Utility Infrastructure
City OKs Sale of Water System to California American Water
The Bellflower City Council has approved the sale of the city’s municipal water system to California American Water. “We have a strong legacy and presence in the Los Angeles region where we’ve been providing water service for over 50 years,” said Rich Svindland, California American Water President...
EQT Appoints New Directors
EQT Corporation today announced it has has appointed Thomas F. Karam and Norman J. Szydlowski to the company’s Board of Directors, effective immediately. Karam has served as a senior executive and entrepreneur in the midstream energy sector for more than 25 years. He is the founder and Chairman of ..
New York Utility Crews Arrive in Puerto Rico to Help Restore Power
New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced more than 160 electric public and private utility experts and nearly 100 utility vehicles have arrived in Puerto Rico to assist with the recovery of its power grid caused by severe damage from Hurricane Maria in September. Governor Cuomo also announc..
Alaska Commission Rejects Canadian Firm’s Offer for Utility
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska’s utility regulator has turned down a Canadian firm’s offer to take over Alaska Electric Light and Power citing a legal technicality. The Juneau Empire reported Sunday that the Regulatory Commission of Alaska denied Ontario-based Hydro One’s application to acquire the e..
National Grid, Department of Energy to Collaborate on Grid Modernization and Energy Storage Research
National Grid and the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have entered into an agreement to work together on research in the areas of transmission grid modernization and energy storage technologies. The electricity industry is undergoing sweeping changes, inclu..
Firm Opposes Subpoena in Bribery Case Against Ex-Regulator
PHOENIX (AP) – A water company whose owner is charged with bribing a former Arizona utility regulator is opposing a subpoena that orders the Corporation Commission to turn over records as part of the criminal case. Lawyers for Johnson Utilities say the records are related to its rate case before th..
Utility Set to Meet with Officials About Buying Gas Company
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — A utility company’s representatives are scheduled to meet with state officials to work on the terms for buying a natural gas business that will bring service to more customers in the Fairbanks area. Interior Gas Utility Board Chairman Mike Meeks and recently appointed board..
Largest Public Tender Database for Water, Sewer Utilities Now Available
AquaSPE AG and H2bid have joined forces to make the largest public tender database for U.S. and Canadian water and wastewater utilities available on The Water Network. Effective immediately, contractors can visit The Water Network’s Business Exchange to view thousands of public tenders sorted by sp..
Oncor, Sharyland Complete Asset Exchange
InfraREIT, Inc. today announced the closing of the asset exchange transaction between the company’s subsidiary, Sharyland Distribution & Transmission Services, L.L.C. and Oncor Electric Delivery Company LLC, in which Sharyland Distribution & transmission Services exchanged its retail distributio..
Emera Announces Board Appointment
Emera Inc. today announced the appointment of Kent Harvey to Emera’s Board of Directors, effective immediately. Harvey is an accomplished executive with more than 30 years of experience at PG&E Corporation. After 33 years in progressively senior roles, he retired as Chief Financial Officer for PG&E..
SJW Group to Purchase Deer Creek Ranch Water System Assets
SJW Group’s wholly-owned subsidiary, SJWTX, Inc., has entered into an agreement to purchase Deer Creek Ranch Water Co., LLC’s water system assets. The system includes approximately 750 service connections over an area of 1,191 acres in Hays and Travis counties on the rapidly growing western fringe o..
American Water Names Brig. Gen. David Turner President of Military Services Group
American Water today named Brig. Gen. David Turner (retired) as the new president of the company’s Military Services Group (MSG), effective Nov. 20. Gen. Turner will replace Todd Duerr, who is leaving the business effective Jan. 1, 2018. “Todd has been a valued leader for the Military Services Grou..
Vermont Town Proposes Joint Venture Purchase of Telecom Utility
BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — Burlington officials have directed the two buyers vying for the city’s Burlington Telecom utility to figure out a joint venture proposal. The Burlington Free Press reports Councilor Ali Dieng proposed the joint venture Monday night after the two votes to decide a final buyer ..
Emera Makes Leadership Change
Emera Inc. today announced that Nancy Tower will become the President and Chief Executive Officer of Tampa Electric upon Gordon Gillette’s retirement on Nov. 30. “Gordon has played a key role in integrating Tampa Electric into the Emera group of companies, and he is leaving the organization well po..
6 Missouri Utilities to Share $120 Million in Federal Loans
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Six Missouri utilities will use nearly $120 million in federal loans to upgrade the infrastructure for electricity in rural parts of the state. The Missouri grants are part of $2.5 billion in loans the U.S. Department of Agriculture recently awarded for rural electricity projec..
Boil Water Notice Lifted in Rhode Island After Negative E. Coli Test
WESTERLY, R.I. (AP) — A boil water notice has been lifted in Westerly, after new testing no longer showed the presence of the E. coli bacteria. The Westerly Water Department lifted the notice on Friday, saying a problem well has been taken offline, and the entire system has been disinfected. ..
