Utility Infrastructure
New Jersey American Water Invests $5.8 Million In Water Mains
New Jersey American Water is investing more than $5.8 million in approximately 20,800 feet of new (ductile iron) pipe to replace water mains that were installed as far back as the 1920s. Construction and street restoration will be completed in the spring and summer of 2017. “With the installation o..
Utility to Pay $8.5 Million to Settle Suit Over Gas Blowout
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Southern California Gas Co. agreed Wednesday to pay $8.5 million to settle a lawsuit over a well blowout that spewed natural gas for nearly four months and drove thousands of residents from their Los Angeles homes. The utility signed an agreement with the South Coast Air Qu..
Corpus Christi Hires Water Director
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) — Corpus Christi has hired a new water director after supply issues including a chemical leak prompted a four-day water usage ban in December. City officials Monday announced the appointment of Clarence Wittwer as water director. Wittwer most recently served as deputy ass..
EPA Announces WIFIA Program For Financing Large Water Projects
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the new Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program that will provide long-term, low-cost credit assistance in the form of direct loans and loan guarantees to creditworthy water projects. WIFIA provides another option for ..
Sanitary District in Indiana Reaches Deal on Sewer Overflows
The district says it’s working with the town of Highland to finalize a similar agreement. “We learned lessons from other Indiana communities to make sure that we understand what projects would be required and ensure we had the maximum reasonable time possible to construct them,”..
Oklahoma Gas & Electric Named Utility Customer Champion
Market Strategies International has named Oklahoma Gas & Electric a Utility Customer Champion in its recently announced Utility Trusted Brand & Customer Engagement™ study. OG&E achieved the Utility Customer Champion designation after receiving a score of 745 on the ECR index, a score that pu..
Sentient Energy Expands Intelligent Analytics to Entire Distribution Grid
Sentient Energy, Inc. today announced its new Sentient ZM1™ zero amperage grid monitor for deployment on cellular and mesh networks. The Sentient ZM1 is the world’s first advanced line monitor that can be deployed on distribution lines even where no or very-low amperage is available to power monito..
Utilities Move to Save Merger Amid Criticism
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Missouri-based utility sought Monday to rescue its proposal to buy Kansas’ largest electric company amid strong criticism that their $12.2 billion deal is too rich and would create a larger but financially weakened firm with consumers on the hook for its problems. An attorney ..
Utility Improves Lead Testing
The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority (PWSA) is implementing a new streamlined process for handling lead test kit requests, which will improve the integration of lead test data gathered from the certified contract labs and enable PWSA to provide more accurate and timely feedback to customers. Eff..
Sewer District Awards $7.2 million for Infrastructure Improvements
Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District Trustees recently awarded $7.2 million to 12 communities as part of the agency’s newly-launched Member Community Infrastructure Program (MCIP). The MCIP assists communities with local infrastructure improvements — including new sewer infrastructure, repairs to..
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..
Pennsylvania American Water Kicks Off Scholarship Program
Pennsylvania American Water is now accepting applications for its 2017 Stream of Learning Scholarship Program to provide financial assistance to high school seniors who are planning to pursue careers in the water and wastewater industry. The program is designed to support outstanding students living..
Poisonous Manhole Fumes Claim Lives of 3 Utility Workers
KEY LARGO, Fla. (AP) — Three underground utility workers have died while investigating a sewage backup. According to Monroe County spokeswoman Cammy Clark, one of the men working for the county’s contractor, Douglas N. Higgins, went down a drainage manhole Monday morning to investigate why a newly ..
Utility to Replace Aging Gas Pipelines in Ohio
CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio (AP) – Dominion East Ohio has announced plans to replace more than 15,000 feet of the utility’s aging gas pipelines in Cuyahoga Falls. The Akron Beacon Journal reports (http://bit.ly/2jxff50 ) the work will be split up into two projects totaling more than $3 million. The proje..
Houston Public Works Director Unveils Sewer, Water Plans
Dale Rudick, director of Houston’s Public Works and Engineering Division, discussed the department, current projects and its upcoming, five-year capital improvement plan (CIP) at the Dec. 7 luncheon meeting of the Underground Construction Technology Association Gulf Coast Chapter. As director, Rudi..
Henkels & McCoy Opens Midwest Pipeline Division Office
Henkels & McCoy Inc., a national utility infrastructure construction company, has opened a new Midwest Pipeline Division office in Monee, IL, providing the same services of all its Pipeline Divisions, with an emphasis on integrity management projects. “With boots on the ground in this important Mid..
