Telecommunications

Sanitary Sewer Overflows May Be Linked to Outdated Technology, Faulty Inspections

Electro Scan Inc. recently informed the California Environmental Protection Agency, State Water Resources Control Board, and the Office of Enforcement that sanitary sewer overflows experienced by California cities and counties may be due to reliance on older visual-based technologies and faulty insp..

World's Largest Tunnel-Boring Machine Reaches End of Long, Troubled Journey

SEATTLE (AP) — The world’s largest tunnel-boring machine broke through a concrete wall beneath Seattle on Tuesday to reach the end of its long, troubled journey, a milestone in a multibillion-dollar project to replace an aging highway hugging the city’s waterfront. Critics of the effort to build an..

Power-to Gas Tech Could Be Used in NatGas Pipelines, Increase Renewable Energy

In a partnership with University of California, Irvine researchers, Southern California Gas Co. earlier this week announced that new research on power-to-gas technology shows the technique holds the ability to dramatically increase the use of intermittent renewable energy. “The ability to increase ..

250 Miles of Fiber-Optic Cable Installed in Alaska

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — An Anchorage-based telecommunications company has recently finished installing 250 miles of fiber-optic cable connecting two communities in Alaska as part of a larger project to improve communications between Europe and Asia using the underwater cables. The Fairbanks ..

Company Helps Water Utilities Identify Leaky Pipes

FlowNetworx, an affiliate of LB Water Service, Inc., is helping U.S. water utilities find and pinpoint leaks in their distribution networks within a foot of the source, without having to dig large trenches or disrupt service to customers. The company offers leak detection, leak pi..

Research and Markets Adds Water infrastructure Repair Tech Report

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the “Water Infrastructure Repair Technologies: Global Markets” report to their offerings. The scope of the market analyzed in this report includes water infrastructure repair technologies used in global drinking water distribution and wastewater co..

FTTH Council is Now the Fiber Broadband Association

FTTH Council President & CEO Heather Burnett Gold has announced that the association has launched a modernized brand that better reflects the evolution and makeup of the industry the organization represents and the consumer services its members deliver. The new brand and descriptor is “Fiber Broadba..

Companies Install First Intelligent Wastewater Pumping System in North America

Xylem and DC Water today announced they have successfully completed the first installation of Xylem’s Flygt Concertor, the world’s first wastewater pumping system with integrated intelligence, in North America.  The Flygt Concertor significantly advances the sustainability of the wastewater sector b..

M-I SWACO Drilplex HDD Inorganic Viscosifier

M-I SWACO, a Schlumberger company, offers Drilplex HDD inorganic viscosifier, specially engineered for water-based bentonite drilling fluids to accommodate both maxi and mini HDD rigs. Drilplex HDD allows the formulation of fluids with shear-thinning properties, resulting in a drilling fluid with bo..

Water Research Foundation Releases RFPs for 11 Projects

The Water Research Foundation has released Requests for Proposals for nine new research projects funded under the Focus Area Research Program. Two additional RFPs, for projects under the Emerging Opportunities and Tailored Collaboration Research Programs, are also available. All RFPs are available a..

Few Ohio Water Suppliers Miss Deadline for Lead Pipe Maps

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — Ohio regulators say nearly all of the state’s public drinking water systems have turned in maps showing where they still have lead pipes. The state’s Environmental Protection Agency said last week that about half of the drinking water suppliers were in danger of missing a dead..

Shore Approaches For Fiber Optics Cable In Arctic Conditions

By Brian “Butch” Webb and Zachary Casey A communications company is installing a subsea fiber optics cable from Europe to Asia around North America through the Beaufort and Bering Seas. At various points along the main line, branching units are installed to allow for branch legs to be laid to vario..

CETCO VELOXITY-PRO Drilling Fluid Improves Cuttings Removal

CETCO’s newest drilling fluid has been created to improve cuttings removal, as well as circulation. This high-quality bentonite drilling fluid increases viscosity and lowers fluid loss. VELOXITY-PRO mixes quickly and easily in freshwater and will improve borehole stability. This NSF/ANSI Standard 60..

