Pipeline Construction

Broken Sewer Main Leads to Big Spill in Maryland

ACCOKEEK, Md. (AP) — Officials say a broken sewer main at a wastewater treatment plant in Prince George’s County has caused more than 1 million gallons of wastewater to flow into a creek. The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission said in a statement that the break occurred Thursday afternoon at t..

Utility Recognizes Innovative Employees

Through its annual Innovation Awards program, Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corporation recently recognized 68 employees who implemented 41 improvement projects in 2016 that provided tangible benefits for Central Hudson and its customers. “Innovation is a core value at Central Hudson, and one our e..

Utility Saves 100 Million Gallons of Water in 2016

Maine Water announced that it pumped and treated 100 million fewer gallons of water in 2016 than it did the previous year, while still delivering the same amount of water to its customers. Judy Wallingford, president of Maine Water, said most water distribution systems across Maine and New En..

Broken Water Line Floods North Dakota Mall

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A broken water line has flooded a large portion of an indoor shopping mall in Bismarck. Mall officials told The Bismarck Tribune (http://bit.ly/2ls3viR ) the leak was detected quickly but the valves to shut off the water were frozen and closing them took two hours. ..

Corps Ignores Pleas To Restrict Pipeline Construction Permits

The Army Corps of Engineers turned back efforts by environmental groups to limit availability of nationwide permits (NWPs) that pipelines use when they want to build facilities that cross streams and tributaries but cause insubstantial environmental damage. The Corps issued its revisions to 50 NWPs ..

Corps to Grant Dakota Access Pipeline Easement

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The Army told Congress on Tuesday that it will allow the $3.8 billion Dakota Access oil pipeline to cross under a Missouri River reservoir in North Dakota, completing the disputed four-state project. The Army intends to allow the Lake Oahe crossing as early as Wednesday,..

North Carolina Water System Lifts Do-Not-Use Status

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — The water that serves North Carolina’s flagship university is safe to drink after a broken water main and problems at a water treatment plant forced the school to cancel classes and led restaurants and hotels to close, health and utility officials said Saturday. The Orange ..

Michigan Extends Emergency Declaration After Sewer Line Collapse

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan lawmakers have extended an emergency declaration for a county north of Detroit following the collapse of a sewer line that caused a sinkhole the size of a football field. The measure approved Wednesday means Macomb County and Clinton Township will remain under an emer..

Pittsburgh Water Problem Affects 100000

PITTSBURGH (AP) – Insufficient chlorine in Pittsburgh’s public water supply led to the closure Wednesday of nearly two dozen grade schools and a boil-water advisory in neighborhoods that include the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University. The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority ..

Companies Announce Pipeline Construction to Provide Carbon-Neutral Renewable Natural Gas

Southern California Gas Co. and waste management company CR&R Environmental have broke ground on construction of an eight-inch pipeline that will bring carbon-neutral renewable natural gas into the Southern California Gas distribution system for the first time. The connecting pipeline, funded by CR..

New York Water Tests Come Back Clean

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Statewide targeted sampling for two cancer-causing industrial chemicals found no new cases of drinking water contamination, New York health and environmental regulators said Tuesday. The Water Quality Rapid Response Team, led by the state’s health and environmental conservation ..

Broken Pipe Leaks 14,000 Gallons of Sewage

TITUSVILLE, Fla. (AP) – Authorities along the Space Coast say a broken sewer pipe accidentally released 14,000 gallons of raw sewage into a storm water system that flows into the Indian River Lagoon. Florida Today (http://on.flatoday.com/2kC0IX0) reported Friday that the sewer line broke on Tuesday..

Stuck Tunneling Rig to Cost Omaha $2.75M for Sewer Project

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Omaha will have to pay $2.75 million extra to complete one of its sewer overhaul projects because a tunnel boring machine got stuck. The Omaha World-Herald reports that the machine was 70 feet underground between the downtown Heartland of America Park and the Missouri River w..

Deal Diverts Some Sewage from Broken Pipe to Treatment Plant

FRASER, Mich. (AP) — Some sewage that normally flows through a now-collapsed suburban sewer pipe to a treatment plant in Detroit will be diverted to a separate facility northeast of the city. Macomb County Public Works officials said Friday that they reached an agreement to allow the sewage into th..

Illegal Dumping Clogs Utah Sewer System

OREM, Utah (AP) – The so-called “phantom dumper” has returned to Orem, once again clogging the city’s sewer system with fibrous sludge. Water Resources Division Manager Neil Winterton says someone has dumped fibrous gunk into Orem’s system three times in the past eight days. The dumping has been g..