Officials Probing After Several Manholes Explode in Massachusetts Town
BROCKTON, Mass. (AP) — An electricity distribution company is investigating a series of manhole explosions in Brockton. Officials say firefighters found six manhole covers had blown off their bases early Monday. Fire shot up from the ground. At least two businesses had to evacuate. National Grid s..
America Will Lose One-Third of its Electricity Generation Capacity Without More Infrastructure
A new report released by Consumer Energy Alliance 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, titled “Families, Comm..
Interior Gas Utility Board Approves Merger
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — The board of directors for Interior Gas Utility has agreed to purchase Fairbanks Natural Gas from the state for more than $58 million. As part of the deal approved Tuesday, Interior Gas Utility would also get a processing plant in Point Mackenzie and transportation trucks. ..
Study Shows Feasibility of Large-Scale Regional Recycling Water Program
A new study has confirmed the feasibility of a proposed large-scale project to treat and purify wastewater and distribute it to groundwater basins across the region through a collaboration between the Metropolitan Water District and the Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County. The conclusion of ..
SoCalGas to Use Fiber Optic Technology to Monitor Pipelines in Real Time
Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas) will be one of the first natural gas utilities in the United States to incorporate innovative fiber-optic cable technology to detect impacts and leaks along its transmission and high-pressure pipeline system. The technology uses fiber-optic strands to tran..
Eversource Files Appeal Over Gas Pipeline Capacity Agreement
Eversource has filed an appeal with the New Hampshire Supreme Court to overturn a regulatory decision on the company’s proposal to purchase natural gas pipeline capacity to be used to create electricity. The additional gas would be made available by the expansion of an existing pipeline and used to ..
Water Council Establishes ICE Institute Focused On Technology
The Water Council, headquartered in Milwaukee, WI, launched a groundbreaking commercialization initiative that will match manufacturers, utilities and the agricultural industry with promising water and water-related technology research and innovations for advancement into the marketplace. The ICE (..
Houston To Build Massive Northeast Transmission Waterline
The city of Houston is building the 16.5-mile Northeast Transmission Waterline as part of its Surface Water Transmission Program (SWTP) to meet the region’s projected 2040 water demand. Ultimately, the waterline will provide up to 96 million gallons per day (MGD) to the city and 269 MGD to local wat..
New Year, New Hope For Underground Infrastructure
By Robert Carpenter, Editor-in-Chief Despite assurances for several years now by the President that our country’s economy was in great shape, I never bought into that. There always seemed to be a dark cloud following our markets. The November presidential election proved that many people of the Un..
Colorado Governor Fills Public Utility Commission Vacancies
PUEBLO, Colo. (AP) — Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper has appointed two people to fill vacancies on the Public Utilities Commission after the sudden resignation of two members. The Pueblo Chieftain reports (http://bit.ly/2j8LgNc ) that Commissioner Glenn Vaad and former Chairman Joshua Epel have ste..
Company Increases Use of Drones to Inspect Electric Transmission Lines
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Westar Energy is increasing the use of drones for such things as inspecting equipment, navigating remote areas and managing some emergencies, as the utility tries to improve safety and efficiency while also saving money, company officials said. Westar and Kansas State University..
Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp. Acquires the Empire District Electric Company
Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp. has announced that a subsidiary of Liberty Utilities Co., Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp. wholly-owned regulated utility business, successfully completed its acquisition of the Empire District Electric Company for an aggregate purchase price of approximate..
Unique Bypass Pumping Solution Provides Significant Savings For Memphis
The city of Memphis, TN, like all major cities across the U.S., is faced with aging infrastructure that requires constant attention and proactive initiatives for upgrades and rehabilitation. In September 2012, the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Tennessee Department of Environm..
Fitch Ratings: U.S. Water and Sewer Outlook Stable Despite Uncertain Regulatory Environment
Fitch Ratings has released the “2017 Outlook: Water and Sewer Sector.” According to the report, the 2017 rating for the municipal water and sewer sector is Stable. “Despite significant news this year related to lead water service lines in Flint, MI, the municipal water and sewer industry is otherwi..
- OSHA cites Florida contractors for trench safety violations at sewer and excavation sites
- Cadiz to reuse steel from terminated Keystone XL pipeline for California groundwater project
- Lynchburg, Va., breaks ground on largest-ever Blackwater CSO tunnel project
- Biden-Harris administration invests $849 million in aging water infrastructure, drought resilience
- The EPA announces $6.2 billion in funding for Iowa and Kansas water infrastructure