Pipeline Construction

Aqua America to Spend $450 Million on Water Infrastructure in 2017

Aqua America today announced it plans to invest $450 million in 2017 to rebuild and replace water infrastructure. The company’s 2017 infrastructure investment plan includes replacing 150 miles of water mains across eight states, helping to save billions of gallons of water leaking from pipes and wa..

Oil Pipeline Opponents Going After The Money

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Opposition to the Dakota Access oil pipeline has persuaded some banks to stop supporting projects that might harm the environment or tread on indigenous rights, but calling the divest movement a success might be a stretch. It doesn’t appear to be hurting the ability of energy ..

Sewer Construction Project Underway in California

The Napa Sanitation District has commenced work on the 2017 Collection System Rehabilitation Project, which consists of rehabilitating and replacing 5.7 miles of aging sewer pipelines. “Our goal is to repair or replace a minimum of 2 percent of the system each year,” Napa Mayor and District Board C..

Peoria Pilot Project Keeping Water out of Sewer System

PEORIA, Ill. (AP) — A pilot project has kept over 600,000 gallons of rainwater out of Peoria’s sewer system. The city’s two-block Adams Street project uses rain gardens, permeable pavers and other techniques to retain water. The (Peoria) Journal Star (http://bit.ly/2qzw83b ) reports it has diverted..

Artifacts Discovered During Indiana Sewer Construction

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) — Bee Slough has been getting a lot of attention lately due to the major sewer infrastructure project underway in the area. And now Cultural Resource Analyst, Inc. has identified an archaeological site there. Andrew Martin and Aaron Harth, archaeologists for Cultural Resource ..

Houston Set for $3B Water Supply Pipeline, Treatment Project

HOUSTON (AP) — Any Houstonian who’s ever stalled out in a rush-hour gully washer, swatted mosquitoes on a humid summer afternoon or hauled soggy carpet to the curb after a neighborhood flash flood will be forgiven for thinking the supply of water is one thing they needn’t worry about. The Houston C..

Portland, Oregon Voters Weigh Tax Hike for School Lead Fix

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Voters in Oregon’s largest city are poised to vote on the biggest school bond in state history after a scandal over high levels of lead in the water at almost every Portland school. The $790 million spending package that would raise taxes to address the crisis has generated in..

San Diego Moving Ahead with Sewage-to-Drinking Water Plan

SAN DIEGO (AP) — San Diego officials say within five years, the city will be recycling sewage into drinking water. The San Diego Union-Tribune (http://bit.ly/2pCV6tG ) says the mayor and others backed the plan known as Pure Water San Diego before the California Coastal Commission on Wednesday. The..

New York OKs $62M in Grants, Loans for Local Water Projects

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York state is making $62 million available to help local governments upgrade their sewer systems and drinking water infrastructure. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the investments on Thursday. The money will go to eight different municipal governments in the form of grants..

Evergreen State College Center for Sustainable Infrastructure Releases Water Infrastructure Report

A group of 50 industry experts have come together from backgrounds in water supply, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure to develop a new report, A Northwest Vision for 2040 Water Infrastructure: Innovative Pathways, Smarter Spending, Better Outcomes. The report, released by the Evergreen State..

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..

Atlas Expands Pipeline Training Course Offerings

Atlas API Training has increased their suite of pipeline training programs to now consist of 84 courses focusing on petrochemical engineering, maintenance and inspection. The courses cover a wide range of subjects from drilling to refining. “Safety and proficiency are the hallmark of the Atlas bran..

Virginia City Selected for Sewer Inspection Pilot Program

Electro Scan Inc. has selected the City of Galax, Virginia for a complimentary pilot to find and measure sources of infiltration in their sanitary sewer system. The City of Galax was selected because of their unique project attributes, pipe locations and criticality, and financial need. The 2-day p..

Report: Puerto Rico Has Worst Drinking Water Violation Rate of Any U.S. Jurisdiction

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The U.S. territory of Puerto Rico has the worst rate of drinking water violations of any U.S. jurisdiction, with dangerous contaminants ranging from lead to disinfectants to coliform bacteria, an environmental group said Wednesday. Nearly the entire island was supplied ..

Judge Approves Partial Settlement in Water Lawsuit

DECATUR, Ala. (AP) — A federal judge has approved a partial settlement in a lawsuit over contaminated drinking water in north Alabama. The Decatur Daily (http://bit.ly/2q6ooEA ) reports that U.S. District Judge Abdul Kallon has approved a $5 million payment by Daikin America to end its part of the ..

$31 Million Awarded for Texas Water, Wastewater Projects

The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) has awarded more than $31 million in financial assistance for water and wastewater system projects. The projects receiving funding include: $2,333,300 to Rolling Hills Water Service for the replacement of water lines. $15 million to the Crystal Clear Spe..

President Trump to Nominate Two New FERC Members

President Trump has announced he intends to nominate Neil Chatterjee and Robert Powelson to fill existing FERC vacancies, for terms expiring June 30, 2021, and June 30, 2020, respectively. Chatterjee currently serves as energy policy advisor to United States Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell o..

Ohio EPA Fines Pipeline Builder

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio’s environmental regulators have issued a $430,000 fine against a company building a natural gas pipeline from West Virginia to Michigan. The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency says the fines stem from water and air pollution violations at a number of locations. State o..

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 ..

Oklahoma Passes Law Against Pipeline Trespassing, Vandalism

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma has adopted a law that imposes steep fines or prison time against people convicted of trespassing at a critical infrastructure facility to impede operations. The Oklahoman reports that the measure went into effect Wednesday after being signed by Gov. Mary Fallin. Anyo..

North Rim Highway to Reopen; Pipeline Fixed

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. (AP) — The highway to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon is scheduled to reopen May 15 following its annual winter closure. The Arizona Department of Transportation announced the scheduled reopening of State Route 67 as a Grand Canyon National Park spokeswoman..

AWWA Encourages 'Getting to Know and Love' Tap Water During Drinking Water Week

The American Water Works Association and water professionals across North America are kicking off Drinking Water Week today with the theme “Your Water – To Know It Is To Love It.” AWWA and the water community will celebrate Drinking Water Week by recognizing the vital role water plays in daily live..

Flooding Wreaks Havoc in Idaho

GARDEN CITY, Idaho (AP) — Flood water continued to run onto more streets along the Boise River in Garden City, Idaho over the weekend. KTVB-TV reports (http://bit.ly/2pnYysV ) that with the river already above flood stage, an uprooted tree fell into the water on Friday. Since then, it moved s..

Arkansas Capitol to Close for Sewer Line Repairs

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – Sewer line repairs at the Arkansas state Capitol will require the building to be closed for at least a weekend, and perhaps for several weeks. Officials in Secretary of State Mark Martin’s office told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (http://bit.ly/2pVGmrm ) that the sewer lin..

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..