Underground Infrastructure - November 2023 - 8

NEWSLINE LATEST INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS
PG&E plan to bury power
lines underground met with
opposition due to high rates
Pacific Gas & Electric - one of the nation's
largest utilities whose equipment has sparked
some of California's deadliest wildfires -
wants to bury power lines in some of its most
at-risk areas to prevent destructive blazes like
the 2018 Paradise fire that killed 85 people.
But state regulators are balking at the utility's
plan because it would take too long and cost
$5.9 billion. The company's customers - who
already have some of the highest rates in the
country - would have to pay for it.
Regulators want PG&E to put a protective
cover over many of its overhead power lines
instead of burying them. The cover approach
is cheaper, but riskier. PG&E says burying a
power line reduces the chance it will start
a wildfire by 99 percent because it can't be
blown down by wind storms. The protective
cover, which would better insulate the power
line should it fall to the ground, would reduce
that chance by 62 percent.
" We're not going to live with 35% risk, " said
PG&E CEO Patti Poppe, who was rounding
down in her assessment. " Who wants to get on
a plane that has a 35% chance of crashing? "
PG&E, which filed for bankruptcy protection
in 2019 after it faced more than $30 billion in
damages for wildfires started by its equipment,
is trying to convince regulators that its burying
plan is better. The company filed its plan with
state regulators last year.
The California Public Utilities Commission,
whose members are appointed by Gov.
Gavin Newsom, is scheduled to decide the
issue in November.
What PG&E wants to do is unprecedented
in both scale and speed. Its plan to bury
2,000 miles of power lines is part of a
broader goal of putting 10,000 miles
underground over the next decade. The
case is being closely watched, not just in
California, but throughout the country as
more utilities weigh the risks versus the
cost of burying power lines.
Most of the nation's power lines are above
ground because it's cheaper to do it that
way. But more utilities have been burying
power lines in response to bigger and more
destructive natural disasters. In Florida, where
hurricanes are more of a threat than wildfires,
about 45 percent of Florida Power and Light's
8 NOVEMBER 2023 | UndergroundInfrastructure.com
distribution system is underground, according
to the company's website.
California's other big investor-owned
utilities have also been putting power lines
underground. Southern California Edison, the
utility that covers much of central and Southern
California, says it plans to bury 600 miles of
power lines by 2028. San Diego Gas & Electric
has buried 145 miles of power lines since 2020
and plans to do another 1,500 miles by 2031.
The issue can have repercussions beyond the
price of electricity. In the past year, seven of the
top 12 insurance companies doing business in
California have either paused or restricted new
business in the state, citing wildfire risk.
Sewer gas leak hospitalizes
four DC high school students
Four high school students from McKinley Tech
High School in Washington, D.C., have been
hospitalized due to exposure to a hazardous odor.
These students reported feeling unwell
after detecting an unusual smell, and they
were swiftly transported to a local hospital.
Fortunately, their condition is stable.
Investigations have revealed that the
mysterious odor is hydrogen sulfide, commonly
known as sewer gas. This gas is notorious for its
flammable and toxic characteristics and tends
to accumulate in low and enclosed spaces
because it is denser than air.
Inhaling sewer gas can lead to a range of
health complications, from mild issues like
headaches and eye irritation to severe outcomes
such as unconsciousness or even death.
Beaumont, Texas, unveils
$123 million plan to overhaul
water infrastructure
Beaumont municipal authorities have
introduced a comprehensive strategy aimed
at alleviating the city's persistent water
infrastructure concerns.
This intricate plan, spanning five years, carries
a substantial price tag of $123 million, with a
significant portion, $43 million, allocated to
the replacement and maintenance of water
pipelines during this period.
City officials emphasize the urgency of these
improvements, underscoring that without
swift action, the city's water supply could be in
jeopardy within half a decade. Beaumont City
Manager Kenneth Williams stressed the pressing
need for action, citing the considerable aging of
the city's infrastructure.
The five-year initiative's primary objectives
include the replacement of antiquated
infrastructure to ensure the reliable provision
of water and sewer services, as well as the
enhancement of public parks and playgrounds.
While the plan's costs are undeniably
substantial, Beaumont's Public Works Director,
Bart Bartkowiak, detailed the allocation
of funds, specifying that approximately
$43,965,000 would be devoted to water line
replacements and rehabilitation within the
distribution system. The remainder of the
budget will support crucial upgrades such as
the revitalization of Lawson's pump station,
repairs to water wells, replacement of aging
waterlines, and the overall maintenance of
Beaumont's water infrastructure.
City officials are keenly aware of the
long-standing issue of discolored water and
are actively developing a plan to address it.
However, implementation is not anticipated
until two years from now. Bartkowiak shared
that the design phase for this project is nearing
completion, with a projected implementation
date in early 2025. Once executed, this initiative
is expected to significantly reduce instances of
discolored water in the distribution system.
HDD mud spills force
authorities to halt wastewater
pipeline construction in
NY's Genesee County
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has put a stop
to the construction of a wastewater pipeline
meant to serve the Science, Technology, and
Advanced Manufacturing Park (STAMP) due
to multiple incidents of drilling fluid spills in a
protected wetland.
State environmental regulators had previously
cited the project for violations.
In response to three separate spills of drilling
fluids onto federally protected land, the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service has issued an order to cease
construction of the wastewater pipeline that was
intended to support the Genesee County, N.Y.,
Economic Development Center's STAMP project.
This shutdown will persist until the spills
are effectively cleaned up, and the necessary
reports and plans are reviewed and approved.
The state Department of Environmental
Conservation had already issued its violation
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Underground Infrastructure - November 2023

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