Water
Pretty Means Nothing When Infrastructure is Crumbling Underneath
by Robert Carpenter, Editor-in-Chief Brown or blackish water comes out of the sink, toilets back up, the television is nothing but snow, internet is down or there’s no signal for cell phones (millennials shudder at the thought). This dark vision is actually happening in one U.S. city and unfortunat..
Customers Experience New Equipment, Technology at Annual Seminar
Customers worldwide traveled to the Perry, Okla., headquarters of Ditch Witch, a Charles Machine Works Company, to participate in the annual Equipment Seminar in April. More than 300 dealership employees and their customers experienced an up-close look at customer-driven equipment enhancements and n..
Water Infrastructure Improvements Forecasted at $683 Billion by 2027
Capital expenditures (CAPEX) for U.S. municipal water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure will exceed $683 billion over the next decade, according to new forecasts from Bluefield Research. Improvement plans demonstrate a wide range of capital needs, but distribution and collection networks fo..
NineStar Connect to Acquire Gem Water Utility, Expand Fiber Service
NineStar Connect, a smart utility providing water, sewer, electric and high speed fiber services, has entered into an agreement with the town of Cumberland to acquire Gem Water Utility, which the town has owned since 2010. Gem Water serves approximately 500 water customers in a territory that lies b..
Regulators Order Changes at North Mississippi Water Utility
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi utility regulators are ordering changes in a rural water association. The move came after residents complained about water quality and other issues with Lafayette County’s 850-customer Punkin Water Association. The Oxford Eagle reports Northern District Commissione..
Pittsburgh Will Add Chemical to Water to Reduce Lead Risk
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh officials have received approval from the state to add a chemical to its water supply to help reduce lead contamination. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority will start adding orthophosphate to its water in August. The chemical ..
Michigan Plans $1.7M Water Survey for Chemical Contaminants
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan is planning a $1.7 million survey for certain kinds of industrial chemical contaminants in water supplies around the state. The chemicals are known as PFAS, which stands for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. Unsafe levels have been detected in lakes and drinking wa..
$23 Million Awarded for Water Projects in Texas
The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) has approved financial assistance in excess of $23 million from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund for the following pipeline construction projects: $22 million from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund to the Johnson County Special Utility Distric..
Crews Seal Sinkhole at Florida Fertilizer Plant
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) – Crews have sealed a giant sinkhole that opened up beneath a fertilizer plant waste pond nearly two years ago sending millions of gallons of polluted water into Florida’s main drinking water aquifer. A spokeswoman for facility owner Mosaic told The Tampa Bay Times that the hole at..
WSSC Awards Contract to Transform Sewage into Renewable Energy
The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) has approved the first phase of a $250 million project that will turn poop to power by transforming sewage into renewable energy. The $44 million contract awarded to PC Construction Company will allow WSSC to begin design and early construction of ..
Flint Implements Programs to Keep Water Fund out of the Red
FLINT, Mich. (AP) — Flint officials are implementing several collection and restoration programs to keep its water fund solvent as the city attempts to rebound from a lead-tainted water crisis. Extending a trial water fee collection period and issuing water liens are part of Flint Chief Financial O..
Broken Pipe Disrupts Water Service in Southern Illinois
BENTON, Ill. (AP) — A broken water main in southern Illinois has left several cities short of water, forcing the closing of schools and businesses. Officials say a breach in a 36-inch water distribution line at the Rend Lake Conservancy water plant near Benton is the reason for the loss of water se..
$62.5 Million Sewer and Water Project Begins in New York City
In honor of National Infrastructure Week, May 14-21, 2018, New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Vincent Sapienza and Department of Design and Construction (DDC) Acting Commissioner Ana Barrio announced that workers recently broke ground on a $62.5 million infrastru..
Legislation Proposed to Ban California Water Tunnel Lawsuits
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A California congressman wants to ban environmental lawsuits challenging a plan to build two gigantic tunnels to divert water from the north to the thirsty south. Rep. Ken Calvert, a Riverside County Republican, inserted the ban in a 142-page draft of an Interior Departmen..
New EPA Funding Leverages Public, Private Investments in Water Infrastructure Projects
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the availability of funding – up to $5.5 billion in loans – that could leverage more than $11 billion in water infrastructure projects through the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program. “Thanks to the President’s lea..
Alliance Water Project Proceeds; Selects Consultant
Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam Inc. (LAN) was selected by Alliance Regional Water Authority (Alliance Water), as a pipeline engineering consultant for a major water project serving several Texas communities in the I-35 corridor. Since 2007, Alliance Water, formerly the Hays Caldwell Public Utility Agen..
EPA Awards $25.4 Million to Support Small Drinking Water, Wastewater Systems
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is awarding more than $25 million in grants to help the country’s small drinking and wastewater systems, and private well owners, better protect public health and the environment. The grants will fund training and technical assistance to help workforce..
