Underground Construction - September 2019 - 10

NEWSLINE LATEST INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS
City Discusses $387.3 Million Spending Plans for Sewer/Water
The Gulf Coast Chapter of the Underground
Construction Technology Association held
its bi-monthly membership luncheon on
Aug. 2 in Houston.
The guest speaker for the event was Robert
Upton, director of engineering for the city
of Pearland, TX (a large suburb of Houston).
Upton addressed the Pearland capital
improvement plans made possible when
residents recently approved a major bond
issue. Water and sewer improvements will
receive the lion's share of the budget with $387.3 million to be spent over five years. Much of the work, Upton said,
will be executed using the construction management at risk method.
Also at the luncheon, the GC UCTA 2019 scholarship winners were honored. Each student will receive $1,000.
Pictured in the above photo are, from left to right: Sajid Khan, Zakir Khan, Emily Rone, Kaytlyn Vavrecka, Jessica Vera.
Other scholarship winners who were unable to attend the meeting were Nina Kilambi and Rahul Kilambi. *
anniversary of the Flint water crisis.
Harris called the lead contamination
in the city "a shocking example of
government irresponsibility and
systemic racism." Sanders tweeted:
"It's absurd that we have to say this in
America in 2019: When you turn on
the tap in your home, whether it's in
Vermont or Iowa or Flint, Michigan,
you have a right to expect that the
water coming out is clean."

Aegion Wins
$5.7 Million Rehab
Contract in Alabama
Aegion Corporation has announced
that its subsidiary, Insituform Technologies, LLC, has been awarded a $5.7
million wastewater pipeline rehabilitation contract in Montgomery, Ala.
Insituform will rehabilitate more
than 22,000 feet of 18- to 30-inch
wastewater pipelines in residential
and commercial areas throughout
Montgomery using Insituform®
cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) beginning
in August 2019. The Company
anticipates completing the project
in October 2020.
The contract was awarded by the
Montgomery Water Works & Sanitary
Sewer Board (WWSSB). Insituform
has a 25-year history of working
with WWSSB on substantial projects

SEPTEMBER 2019 | UConOnline.com

and has rehabilitated nearly 110
miles of 6- to 54-inch diameter
wastewater pipelines in the last
10 years for WWSSB.

SoCalGas Worker Killed
in Gas Line Explosion,
15 Others Injured
A natural gas explosion destroyed a
Southern California home, killed a gas
company worker and injured more
than a dozen, authorities said.
Authorities say the contractor did
not call Southern California Gas to
determine where gas lines were buried and struck and damaged a line.
The explosion sent up a wall of fire
and smoke and rocked nearby homes
before the gas was shut off and the
fire doused more than an hour later.
Representatives for SoCalGas said
one gas worker was killed in the blast.
Murrieta Deputy Fire Chief David
Lantzer said 15 others were injured.

EPA Launches
Comment Period
for Clean Water
Act Changes
The U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) recently issued a
proposed rule to implement Section
401 of the Clean Water Act (CWA)
intended to streamline the approval

process for permits that are often
an obstacle for pipelines and other
infrastructure projects.
EPA Administrator Andrew
Wheeler made the announcement
at the Council of Manufacturing
Associations Summer Leadership
Conference in Charleston.
The proposed rule seeks to
increase the transparency and
efficiency of the 401 certification
process and to promote the timely
review of infrastructure projects
while continuing to ensure that
Americans have clean water for
drinking and recreation.
"Under President Trump, the United
States has become the number one oil
and gas energy producer in the world,
while at the same time continuing to
improve our air quality," Wheeler said.
"Our proposal is intended to help
ensure that states adhere to the statutory language and intent of Clean
Water Act. When implemented, this
proposal will streamline the process
for constructing new energy infrastructure projects that are good for
American families, American workers,
and the American economy."
In April, President Trump issued
an executive order and directed the
administration to take appropriate

action to accelerate and promote the
construction of pipelines and other
important energy infrastructure. The
president's executive order directs
EPA to consult with states and tribes
on reviewing and updating guidance
and regulations related to Section
401 of the CWA.
Section 401 of the CWA gives
states and authorized tribes the
authority to assess potential water
quality impacts of discharges from
federally permitted or licensed
infrastructure projects that may affect
navigable waters within their borders.
The EPA's existing certification rules
have not been updated in nearly 50
years and are inconsistent with the
text of CWA Section 401, leading to
confusion and unnecessary delays for
infrastructure projects. With this recent
action, EPA is proposing to modernize
and clarify the timeline and scope of
CWA Section 401 certification review
and action to be consistent with the
plain language of the CWA.
EPA will accept public comment on
the proposed rule for 60 days following publication in the Federal Register.
To review the proposed rule and
learn more about the CWA Section
401 certification process, see: https://
www.epa.gov/cwa-401. Under the
executive order, the EPA is scheduled
to finalize this rule in May 2020.

Epiroc Donates
Equipment to Colorado
School of Mines' EMI

Epiroc, a productivity partner for the
mining and infrastructure industries,
donated a COP 1238K rock drill to
the Excavation Engineering and
Earth Mechanics Institute (EMI) at
the Colorado School of Mines. The
COP 1238K hydraulic rock drill for
tunneling and drifting applications

https://www.epa.gov/cwa-401 https://www.epa.gov/cwa-401 http://www.UConOnline.com

Underground Construction - September 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Underground Construction - September 2019