July 2011, Vol. 66 No. 7

After three years of struggle to avoid bankruptcy filings, Alabama's most populous county is at the crisis point with a $4 billion debt, $3 billion of which stems from a mandated sewer overhaul in the 1990s.

In a meeting held in May with Senators at the U.S. Capitol, Dennis Slater, president of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), called on Congress to address the urgent need to rebuild America’s infrastructure and to actively pursue innovative funding approaches to finance this critical investment without increasing the deficit.

In the keynote address to the 2011 Pennsylvania Infrastructure Summit, Pennsylvania American Water President Kathy L. Pape said recently that expecting government bailouts is not a realistic, long-term solution to fix aging water and wastewater systems, which require tens of billions of dollars of capital investment.

The District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DC Water) Board of Directors has approved the Authority's largest contract to date, for the design and construction of a storage and conveyance tunnel as part of the Clean Rivers Project.

A study by Duke University researchers has found high levels of leaked methane in well water collected near shale-gas drilling and hydrofracking sites.

The American Water Works Association (AWWA) announced the publication of <em>The Future of Water: A Startling Look Ahead</em>. The authors, Steve Maxwell with Scott Yates, take a serious look at how the world will soon value water, use water and access water.

The city of Los Angeles, CA, recently completed 1 million feet of sewer that has been constructed or rehabilitated using trenchless technologies.

Jim Hasler, vice president of CNH Construction, North America, recently joined other industry executives in briefing senior members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on the importance of long-term infrastructure funding to support America's global competitiveness.

Many involved in various construction markets continue to search for signs that the recession is truly nearing an end and better times are close at hand.

Pipe bursting is a method of pipe replacement that involves three main forces that must be overcome to accomplish installing a new pipe. A basic understanding of these three forces is required for anyone involved in a pipe bursting project from conception, to design, through final construction. A more detailed level of understanding of the effects of varying ground conditions (geotechnical data) is essential to the success of a project by the senior team members including engineer, owner, contractor and field crews.

The nation’s failing sewer collection system infrastructure encompasses main pipelines, lateral sewers and manholes. There exist over 20 million manholes in the U.S. of which over four million are older than 50 years and over five million are 30 to 50 years old.

To further promote the regional initiatives of Oklahoma-area businesses, the Tulsa Pipeline Expo will be hosting its third forum at the Hyatt Regency Tulsa Downtown and the QuikTrip Center at Expo Square in Tulsa, OK, from Aug. 29-31.

National Grid is an international energy delivery company that is the largest distributor of natural gas and electricity in the northeastern United States. It serves more than six million customers.

The seventh annual Pipeline Opportunities Conference, presented by Pipeline & Gas Journal and the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA), was held April 19 at the Intercontinental Hotel in Houston.

Tunneling is an extreme and energy-intensive process that can have significant site and cost bearing on a project and community. Traditional tunneling requires the use of massive equipment and machinery, and substantial consumption of materials and natural resources.

The Swagelining technique has been around for over 30 years, developed in the late 1970s by British Gas and United Utilities in order to address the problem of failing pipeline systems.

The sanitary sewer rehabilitation industry -- especially organizations involved in cured-in-place-pipe (CIPP) lining -- are evaluating potential ramifications, if any, of the designation last month of styrene as a “reasonably anticipated carcinogen.”

The city of Fort Worth, TX, sanitary sewer system serves 22 communities with a total population of more than 900,000. It contains approximately 3,011 miles of underground pipe infrastructure that collects and carries an average of 108.5 million gallons a day to the Village Creek Water Reclamation Facility.

It’s a puzzle with a lot of pieces that can be challenging to put together into a crystal clear picture: To rent, buy or rent and then convert that rental into a purchase?

The search for the cause of the San Bruno gas pipeline explosion in 2009 that killed eight people has taken a new twist. On June 9, the California Public Utilities Commission issued a report from their hand-picked Independent Review Panel. This was a group the CPUC assembled ostensibly to get to the bottom of the San Bruno explosion.

Advertisers from the print edition of Underground Construction, July 2011, Vol. 66 No. 7.

Volvo Days, which is Volvo Construction Equipment’s most spectacular and popular promotional event, is back this year with a nearly four-week-long program dedicated to demonstrating new products and strengthening relationships with customers and dealers.

Members of the Gild of Ancient Supplers of Gas Appliances, Skills, Gins, Accessories and Substances gathered at the recent AGA Operations Conference in Nashville, TN, to make their traditional charity donation to a group selected by the recipient of this year’s Award of Merit Recognition.

Vacuum excavation equipment from Vacmasters, McLaughlin, Vac-Tron Equipment,Super Products, AmeriVac Group, GapVax, Ditch Witch, Vactor and Pacific Tek.

JRB Double Top Clamp Pipe Forks by Paladin Construction Group replace buckets to safely transport large loads of pipe, lumber and other long construction-related materials.

Products from MALA GeoScience, Sensors & Software, Heath Consultants, Sensit Technologies, Radiodetection, Pipehorn Utility, McLaughlin, Vivax-Metrotech, SubSurface Instruments, Ditch Witch and Schonstedt Instrument.

Products from Thompson Pump & Mfg., Griffin, Gorman-Rupp Pumps, Allegro Industries, Rain for Rent, Grindex Pumps and Godwin Pumps. <strong>Thompson Pump & Mfg. </strong>

Products from Heath Consultants, EZ-Drill, Aries Industries, Moffatt Enterprises, Fluid Conservation Systems, ADS, Crowcon, Vivax-Metrotech and SubSurface Instruments.

McElroy, the pipe fusion experts, recently introduced the MegaMc PolyHorse.

One might think all would be quiet now that the “dust” is beginning to settle on interim Tier 4 and Final Tier 4 doesn’t take effect for most off-road equipment until the 2013 – 2015 timeframe, depending on horsepower.

Volvo Construction Equipment has launched its new C-Series skid-steer loader product line.

New Holland Construction has introduced three compact track loaders in the new 200 Series.

Two new machines join the Bobcat family of M-Series loaders – the S750 skid-steer loader and A770 all-wheel steer loader.

Super Products LLC designed and built its new Mud Dog 1600 to meet the demanding hydro excavation challenges inherent in oil field, mining and cold weather applications.

New to the United States, the GasTracker is already a proven technology in Europe.

Raven Lining Systems’ newest addition to the AquataPoxy family is environmentally friendly AquataPoxy SuperFlex, and as the name implies, it is a flexible coating.

The fracking debate is moving forward on two separate stages in Washington. The Department of Energy's natural gas subcommittee is expected to make recommendations on fracking liquid disclosure in August.