U.S. Grid Narrowly Escapes Apocalyptic Attack
The American grid security story grows increasingly grim. Last week, security consulting firm Symantec warned that recent cyberattacks gave hackers direct access to the nation’s power grid on multiple occasions, according to a new report by Wired. This time, not only the United States was exposed, ..
Samples Clear, but Pennsylvania Customers Told to Continue Boiling Water
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pennsylvania American Water says it’s detected no contamination in sampling conducted after the company told 100,000 customers to boil their water. The water company said Wednesday the boil advisory will remain in effect until it gets results from a second round of sampling. Penn..
What A U.S. Electric Grid Attack Looks Like
Modern life has a woven-in thread of vulnerability that is peculiar to our times: electricity. It’s the cardiovascular and nervous system of life across the world, more so in the Internet Age than even 30 years ago. If the nation lost electricity, it would cause an instant and lethal paralysis that..
More than 100,000 Pennsylvania Customers Told to Boil Water
PITTSBURGH (AP) — More than 100,000 Pennsylvania customers are being told to boil their water before using it. At least two school districts canceled classes Tuesday after Pennsylvania American Water issued the advisory for parts of southern Allegheny and Washington counties. The company advised r..
EPA Head Names Oil and Gas, Utility Executives to Science Advisory Boards
WASHINGTON (AP) — The head of the Environmental Protection Agency has named a slate of new members to federal science advisory boards, including several who work for chemical and fossil-fuel interests. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt announced his appointments Friday, after saying he would block sci..
Trenton Water Works Asks Customers to Use Less Water
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — The utility company that services Trenton is asking customers to use less water due to operational issues. The Trentonian reports the state Department of Environment Protection issued a release on Saturday requesting Trenton Water Works customers cut back on water use. Accordin..
Electric Utilities Band Together to Support Power Restoration in Puerto Rico
Following Tuesday’s request for assistance from Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) CEO Ricardo Ramos, senior executives from the electric power industry and federal government convened a call last night to discuss next steps for this new phase in the power restoration effort. ..
Audit Urges Changes to Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority
PITTSBURGH (AP) — A state audit is urging changes to the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority, saying years of mismanagement and lack of leadership have led to financial problems and deteriorating infrastructure. Auditor General Eugene DePasquale says the 82,000 city customers are “all too familiar..
Utility Settles Lawsuit with Former Manager out of Court
SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. (AP) — A Massachusetts municipal power company has settled a lawsuit brought by a former manager who claimed he was owed more than $600,000 in wages and benefits. The Daily Hampshire Gazette reports that Wayne Doerpholz, former manager of the South Hadley Electric Light Co., dec..
PG&E Appoints New Vice President for Power Generation
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) has appointed Jon Franke as its vice president, Power Generation, effective Nov. 1. Franke, who currently serves as vice president, Generation Technical Services, will now lead PG&E’s Power Generation organization as vice president, Power Generation, with res..
SUEZ Acquires Forest Park Water Group
SUEZ North America has completed the acquisition of the Forest Park Water Group, which serves approximately 4,000 people through 13 water systems in Putnam County and one system in Westchester County, New York. The water systems, which consist of 30 wells, serve mostly residential homes, condominium..
California Water Service Receives AWWA Larry C. Larson Safety Award
California Water Service has received the 2016-2017 Larry C. Larson Safety Award for Class IV utilities from the American Water Works Association’s (AWWA) California-Nevada Section. The award for Class IV utilities, or those with more than 500 employees, recognizes a large utility’s commitment to it..
Black & Veatch and Aeryon Labs Launch End-To-End Aerial Pipeline Inspection Solution for Utilities
Black & Veatch and Aeryon Labs have launched an end-to-end asset management inspection solution leveraging drone technology for global energy clients. Aeryon’s commercial unmanned aerial system (UAS) hardware, software and services enable the capture of critical infrastructure condition data that is..
$12 Million Water Treatment Plant Upgrades Move Power Lines Underground
Illinois American Water’s Interurban (Metro East) District, which serves the communities of East St. Louis, Granite City, Belleville and surrounding areas, has completed a significant upgrade at its East. St. Louis Water Treatment Plant. The approximately $12 million investment helps to enhance reli..
- Trench collapse kills one construction worker in Houston, Texas
- Intrepid Fiber breaks ground on fiber optic network in Superior, Colo.
- Excavator collides with I-95 overpass in Henrico, Va., causing multi-vehicle crash
- Shrewsbury, Mass., expands sewer inspections and cleaning efforts
- Construction worker killed in trench collapse near Prosperity, S.C.
- Final construction phase kicks off for Indianapolis deep rock tunnel
- Texas contractor penalized by OSHA for repeated trench safety violations
- Trench collapse kills one construction worker in Houston, Texas
- WES tunnel boring machine retrieved from Oregon river after seven-month project
- Illinois overhauls Peoples Gas pipeline program, mandates focus on high-risk pipes