Underground Infrastructure - April 2023 - 9

When construction of the 303-mile natural
gas pipeline system started in early 2018, it
was expected to cost $3.7 billion and enter
service in 2018. The cost has soared to $6.5
billion, largely due to fierce opposition from
environmental groups.
Alabama Approves $660 Million
for Broadband, Water Upgrades
Alabama has given final approval to a
spending plan to use $1 billion in federal
coronavirus funds largely on a mix of
water and sewer infrastructure, broadband
expansion and reimbursements to health care
providers hit financially by the pandemic.
Of that total, $260 million was earmarked
for improvement and expansion of broadband
internet access and $400 million will go
to water and sewer infrastructure projects,
including $195 million for high-need projects,
$200 million for matching funds for public
water and sewer systems, and $5 million for
septic systems in the Black Belt region.
Alabama lawmakers opted to use a
significant portion of the money for allowed
infrastructure investments instead of expenses
directly related to the pandemic. Some other
states have used similar approaches.
" I think broadband in the state of Alabama
now is what electricity was in the 1940s.
It's hard to recruit and get businesses into
Alabama without it, and we've got some
deserts that we need to try to get broadband
into, " House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter said.
Republican Sen. Greg Albritton, who
handled the bill in the Senate, said lawmakers
tried to focus the largest amounts on items
" that would make the greatest difference. "
Storms, Breakdowns
keep Tijuana Sewage Flowing
into San Diego County
The International Boundary and Water
Commission reported that 22 billion gallons
of raw sewage continues to flow from Mexico
into San Diego Country since December,
according to a March report in The Hill.
While sewage flows have decreased to
106 million gallons per day, efforts to stem
the contamination have been thwarted by
two out-of-service wastewater collectors.
Breakdowns in sewage infrastructure, such
as pipeline ruptures, have also resulted in
pumping deactivation.
Parts of the Southern California coast
remain inactive due to unsafe levels of
bacteria, including Imperial Beach Shoreline,
Border Field State Park and Tijuana Slough
National Wildlife Refuge.
Since the Tijuana River Watershed flows
into Mexico before returning to California,
" anytime they have any raw sewage
discharge to the Tijuana River, it ends up
in the U.S., " Hassan Davani, an assistant
professor at San Diego State University,
told The Hill. UI
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UndergroundInfrastructure.com | APRIL 2023 9

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Underground Infrastructure - April 2023

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