Water

Breaking Records in a Conservation Park

Watercare Services of New Zealand engaged McConnell Dowell and McMillen Jacobs to increase the outfall capacity for its Army Bay Wastewater Treatment Plant. The project involved installing a new wastewater outfall, upgrading the existing pump station and building a new ultraviolet disinfection facility.

Hard Work, Vision Bring Success to Great Lakes Fusion

As the owner of Great Lakes Fusion, Marks’ company specializes in all facets of landfill construction: excavation, drilling and HDPE pipe fusion services for pipe up to 65-inches and installation of methane and leachate collection systems. He’s also diversified by starting related companies.

Plastic Pipes 2020 Conference Goes to the Netherlands

The Plastic Pipes Conference Association (PPCA) announced that Amsterdam, The Netherlands, is the location for the next conference and exhibition, Plastic Pipes XX, Sept. 21–23, 2020.

Pennsylvania American Water Expands Wastewater Footprint with Acquisition of Municipal Sewer System in Chester County

Pennsylvania American Water, a subsidiary of American Water, announced today that it has acquired the wastewater system assets of Sadsbury Township in Chester County for a purchase price of approximately $8.6 million. The transaction marks Pennsylvania American Water’s second acquisition to close under recent legislation that allows municipalities to sell water and wastewater systems for a price based on the fair market value of the system.

Call or Click for Safe Digging

Calling 811 before any digging begins starts the process of identifying and marking buried utility lines in the United States and preventing the damage, service disruption, injuries, potential fines and costly repairs that result from unintentionally hitting them.

L.A. Wants to Spend $8 Billion to Recycle All of Its Wastewater by 2035

The City of Los Angeles is considering a wastewater reclamation project that could end up supplying one-third of the city’s water by 2035.

Florida Utility Warns Customers to 'Think before They Flush' in Spoof Horror Movie Trailer

In an effort to educate its customers about a widespread and costly issue lurking beneath city streets, Florida utility company JEA created a mock horror movie trailer warning customers that “what goes down, might just come back up.”

New Jersey Raises Protective Status of 749 miles of Waterways

New Jersey is adding 749 miles (1,205 kilometers) of rivers and streams to its inventory of waterways that have a high level of protection from pollution and development.

Utility Denies Water Pollution Allegations

A utility is denying allegations by two environmental groups that it polluted a river with heated wastewater from a coal-fired power plant in New Hampshire.

Maryland Stormwater Partnership Ahead of Schedule, Under Budget

A stormwater partnership between Prince George’s County, Maryland and Corvias reported it has completed its initial pilot phase ahead of schedule and under budget.

Infrastructure Funding Chances, Opportunities Looking Up in 2019

It's uncertain whether infrastructure legislation will be approved in 2019, but the good news is that any bill will likely include water projects. This was not the case last year, when spending talk centered on roads and bridges instead of water and sewer construction.

22nd Annual Municipal Sewer/Water Infrastructure Survey

Underground Construction's exclusive annual survey revealed stronger budgets for many cities and growing expectations for a prolonged, stronger economy – but municipal personnel remain cautious.

Feds Fund Houston-Area Stormwater Tunnel Feasibility Study

The Harris County Flood Control District, whose systems were overwhelmed by Hurricane Harvey in 2017, is set to begin a $400,000 study into the feasibility of constructing large-diameter, deep underground stormwater conveyance tunnels.

ISCO Acquires A.H. McElroy

Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink.

American Augers/Trencor Launch New Website

American Augers/Trencor, a Charles Machine Works company and leading manufacturer of horizontal directional drills, auger boring machines and large-scale trenchers and surface miners, launched a newly designed website. Bringing together the two brands with the message – “Two Brands. One Commitment” ..

Detailed Planning Helps Resolve Leak on Critical CWA 102-Inch Line

Greg Henry, P.E., LAN  |  Greg Olinger, P.E., CWA A major component of the Texas Coastal Water Authority (CWA) is the Lynchburg Pump Station and three, large-diameter pipeline distribution systems that make up the Trinity River Water Distribution System. These three pipeline distribution systems, k..

Cleaning, Preparation for Water Main Lining Rehabilitation

Second in a 3-Part Series EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the second of a three-part series on pressure pipe presented by the NASSCO Pressure Pipe Committee. There will be an in-depth program track on these topics and more at UCT, Jan. 29-31, 2019, in Fort Worth, Texas. Every water main rehabilitation proje..

