbyists have been scrambling to secure..

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..

Report Touts the Benefits of PVC Pipe for Sewer, Water Projects

Sustainable Solutions Corporation has released the Life Cycle Assessment of PVC Water and Sewer Pipe and Comparative Sustainability Analysis of Pipe Materials, the first comprehensive environmental review of underground piping systems in North America. Based on a 100-year life cycle assessment metho..

Pennsylvania School District To Close Wells, Use City Water After Lead Issue

BUTLER, Pa. (AP) – A western Pennsylvania school district is scrapping water wells and opting for city-treated water so it can reopen an elementary school shuttered after high levels of lead were found in its water. The Butler School District closed Summit Elementary School in February and moved pu..

Michigan County to Get $3 Million to Fix Sinkhole

LANSING, Mich. (AP) – The state of Michigan will give Macomb County $3 million to deal with a sinkhole in suburban Detroit. The agreement struck Tuesday among legislative leaders and Gov. Rick Snyder’s administration resolves a fight between the House and Senate over whether the aid should be a loa..

Report: Pipeline Incidents Drop 10% in 2016-17 Period

API, along with the Association of Oil Pipe Lines (AOPL), released the pipeline industry’s 2017-2019 Pipeline Safety Excellence Strategic Plan and 2016 Performance Report summarizing the industry’s track record on pipeline safety and highlighting the steps pipeline operators are taking to advance sa..

Texas County Receives Funding for Water Pipeline

The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) has approved $900,000 in financial assistance, consisting of a $70,000 note and $830,000 in loan forgiveness from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, to Nueces County on behalf of the Cyndie Park 2 Water Supply Corporation. The financial assistance will..