Pipelines

$60 Million OK'd to Upgrade Water and Wastewater Systems Across New York

The New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation Board of Directors has approved nearly $60 million in grants and interest-free and low-cost loans to support vital drinking water and wastewater infrastructure projects across New York State. This funding will provide much-needed assistance for..

Detroit Lead Pipe Replacement Could Be Long and Costly

DETROIT (AP) — Detroit’s water chief said it could take decades and up to $500 million to remove underground water lines that could potentially threaten people’s health with lead. Water and Sewerage Department Director Gary Brown cited the figures this week at a national water conference held in Fl..

Pittsburgh Raises $1 Million to Address Lead Contamination

Pittsburgh Mayor William Peduto announced that the city has partnered with Peoples Gas and the Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority to invest $1 million to provide filters to every PWSA customer to reduce high lead levels in their drinking water. The city plans to offer the free filters to all homeow..

East Chicago Officials Say $56M is Needed for Lead Crisis

EAST CHICAGO, Ind. (AP) — East Chicago officials estimate the city needs at least $56 million to deal with its ongoing lead contamination crisis. Mayor Anthony Copeland submitted an inventory on Friday to Gov. Eric Holcomb about the resources needed to address the contamination in the Calumet neigh..

50 Wisconsin Lawmakers Sign Bill to Remove Lead Lines

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Almost 50 legislators from both parties have signed onto a measure that would let utility companies raise rates to help customers replace dangerous lead service lines. Still, its sponsor, Republican Sen. Robert Cowles of Green Bay, warned supporters at the bill’s Senate committ..

Many Ohio Cities May Miss Deadline on Mapping Lead Pipes

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — Many of Ohio’s public drinking water systems are in danger of missing a deadline requiring them to map out the locations of their lead pipes, the state’s Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday. Only about half the surveys from the nearly 1,900 public drinking water..

Willbros Wins Transmission Line Contract

Willbros Group, Inc.’s Utility Transmission & Distribution segment has been awarded a $37 million contract to construct a 110-mile transmission line for a new client. The company’s Chapman business unit will commence construction immediately and the project is expected to be completed by the end of..

Repairs from Macomb County Sinkhole to Take Until Thanksgiving

FRASER, Mich. (AP) – It likely will take until Thanksgiving to repair damage from a broken sewer line that caused a football field-sized sinkhole on Christmas Eve north of Detroit. Macomb County Public Works chief Candice Miller said Tuesday that the cost of the work would be determined Monday when..

Flint's Water Line Replacement to Take Until at Least 2019

FLINT, Mich. (AP) — The head of Flint’s water pipe replacement program says the city in Michigan hopes to finish the project in 2019. Retired National Guard Brig. Gen. Michael McDaniel coordinates the FAST Start initiative to replace lines that leached lead into homes and businesses. He made his co..

Pipeline Inspection Course Comes in Multiple Formats

Atlas API Training’s API 1169 training course for pipeline inspectors is now available in both online and on-site training programs. “The API 1169 will deeply impact the career paths of many inspection professionals, new pipeline construction projects, and pipeline safety margin both in North Ameri..

Denying Pipeline Expansions Will Raise Electric Rates, Cut Jobs, Jeopardize Energy Security

A new report released in January by the Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA) found that rejecting pipeline infrastructure would remove almost one-third of U.S. electricity generation capacity by 2030, dangerously raising electric rates nationwide, especially for poverty-stricken households. The report, t..

Technology Gives Utilities and Pipeline Operators Cost-Effective Way to Improve Safety

AyaWorks, a provider of effective pipeline safety and compliance management solutions for oil, gas and utility companies, has announced that their systems are approved and can be implemented immediately, in accordance with recent pipeline safety regulation amendments. The company offers utility com..

PHMSA Makes Some Positive Changes in Final Safety Rule

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) announced in January a number of changes in the pipeline safety laws in a final rule covering some of the provisions in the Pipeline Safety, Regulatory Certainty, and Job Creation Act of 2011. The key provisions dealt with the timefr..

Flint: More Corrosion Control Studies on Water Needed

FLINT, MI (AP) – Mayor Karen Weaver has told the Environmental Protection Agency that more corrosion control studies have to be done and Flint will need more than two years before the city can begin to supply its own water. The Flint Journal reports that the plan and a letter from Weaver were filed..

Mexican Sewer Spill Flares US Noses and Tempers

For more than two weeks, a stench of feces, ammonium and laundry detergent wafted through the air in the southwestern corner of the continental United States. Residents who contacted government offices got no answers. Finally, a U.S. official released a report that sparked a furious reaction: sewer..

