Water

6 Months After Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico Pleads for Help

COROZAL, Puerto Rico (AP) — Hurricane Maria shredded the electric poles in this plantain farming town high in the mountains of central Puerto Rico, leaving tens of thousands of people without power or running water. Desperate, residents of the town’s Barrio Mana neighborhood asked federal officials ..

Challenge Launched to Address Global Urban Drinking Water Scarcity

In a partnership with Imagine H2O, Bluewater and 11th Hour Racing today launched the 2018 Urban Drinking Water Scarcity Challenge, a competition designed to address global urban drinking water scarcity. Beginning in April, entrepreneurs developing promising solutions related to Alternative Supply, ..

IoT Technology to Help Canadian City Improve Water Leak Detection

Echologics, a Mueller Technologies company, today announced it will deliver an Internet of Things (IoT) Smart City solution over Bell’s broadband wireless network for the City of Medicine Hat, Alberta. The solution will wirelessly monitor the city’s water pipeline network to help reduce water loss a..

New York Awards Almost $1 Million in Lake Ontario Flood Relief Funding

New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that the towns of Greece and Parma in Monroe County received more than $942,000 to restore and rebuild following last year’s Lake Ontario flooding. The funding is being used to reimburse for emergency costs as well as rebuild and fortify the infrastr..

Ohio EPA Schedules Construction Storm Water General Permit Renewal Hearing

The Ohio EPA will hold a public hearing on March 28, 2018, to accept public comments about renewing the general permit for storm water discharges from construction sites in Ohio. The public hearing will take place in Conference Room A at Ohio EPA’s Central Office, 50 West Town Street, Suite 700, Co..

Fiber Optic Sensing Association Releases Installation Considerations for Pipelines

The Fiber Optic Sensing Association (FOSA), the world’s premier trade association for distributed fiber optic sensing (DFOS), today released FOSA Installation Considerations for Pipelines, which contains guidance on the selection and positioning of fiber optic cables to maximize the benefits of DFOS..

Protest over Infrastructure Turns Violent in Panama's Colon

COLON, Panama (AP) — A protest over infrastructure and insecurity turned into violent clashes with police Tuesday in Panama’s second biggest city, which is home to a strategic port at the northern end of the Panama Canal. Preliminary reports from national police said four officers and one protester..

Trial Demonstrates Control of Fiber Capacity with Real-Time Optical Awareness

Telia Carrier and Coriant today announced the successful completion of a live field trial of cutting-edge technology optimized for real-time optical performance awareness and dynamic provisioning of fiber optic capacity. The industry-first trial, conducted last month on a live fiber route in Telia C..

Adolite Unveils Solutions Designed to Speed Data Providers’ Growth

Adolite Inc. today demonstrated new technology to help providers keep up with accelerating data growth.at the Optical Fiber Communication Conference and Exhibition (OFC) 2018, taking place March 13-15, 2018 in San Diego, California. With the company’s major breakthroughs in materials science and pr..

Finisar Introduces First 400G QSFP-DD Active Optical Cable

Finisar today announced it will unveil the first 400G active optical cable (AOC) in the QSFP-DD form factor at the Optical Networking and Communication Conference & Exhibition (OFC) 2018, taking place March 13-15 in San Diego, California. Leveraging VCSEL technology to achieve the lowest power diss..

Trace of Mothballs Chemical Found in New York Agencies’ Water

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) – State employees working in the Albany office building that’s the tallest in upstate New York are drinking bottled water after a chemical used in mothballs was detected in water samples. The Office of General Services says trace amounts of naphthalene were found in samples taken ..

Seven California Colleges Receive Grants to Research Conservation Technologies, Programs Through World Water Forum

As part of the 2018 Southern California World Water Forum, Seven California colleges and universities have been selected to receive grants to fund proposals to develop new water conservation and supply technologies in support of a more sustainable water future. From a project that contemplates usin..

Great Lakes Cities Work to Reduce Water Utility Emissions

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Several communities around the Great Lakes are competing to reduce pollution by controlling the electricity they consume from the power grid. Bayfield, Wisconsin, is one of five cities working to lower mercury and other emissions through the Water Utility Energy Challenge, Wisc..

Caterpillar Foundation Launches Value of Water Campaign

To raise awareness of the value of water and the impact of the global water crisis on community health, education and economics, the Caterpillar Foundation, together with its global partners, today launched the Value of Water campaign. Currently, about 844 million people worldwide still..

OFS Introduces TeraWave SCUBA 125 Optical Fiber

OFS today introduced the TeraWave SCUBA 125 Optical Fiber, optimally designed to deliver excellent performance for coherent transport submarine systems.  The effective area is matched to terrestrial G.654.E fibers for excellent performance from the ocean landing site to terrestrial networks, and..

