Underground Construction - August 2022 - 10

NEWSLINE LATEST INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS
Line 5 pipes in the straits, which connect
Lake Huron and Lake Michigan, with a
new segment that would run through the
proposed underground tunnel.
" This has been an extensive process, "
Chairman Dan Scripps said. " We want to
make sure that we get it right. "
Enbridge and the state of Michigan
are mired in legal battles over Line 5. The
69-year-old underground pipeline carries
Canadian oil and natural gas liquids used
for propane through northern Michigan and
Wisconsin to refineries in Sarnia, Ontario.
Enbridge is defying Michigan Gov.
Gretchen Whitmer's 2020 order to shut
down the line, a move long sought by
environmental groups and Native American
tribes who fear a rupture would devastate the
lakes. The company says the line is in good
condition and contends in a federal lawsuit
that the Democratic governor doesn't have
the jurisdiction to shut it down.
Arizona Governor Signs
$1.2 Billion Water
Infrastructure Plan
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has signed
legislation that will provide $1.2 billion
over three years to boost long-term water
supplies for the desert state and implement
conservation efforts that will see more
immediate effects.
The legislation, which was hammered
out over months during the just-completed
legislative session, is viewed as the most
significant since the state implemented a
groundwater protection plan in 1980.
The action, prompted by a lengthy
drought, comes as Arizona faces cutbacks
in its Colorado River water supply. The
Central Arizona Project canal system is
already delivering less water from the river
to metro Phoenix, Pinal County and Tucson,
and federal officials are warning of even
steeper cuts soon.
" These challenges made it necessary
for us to act, " the Republican governor
said at a signing ceremony in the historic
Capitol rotunda. " So today we are taking
action to do what the men and women of
Arizona hired us to. "
The legislation Ducey touted in January
to allow the Department of Water Resources
10 AUGUST 2022 | UCONonline.com
oversee the investments morphed over the
session and now gives an obscure state entity
the authority to leverage and dole out a new
$1 billion appropriation.
The entity is called the Water Infrastructure
Finance Authority, which will now be a
standalone agency with oversight from a new
board and some from the Legislature.
Calgary Responds to
More than 7,000 Sewer Clogs
in a Year
Calgary, Alberta, is hoping to inform residents
about the dangers of flushing single-use
wipes down the toilet, as it is causing a strain
for the city's wastewater crews, CBC reported.
The city responded to more than
7,200 sewer backups in 2021, the article
states, adding that most of them were
caused by unflushable items. This includes
wipes marketed as " flushable. " A slew of
municipalities has been spreading the word
that they are not actually safe to flush, as
they collect in clumps and block sewer lines.
Some U.S. states have even passed laws
restricting companies from advertising these
wipes as flushable.
" For the wastewater treatment plants and
just even our collection system, they are
becoming more and more of a problem, "
says Marissa Mitton, leader of the city's
Wastewater Operations and Maintenance
department, in the CBC report.
When crews respond to these backups,
Mitton said " more often than not, we do find
a buildup of unflushable items, including
flushable wipes. " The masses can take hours
to remove.
" You should only flush the three Ps: pee,
paper and poo, " Mitton said.
Penelec Starts Replacing
Underground Cable,
Equipment in Pennsylvania
Penelec has commenced work to replace the
underground electric cables, transformers and
other equipment in Erie County, Pennsylvania,
that have been worn down by water erosion,
the company said.
The work is part of Penelec's Long Term
Infrastructure Improvement Plans (LTIIP II),
a $200 million initiative to accelerate capital
investments over five years to help enhance
continued electric service reliability for the
company's 585,000 customers.
" The new wires encased in PVC conduit
will help better protect the equipment and is
expected to last for decades, " Scott Wyman,
president of FirstEnergy's Pennsylvania
operations, said. " Underground cables housed in
conduit are easier for line crews to repair, which
can shorten the duration of service interruptions. "
Over time, water and corrosive soil
materials have penetrated underground wires
through tiny cracks and fissures which can
lead to reliability issues and potential service
interruptions. Contractors are replacing more
than a mile of the electric cable in the Rolling
Meadows neighborhood, which was originally
installed in the 1970s and 1980s.
In addition, they will install 21 new
transformers as well as equipment that divides
the cable into smaller sections, helping to
isolate damage and limit the number of
customers impacted by service interruptions.
Islip, NY receives $7.2 million
grant to build new sewer pipe
The U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic
Development Administration (EDA) has awarded
a $7.2 million grant to the town of Islip, New York,
for construction of a new sewer pipe to support
local businesses, U.S. Secretary of Commerce
Gina M. Raimondo said on June 5.
This grant is funded by the American
Rescue Plan.
" President Biden and this Administration
continue to support community-led efforts to
strengthen and grow regional economies, " said
Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo.
" This EDA investment will provide the wastewater
treatment capacity necessary for local
businesses to create jobs and build economic
resiliency in the region. "
The project will provide wastewater
infrastructure capacity needed to service local
businesses in the region. The EDA investment
will be matched with $2 million in state funds
and is expected to create 106 jobs and generate
$8 million in private investment, according to
grantee estimates.
This project is funded under EDA's American
Rescue Plan Economic Adjustment Assistance
program, which makes $500 million in Economic
Adjustment Assistance grants available to
American communities. UC
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Underground Construction - August 2022

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