Pipe Liners Club Of Tulsa Celebrates 70th Anniversary

The Pipe Liners Club of Tulsa is celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2017. To mark the event, Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum proclaimed Jan. 22-28 “The Pipe Liners Club of Tulsa Week.” Pipe Liners Club spokesman Terry Flynn, vice president of sales and marketing for Tulsa Rig Iron, said that “it just speak..

York Water to Expedite Replacement of Lead Service Lines

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission has approved a joint settlement with York Water Company for the immediate replacement of both company-owned and customer-owned lead service lines, with the total line replacement done at the same time and solely at the company’s cost. The Commission voted ..

Coalition Asks EPA to Act on Lead in East Chicago Water

EAST CHICAGO, Ind. (AP) — A coalition of community and environmental groups and law clinics has petitioned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to act immediately to protect East Chicago residents from lead in their drinking water. The petition Thursday from the NAACP, the Natural Resources Def..

Divers Repair Pipeline Leak that Caused Sewage Flow into Grand River

GRAND HAVEN, Mich. (AP) — Western Michigan officials say an estimated 2 million gallons of sewage flowed into the Grand River before a hole in an underwater pipe was repaired by divers. Grand Haven/Spring Lake Wastewater Treatment Plant Superintendent Dave Krohn says the leak was capped Tuesday mor..

Corpus Christi Gets $51 Million for Water Improvements

The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) has approved more than 51 million in financial assistance from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund to the city of Corpus Christi. The city will use the assistance to refinance water system improvements and could save approximately $8.2 million over the li..

California Cries Foul Over Mexico Sewer Spill

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Officials in Southern California are crying foul after more than 140 million gallons of raw sewage spilled into the Tijuana River in Mexico and flowed north of the border for more than two weeks, according to a report. The spill was caused Feb. 2 during rehabilitation of a sewage..

Bidding to Repair Mississippi Sewer System Begins

VICKSBURG, Miss. (AP) — Two companies have bid to begin repairs to Vicksburg’s 109-year-old sewer system, and it looks like costs will run over $1 million, said a city official. The Vicksburg Post reports (http://bit.ly/2lPi3Mj) that city public works director Garnet Van Norman told officials d..

New Jersey American Water Invests $3.1 Million in New Water Mains

Beginning this month, New Jersey American Water will invest $3.1 million in new water mains in Morris and Somerset counties. The project, which will take place in Bernardsville, Chatham Township and Mendham, includes approximately 10,700 feet of new pipe that will replace water main that was instal..

New Mexico Water System Contract Awarded

The Bureau of Reclamation awarded a four year, $91.9 million contract on February 22, 2017 to CDM Smith to design and build portions of the Pojoaque Basin Regional Water System in north-central New Mexico. The Pojoaque Basin Regional Water System was authorized by Congress as part of the Aamodt Set..

South Carolina Utility to Begin Water Main Rehab Next Week

Charleston Water System will begin the second phase of waterline rehabilitation projects in Downtown Charleston next week. The $2.4 million project involves using trenchless technology to rehabilitate approximately 2.5 miles of water mains.  While the mains are still structurally sound, mineral acc..

Louisiana Town to Hold Groundbreaking Ceremony for Water Project in March

The Town of St. Joseph will hold a groundbreaking ceremony on March 6 for the construction of the “Comprehensive Water Distribution System Replacement Project.” The project includes the installation of approximately 64,000 linear feet of new water lines and approximately 525 new water meters. This ..

Primoris Wins California Sewer Contract

Primoris Services Corporation has received a contract, valued at approximately $89 million, for the construction of a new sewer force main in Marina Del Rey from the City of Los Angeles. The contract was secured by Vadnais, part of the company’s West Construction Services segment. The scope of work..

Worker Killed in Sewer Trench Collapse

WEST NEWTON, Pa. (AP) – Authorities say a trench collapse at a western Pennsylvania property has killed a man working at the site. The Westmoreland County coroner’s office said 18-year-old Adam Skokut Jr. was installing a sewer pipe at about 9:30 a.m. Wednesday at the property in South Huntingdon T..

Ann Arbor Sinkhole Caused by Leaky Sewer Pipe

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Ann Arbor officials say a mysterious sinkhole along a city street is apparently being caused by a leaky sewer pipe. The sinkhole in the middle of a crosswalk was patched Tuesday by city crews and covered with an orange construction barrel, but additional repairs are planned ..

New York Lawmakers Propose Program for Crumbling Water Pipes

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Small upstate New York communities faced with dilapidated wooden pipes rumored to be more than 100 years old need state money to repair water system infrastructure on the verge of collapse, a group of lawmakers said Thursday. A bipartisan group of lawmakers joined officials in p..