Judge: PG&E Must Run Ads Publicizing Pipeline Safety Convictions

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal judge on Thursday sentenced California’s largest utility to pay a $3 million fine and run television commercials publicizing its pipeline safety convictions as punishment in a criminal case stemming from a deadly natural-gas explosion in the San Francisco Bay Area. U...

Officials: Sediment Reducing Sewage Flow Through Broken Line

FRASER, Mich. (AP) – Macomb County officials say sediment has cut the flow of sewage through a collapsed sewer line that caused a massive sinkhole north of Detroit. Residents and businesses in 11 communities along the 15 Mile Road sewer line are being asked to reduce the amount of water going down ..

New Jersey American Water Invests $1.8 Million for Main Replacement

Beginning this week, New Jersey American Water will be investing approximately $1.8 million in new water mains in its service area of Lakewood. The approximate 5,400 feet of new pipe replaces water main that was installed as far back as the 1920s. The aging 4-, 6- and 8-inch water lines will be repl..

Trump Names FERC Acting Chairman

President Donald Trump has named Cheryl LaFleur Acting Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. “It is an honor to again be asked to serve as Acting Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and I thank President Trump for the opportunity,” LaFleur said. “While I recognize ..

Missouri Utilities Push Law Change to Address Infrastructure

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri utilities want lawmakers to pass a law to help them get money more quickly from customers to pay for infrastructure improvements. Ameren Missouri and other utilities told a panel of state senators Wednesday that a proposed bill to recover costs would enable moder..

Providence Mayor Issues Plan for Improving Infrastructure

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — The mayor of Providence has unveiled a five-year capital improvement plan that calls for spending between $16 million and $34 million annually on repairs and infrastructure improvement projects in the city. The Providence Journal reports that Democratic Mayor Jorge Elorza’s ..

Utility Builds Smarter Sewer System

The Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati (MSD) is building a smarter sewer system that will help reduce sewer overflows into creeks and rivers. “Our smart sewer system is anticipated to save tens of millions of dollars in capital investments in projects to control sewer overflows,” sai..

Judge Delays Sentencing PG&E for Natural Gas Explosion

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal judge says he is inclined to require Pacific Gas & Electric Co. to mention its convictions in ads and have employees do thousands of hours of community service as part of its sentence in a criminal case stemming from a deadly natural gas explosion in the San Francisco ..

Flint Water Falls Below Federal Lead Limit

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Flint’s water system no longer has levels of lead exceeding the federal limit, a key finding that Michigan state environmental officials said Tuesday is good news for a city whose 100,000 residents have been grappling with the man-made water crisis. The 90th percentile of lead..

New Mexico County to Improve Water Infrastructure

AZTEC, N.M. (AP) — The northwestern New Mexico city of Aztec will spend $3 million on water infrastructure projects, including some intended to provide relief to residents who have had to boil their water for months. The Daily Times reports (http://bit.ly/2hROxV1 ) that the San Juan County Commissi..

Infrastructure Upgrades in Michigan Unlikely to be Speedy

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Flint’s man-made water crisis and a football field-sized sinkhole in suburban Detroit have exposed flaws in aging underground pipes that mostly are out of sight, out of mind for a public that is more attuned to the sorry state of Michigan’s roads. But a major influx of money f..

McElroy Partners with Netafim to Grow HDPE Equipment Business

McElroy and Netafim have joined forces to meet the demand for HDPE (high-density polyethylene) pipeline solutions serving the irrigation industry and the growing opportunities in potable water and natural gas. “We are excited about the many benefits McElroy machines will bring to our growing operat..

PG&E Found Guilty of Violating Pipeline Safety Regulations

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Pacific Gas & Electric Co. says it is prepared to pay the maximum fine of $3 million after a jury convicted the company of deliberately violating pipeline safety regulations before a deadly natural gas pipeline explosion in the San Francisco Bay Area. But California’s largest u..

NY Governor Seeks $2B to Fix Some of Nation's Oldest Pipes

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo wants $2 billion to address some of the nation’s oldest water and sewer systems — and while that sounds like a lot of money, it’s a drop in the bucket of what the state’s experts say is truly required. They say it would actually cost $80 billion in the..

Ohio Water Systems to Map Lead Pipe Locations by Spring

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — Ohio water systems are mapping where lead pipes are located at in the systems under a state law that requires a quicker notification process after lead is found at the tap. The law took effect in September and requires public water systems to alert residents within two days afte..