Sewer, Water Projects in Southwestern Alabama to Receive Funding

MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — A $315 million from the RESTORE Act and the Alabama Gulf Coast Recovery Council will help fund projects in southwestern areas of the state. Fifty projects will be given funding for infrastructure, environmental restoration and economic development, Al.com reported. The biggest i..

More Flint Water Samples Show Elevated Lead Levels

FLINT, Mich. (AP) — Recent water tests at elementary schools in Flint have found an increase in samples showing lead levels above the federal action limit. The Flint Journal reports the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality determined that 28 samples tested in February were above 15 parts pe..

Toxic Chemicals Found in Drinking Water near Detroit

DETROIT (AP) — Drinking water in three southeastern communities tested positive for contamination, according to state environmental officials. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality found perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, in water in New Baltimore, Mount Clemen..

Five Cabinet Chiefs to Testify Before U.S. Senate on Infrastructure

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Trump administration will send five cabinet secretaries to a U.S. Senate hearing next week to tout its plan to spur $1.5 trillion infrastructure improvements using $200 billion in new federal funding. The heads of the Transportation, Commerce, Labor, Agriculture and Labor..

Corning Develops High-Fiber-Count Rapid Installation Ribbon Cable

Corning Incorporated today announced its latest optical fiber cable innovation – RocketRibbon(TM) extreme-density cable. RocketRibbon is a next-generation ribbon cable, which enables up to 30 percent faster installation than other high density ribbon cables designed for data center and carrier envir..

Iowa Regulators to Vote on Changes to Drinking Water Regulations this Month

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources today announced it will vote whether to approve changes in drinking water regulations at a public meeting on March 20, 2018. The proposed changes are designed to increase protection against bacteria in public systems that draw drinking water from groundwater..

Many Metro Atlanta Residents Told to Keep Boiling Water

ATLANTA (AP) — Schools were resuming and a highway in metro Atlanta has reopened after a massive water main break in one of Georgia’s largest counties, but residents are still being advised to continue boiling water. DeKalb County officials said late Wednesday that water pressure was being re..

Pennsylvania Regulators: Water Quality Not Affected by Manure Spill

LANCASTER, Pa. (AP) – About 100,000 gallons of manure have spilled into two streams in Pennsylvania, killing fish in the area but not posing a threat to the water quality. LNP newspaper reports a manure storage facility failure at a farm in Sadsbury Township caused the spill Monday. The state Depar..

Easing Pressure on Louisiana Levees, Raising Environmental Worries

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — When an 87-year-old flood control structure is opened northwest of New Orleans, it will lower the flood threat for that city, while raising environmental concerns. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will open part of the Bonnet Carre (BAHN’-eh CARE’-ee) Spillway on Thursday. That w..

Wisconsin Residents Voice Doubts About Lake Michigan Water for Foxconn

STURTEVANT, Wis. (AP) — Dozens of concerned residents and activists asked a Wisconsin agency on Wednesday to reject an application from the city of Racine to draw 7 million gallons of water daily from Lake Michigan for a proposed Foxconn plant. At a public hearing on the request in Sturtevant, many..

Report Shows No Toxins in Memphis Drinking Water Supply

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — The public water supply in Memphis, Tennessee, is not affected by high levels of arsenic and other toxins found in monitoring wells at a coal-fired power plant, according to results of an investigation by the Tennessee Valley Authority released Wednesday. However, the re..

Mexico City: Water Cutoffs in Capital Worsened by Sabotage

MEXICO CITY (AP) –  Mexico City officials say intentional sabotage may be contributing to recurrent water shortages that have caused protests on the streets of the city of 9 million people. In recent weeks, officials have blamed dry faucets in many neighborhoods on everything from power shortages..

Water Pressure Begins to Return in Metro Atlanta

DORAVILLE, Ga. (AP) — Authorities say water pressure is beginning to return to parts of a Georgia county after a major water main break shut down schools and businesses in a large part of metro Atlanta. DeKalb County authorities said Wednesday afternoon that crews had isolated the break just ..

$22 Million Sewer and Water Project in New York City Ahead of Schedule

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection today announced a $21.8 million sewer and water infrastructure project in Southeast Queens is on track to be completed three months ahead of schedule. As part of the project, 4,100 feet of new storm sewers, some as large as nine-feet wide and..

Democrats Would Reverse Some Tax Cuts to Fund Infrastructure

WASHINGTON (AP) — For Senate Democrats, voting against the Republican tax cuts that President Donald Trump signed into law wasn’t opposition enough. Now they have a plan to reverse some of the tax breaks for corporations and the wealthiest Americans and put the money instead toward a $1 trillion inf..