Arcadis Provides ‘Living’ Software Presentation to Assess Interceptor Condition, Risk
At the April 4 meeting of the Gulf Coast Chapter of the Underground Construction Technology Association, Harrison Steed, P.E., senior project manager with Arcadis, discussed a complex project involving Dallas Water Utilities’ wastewater collection system. Spanning more than 230 miles of large-diam..
East Chicago Lead Water Line Project Lacks Participation
EAST CHICAGO, Ind. (AP) — A utilities director in northwest Indiana says lagging participation in a lead water service line replacement project could affect the area’s ability to justify future projects. The East Chicago Water Board approved a $3.1 million plan last year to replace lead and galvani..
Providence Offers Interest-Free Loans to Replace Lead Pipes
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — The city of Providence has launched a program offering interest-free loans to homeowners so they can replace old lead water pipes. The $1.2 million program will give homeowners three years to repay the loans with no interest. The average cost of replacing a home’s lead..
Sinkhole Swallows up Backhoe Digging to Repair Water Main
HACKENSACK, N.J. (AP) — Fire officials in New Jersey say no one was injured when a sinkhole opened up and swallowed excavation equipment outside a Hackensack mall. The Hackensack Fire Department says a backhoe was digging to repair a water main at the Shops at Riverside Mall in Hackensack Monday af..
Washington Water Service’s Schlender Receives Drinking Water Week Commitment to Excellence Award
Washington Water Service’s (Washington Water) Water Quality Manager Carol Schlender has received the Drinking Water Week Commitment to Excellence award from the Washington State Department of Health (DOH). The Drinking Water Week Commitment to Excellence award is given to an individual water system..
Del Puerto Water District Wins ACWA's 2018 Clair A. Hill Water Agency Award for Excellence
The Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) has awarded the 2018 Clair A. Hill Water Agency Award for Excellence to the Del Puerto Water District for its North Valley Regional Recycled Water Program. The program is an innovative solution to water supply and reliability issues in the San Joa..
Middlesex Water Breaks Ground on $52 Million Western Transmission Main
Middlesex Water Company has commenced construction on the $52 million Western Transmission Main project, which includes the installation of a 42-inch water transmission main from the Township of Edison to the Borough of Metuchen, N.J. The project will provide critical backup water supply and ensure..
California's Brown Stresses Support for Water Tunnel Project
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Fresh off recent victories securing billions of dollars in financing for his ambitious plan to reroute California’s water system, Gov. Jerry Brown offered a genial yet urgent reminder Thursday of the need to set the project on stable footing before he leaves office next yea..
Construction to Prevent New Mexico Sinkhole to Begin in August
CARLSBAD, N.M. (AP) – Work to fill a giant, man-made cavern that is on the verge of collapse in southern New Mexico is expected to begin in August. The Carlsbad Current-Argus reports the state hired the engineering company Amec Foster Wheeler last month to design and implement the project to shore ..
Mexico, 2 US States Could See Colorado River Cutback in 2020
DENVER (AP) — Mexico and the U.S. states of Arizona and Nevada face a better-than-even possibility of getting less water from the Colorado River in 2020 because of a persistent drought, water managers said Wednesday. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which manages the river, released projection..
Carmichael Water District General Manager Receives ACWA Leadership Award
The Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) has recognized Carmichael Water District General Manager Steve Nugent with its 2018 Excellence in Water Leadership Award – Building a World of Difference for his leadership and commitment to collaborative regional integrated water management throug..
California Water District Approves up To $650M for Tunnels
(AP) — A Northern California water agency voted Tuesday to support Gov. Jerry Brown’s plan to build two massive tunnels to remake the state’s water system. The Santa Clara Valley Water District board voted 4-3 Tuesday to support the $17 billion project and to commit up to $650 million to help pay f..
Water Pressure Problem Resolved at Philadelphia's Airport
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Water pressure has been restored at the Philadelphia International Airport following a water main break that prevented passengers from flushing toilets, washing their hands in bathroom sinks or drinking from water fountains. The airport says the Philadelphia Water Department has..
- Tunnel boring machine ‘Clack-A-Mole’ nears one-third completion in Oregon outfall project
- Texas A&M weighs underground transit plan with Elon Musk's Boring Co. to reduce campus traffic
- Lynchburg, Va., breaks ground on largest-ever Blackwater CSO tunnel project
- Wyo-Ben’s Max Gel, Max Bore HDD system boost drilling efficiency, performance
- Federal court halts permits for 32-mile Tennessee gas pipeline project
- Wisconsin proposes new PFAS drinking water standards to align with federal rules
- Elgin, Ill., joins EPA drinking water initiative to accelerate lead pipe replacement
- Dog River pipeline replacement in Oregon improves water supply with new HDPE pipe
- Leaking wastewater systems named top source of San Diego River contamination, study finds
- New Portable Welding System From Miller