LAN to Design Major East Texas Utility Project

The City of Tyler, Texas, selected civil engineering firm Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, Inc. (LAN) to design improvements to two of its major sanitary sewer basins. The East Texas city’s wastewater collection system includes more than 690 miles of sewer mains ranging in sizes from 6-inches to 54-inch..

Aqua America to Acquire Peoples in Merger of Water, Gas Utilities

Water and wastewater utility Aqua America said it agreed to acquire natural gas utility operator Peoples in a $4.2 billion deal to create a company that is “uniquely positioned to have a powerful impact on improving the nation’s infrastructure reliability.” The combined company would have $10.8 bil..

San Angelo Unveils Concho River Water Supply Plan

The City of San Angelo has identified the leading option for its next water supply and taken the first step toward its development. The Concho River Water Project is a move to extend San Angelo’s sources beyond its lakes and the Hickory Aquifer. It will do so by adding a reliable and sustainable so..

Virginia Tech SWIM Center Offers Water Infrastructure Certificate, Conference

The Virginia Tech Sustainable Water Infrastructure Management (SWIM) Center is offering the Digital One Water Smart Utility Water conference, Dec. 5-6, at its Research Center in Arlington, Va. Addressing one of the most pressing societal needs over the next several decades, the conference will focu..

Using Risk to Drive Pipeline Integrity Programs

Jennifer Steffens, P.E.  |  NASSCO Pressure Pipe Committee The management of critical infrastructure is a major challenge for water and wastewater utilities as populations increase, available resources decrease, and pipelines need to be maintained, since wholesale replacement of these assets is not..

2018 Drilling Fluids Guide

BENTONITE Baroid Industrial Drilling Products, (281) 871-4613, baroididp.com Aquagel: Premium grade Wyoming sodium bentonite used as viscosifier and filtrate reducer in freshwater drilling fluids. Meets the requirements of API Specification 13A, Section 9. NSF/ANSI Standard 60 certified. Bore-Gel..

Rise of the Internet and Loss of the Human Touch

Robert Carpenter | Editor-in-Chief I’ve spent some frustrating times both calling companies and getting on their websites the past few years. Now, I’m getting downright infuriated – and that goes for both general markets and underground infrastructure companies. Quick, responsive customer service h..

Energy Web Atlas Launches World Pipeline Dataset

Gulf Energy Information has added the World Pipeline layer to its Energy Web Atlas (EWA), the ESRI-based GIS platform introduced earlier this year that tracks detailed data – including operators, shareholders, pipeline route and pipeline specifications – for more than 3,670 natural gas pipelines glo..

Vermeer Introduces MUD Hub Slurry Solidification System

The new Vermeer MUD Hub slurry solidification system helps control the costs, time and complexity of drilling fluid management. Using the Vermeer ST2000 slat tank and the Surface to Surface (STS) FL-243 solidification mixer, MUD Hub helps create stackable material for convenient transfer and disposa..

Update on Structural Design Methodology for Spray Applied Pipe Liners

To reduce emergency projects and impacts to the traveling public, departments of transportation (DOTs) can use spray-applied pipe linings (SAPLs) to renew deteriorated gravity stormwater conveyance conduits and culverts, provided they are discovered prior to loss of soil-structure interaction. An SA..

Challenges of Leak Detection on Produced Water, Crude Gathering Networks

Oil producers laid hundreds of miles of gathering pipelines to keep pace with the shale boom across North America from 2009 to 2017. As a result, produced water production has increased exponentially with oil and gas production. Produced water is a byproduct along with the oil and gas. Oil and gas r..

Mobile App Provides Information, Training for Contractors, Utilities

Verocomm Network has introduced a new mobile app that provides information and training content to employees in the field. The cloud-based Verocomm app is a secure, easy-to-use platform for delivering critical communications, training and safety on mobile devices, said Lawrence Martel, CEO of Aclip..

HDD Projects Help Connect Colorado Water Systems

In Colorado, the cities of Denver, Aurora and 10 South Metro water providers have formed a partnership that provides communities the opportunity to purchase, transport and treat available renewable water. Water Infrastructure and Supply Efficiency (WISE) is one of the first organizations of its kin..