Underground Infrastructure - February 2023 - 10

NEWSLINE LATEST INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS
Texas Contractor Cited After
Worker Killed in Trench Collapse
A Frisco, Texas-based utility contractor failed
to follow required workplace safety standards
when it allowed two workers to enter a trench
with no protection system while repairing a
sewer main line, resulting in a collapse and
death of one employee, authorities concluded
after an investigation. The second worker was
able to escape uninjured.
U.S. Department of Labor Occupational
Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
investigators responded to the incident at a
residential construction site in McKinney, Texas,
on June 24, 2022, and found that Bandera Utility
Contractors of Frisco, Texas, " willfully violated
federal law when it failed to have a trench
protective system in place, " OSHA said.
OSHA also cited the contractor for using a
damaged ladder that didn't extend the required
three feet above ground level and for failing
to inspect the trench at the start of each shift
before allowing employees to begin work.
OSHA proposed penalties of $165,952.
" Bandera Utility Contractor Inc. ignored
federal safety requirements and sent these
workers into an unprotected trench, " said OSHA
Area Director Basil Singh in Dallas. " Incidents
like this are inexcusable and can be avoided
by following well-established processes that
comply with OSHA standards. "
Through the end of November, OSHA
reported 35 workers died in trenching and
excavation work during 2022, more than double
the number in all of 2021. The Bureau of Labor
Statistics also reports trench collapses claimed
the lives of 166 workers between 2011 and 2018.
Makeshift Explosive Found
Near St. Louis Sewer Pump
Ten cans of spray paint were found taped
around a fi recracker within a device found
behind a fence enclosing a Metropolitan Sewer
District (MSD) pump station, according to a St.
Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
MSD spokesman Sean Hadley told the
newspaper that a worker found the contrivance
on Dec. 31 while inspecting the pump, which is
situated in a small structure on stilts. Wastewater
is moved by the pump to a treatment facility.
The St. Louis Regional Bomb and Arson Unit
investigated and dismantled the homemade
device. Hadley said that, had it exploded,
damage would have been negligible. Teenager
trespassing has been an issue in the area, he said.
10 FEBRUARY 2023 | UndergroundInfrastructure.com
XRI Commences Construction
of Permian Water System
XRI Holdings, the largest water recycling
company in the Permian Basin, said it has
started construction of the Evolution Pipeline
system - a large-scale, multi-producer water
recycling and produced water infrastructure
network connecting XRI's existing pipeline
system in Midland County to its systems in
Reagan and Upton counties.
When the Evolution Pipeline system is
completed, the combined system will comprise
a total of 230 miles of pipeline infrastructure
with recycling facilities and produced water
disposal wells covering much of the Midland
Basin, XRI said.
The new system addresses and mitigates
risks from produced water disposal activity
in seismically sensitive areas throughout the
Midland Basin, XRI added, and will be capable
of recycling and managing more than 500,000
barrels of produced water per day.
Startup is expected in the fi rst quarter of 2023.
Mass. Stormwater Projects
Help Systems Meet Permit
Requirements
A collection of projects selected by the
Massachusetts Department of Environmental
Protection will enable four, multi-community
stormwater systems meet Municipal Separate
Storm Sewer System (MS4) permit requirements
and reduce stormwater pollution through
coordinated partnerships.
Recipients include the Pioneer Valley
Planning Commission, Metropolitan Area
Planning Council, Charles River Watershed
Association and Merrimack Valley Planning
Commission. The funding will help them
meet existing and upcoming stormwater
management requirements.
" It is important for MS4 communities to band
together to address stormwater problems as
the pollutants are not contained to a single
community, but impact waterways in numerous
communities, " said Energy and Environmental
Aff airs Secretary Beth Card. " This funding will
enable groups of municipalities to expand their
eff orts to meet MS4 requirements and reduce
stormwater pollution through coordinated
partnerships that emphasize resource sharing. "
There are more than 260 Massachusetts
municipalities subject to the current MS4
permit, issued jointly by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency and MassDEP, which took
eff ect on July 1, 2018.
ONEOK Seeks US Approval
for Permian-Mexico Gas Pipeline
Tulsa, Oklahoma-based ONEOK is seeking
federal approval to construct the Saguaro
Connector Pipeline, a 155-mile greenfi eld project
that would transport Permian Basin natural gas
from the Waha Hub to the Mexico border.
Starting at ONEOK's existing WesTex intrastate
system, Saguaro would connect with a
proposed Mexican pipeline at the Texas border
that would supply gas to an LNG export facility
on Mexico's Pacifi c coast.
The proposed Saguaro Connector Pipeline
would have an ultimate design capacity of
2.8 billion cubic feet per day. Final investment
decision on the potential pipeline is expected by
mid-2023, ONEOK said.
Missouri Utility Unveils $425
Million Water Infrastructure Plan
Investor-owned water company Missouri
American Water said this year will see more
than $425 million in enhancements to the
state's water and wastewater systems.
The biggest investor-owned water company
in the state, Missouri American Water serves
about 1.5 million customers.
The utility will replace nearly 80 miles of
50- to 100-year-old pipelines across Missouri
before leaks or breaks occur, which could
cause service interruptions and property
damage. More than 7,300 miles of water and
wastewater pipe are maintained throughout the
state, according to Missouri American Water.
Some of Missouri American Water's planned
projects include construction of a new
water intake pump station at its South Plant
in St. Louis; construction of a fi lter building
at a water treatment plant in Jeff erson City;
upgrades to the Farron Booster Station in St.
Joseph, Missouri, and construction of a new
high-service pump station and upgrades to
chemical feed equipment in Joplin, Missouri.
Additionally, treatment facilities, tanks,
wells, pumping stations, valves, fi re hydrants,
and metering equipment will also receive
enhancements to improve connected fi re
protection systems and meet or exceed
regulatory standards.
Fuel Leak in Virginia Shuts
Down Part of Colonial Pipeline
A diesel fuel leak in Virginia shut down part of
the Colonial Pipeline, the nation's largest fuel
pipeline, but the operator said it was able to
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