Underground Construction - November 2020 - 11

mile wastewater pipe sector, although increasing focus on water pipe
leakage is also driving innovation and longer-term opportunities.

Traverse City Utility Builds out New Fiber Network

Improve
Performance.
Increase
Profits.

Traverse City Light & Power (TCL&P) has launched its new fiber broadband
network which will include installation of nearly 15 miles of cable through
the city, with the majority of that 79,000 feet installed underground.
The idea for the utility to build its own network was hatched several years
ago, growing out of a $1.8 million partnership the TCL&P entered with the
Traverse City Area Public Schools to construct a dark fiber network in the
community. Several organizations are currently connected to this network.
Another partnership followed between the Downtown Development
Authority and TCL&P to offer free Wi-Fi downtown.
The company began construction in September 2019, but the city has a
moratorium on construction in the right-of-way (ROW) from November to April.
TCL&P told Underground Construction it plans to finalize the core construction
this month and complete the remaining portion as soon as possible.
The initial rollout will serve 1,900 customers with additional connectivity
to come in the future.

Northwest Pipe Company to Supply
N.C. Water Transmission Line
Northwest Pipe Company announced that it has been selected by Garney
Construction to provide steel water pipe for the Yadkin Regional Water
Supply Project in North Carolina's Union and Stanly counties.
The $300 million project includes a 28-mile water pipeline that will
move water from Lake Tillery to a new water treatment plant in Union
County. Northwest Pipe Company will manufacture 9,285 tons of 42to 54-inch engineered steel pipe with cement mortar lining and
polyurethane coating for the project.

Michigan Governor Announces
$500 Million Water Infrastructure Plan
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has announced a $500 million plan to upgrade
drinking water and wastewater infrastructure in Michigan that includes actions
such as replacing lead service lines and removing chemical pollutants.
The initiative, dubbed MI Clean Water, would draw on a variety of sources,
including federal funds and state-issued bonds. Legislative approval is
required for the use of some targeted funding, but officials said no new
appropriations or tax increases would be needed.
The plan would spend $207.1 million on drinking water improvements
including replacing lead service lines in disadvantaged communities;
removing PFAS chemicals; and treating water to meet government standards
for lead and copper.
An additional $293 million for wastewater protection would fund grants
for projects intended to prevent sewer overflows and discharges of raw
sewage from surface or ground water, make use of green infrastructure and
eliminating failing septic systems.
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said the program would help the city
expand a water main replacement initiative and replace 2,000 additional
lead service lines.
Drinking water quality has been a primary concern in Michigan in recent
years with the discovery of lead contamination in Flint and other cities, as well as
chemical compounds known as PFAS that raise a variety of health concerns. *

INROCK's CROSSVIEWÂ® system is the first
electronic data recorder (EDR)
specifically designed for the HDD industry.
CrossViewÂ® consists of a system of sensors,
computers and networking equipment designed
to deliver critical rig information anywhere in the
world, in order to help you maximize the
efficiency of your drilling operation.

For more information,
call 1 (877) 2 INROCK or visit www.inrock.com
UCONonline.com | NOVEMBER 2020

http://www.inrock.com http://www.UCONonline.com

Underground Construction - November 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Underground Construction - November 2020