TRU-BORE Designed For Difficult Drilling Operations

TRU-BORE® is a highly concentrated bentonite based drilling fluid designed for difficult drilling operations in both vertical and horizontal borings. It is extremely effective high performance viscosifier for horizontal drilling applications to maintain hole integrity during pullback. It is non-toxi..

ePIPE® Technology Awarded 17th U.S. Patent

Pipe Restoration Technologies, LLC, makers of the ePIPE®, Lead-Free Leak-Free, LeadSmart™ product lines, has been granted its 17th U.S. patent, #9555453, related to its ePIPE System of “in-place” pipe restoration against leaks, harmful lead leaching and lead service lines. “ePIPE is providing super..

CUES New Easy Grout Computerized Grout Control System

CUES offers a full line of portable, truck, and trailer mounted grout rehabilitation systems for mainline, manhole, and lateral joint sealing with the latest CCTV equipment and decision support software. Its new Easy Grout computerized grout control system is designed to consolidate all the valves, ..

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..

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..

Bernsten Solution For Marking Underground Assets Wins Award

Berntsen International Inc.’s InfraMarker solution for marking underground assets and linking asset data to real-time GIS monitoring has received the Geospatial World Excellence Award for Technology Innovation. The award was presented by the 2017 Geospatial World Forum, which highlights the value a..

SPIDER Manhole Inspection Scanner Provides New Perspective

CUES, a leading manufacturer of closed-circuit television pipeline inspection equipment, has introduced an innovative new wireless manhole scanning technology called the SPIDER scanner. The SPIDER scanner is the only truly wireless, color, manhole inspection technology in such a lightweight and com..

Armtec to Invest Millions in Large Diameter HDPE Pipe

Armtec is investing millions of dollars in equipment to manufacture large diameter high density polyethylene storm sewer pipe for the public and private infrastructure markets across Canada. The equipment will produce flexible pipe with bell and gasket joints, and will be certified to the appropriat..

Questions About The Future Of Wind And Solar Energy Industry

By Robert Carpenter, Editor-in-Chief There was a vast array of blinking, red lights against a sea of darkness. The night skies of north central Oklahoma were filled with these lights, and additional fields of blinking yellow lights extended into other areas across the plains of Oklahoma. The eerie ..

Xylem Announces Godwin Field Smart Technology

Xylem’s Godwin Field Smart Technology (FST) and Godwin PrimeGuard 2 controller provide contractors with crucial pump operating data from a remote location that can significantly reduce or eliminate the need for expensive, onsite personnel to monitor pumps manually. Xylem’s Godwin PrimeGuard 2 is a ..

ARCOS Unveils Technology to Help Utilities Track Crews in Real Time

At the 14th annual ARCOS Conference, ARCOS® LLC announced it is adding Location Services technology to its Software-as-a-Service solutions to map the real-time location of utility crews. With Location Services, utility managers can continuously track users of the ARCOS Mobile app and store their loc..

Maine Utility Regulators to Consider $1.5B FairPoint Sale

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Maine utility regulators are ready to delve into details of the proposed $1.5 billion sale of FairPoint Communications, the country’s eighth-largest phone and internet company. Consolidated Communications, based in Illinois, announced in December it was buying FairPoint, assum..

Contract for Water Pipeline Condition Assessment Extended

The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission has extended its contract with Echologics for pipeline condition assessment services for an additional one-year term. This is the second extension of the contract between WSSC and Echologics. Echologics, a Mueller Technologies company, has assessed more t..

Fiber Installation in Charlotte Causes $700,000 in Damage

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Officials in Charlotte have sent nearly $700,000 in repair bills to crews installing new broadband network lines across the city for AT&T and Google Fiber. The contractors are digging up areas across Charlotte to install the lines needed for the new service that promises inte..

Survey Shows Utilities' Cybersecurity Not Keeping Up with Technology

An overwhelming majority (89%) of power and utility executives say their cybersecurity function does not fully meet their organization’s needs, according to the EY Global Information Security Survey 2016-17. That number continues to rise compared with last year (86% in 2015) as companies struggle t..

Company Helps Cities Fight Sewer Problems

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — As the city faced a 100-year torrential rainfall last August, technology inside the combined storm sewers did its job of minimizing the amount of raw sewage that flowed into the river. The work of EmNet, a company formed in South Bend under a partnership with the city, the U..

Melfred Borzall FastBack System For Direct Pullbacks

Melfred Borzall’s FastBack is a new system for direct pullbacks without removing the drill head or installing a backreamer.  FastBack is a complete system and ideal for fiber installation, where access and space is often a concern. It enables the driller to do several bores a day and allows for mult..