Download - Water Utility Infrastructure Management
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NEWS<br />
LEAK DETECTION<br />
Wachs <strong>Water</strong> Services Awarded Leak<br />
Detection Contracts<br />
Wachs <strong>Water</strong> Services announced that it has recently been<br />
awarded several multi-year contracts to inspect up to 4,000<br />
miles of critical water mains for leaks in Connecticut and Texas.<br />
The contracts have a combined value of approximately $1 million<br />
and further strengthen Wachs <strong>Water</strong> Services position as a<br />
leader in advanced leak detection solutions.<br />
The prolonged drought conditions in many parts of the<br />
United States over the summer have resulted in critical water<br />
pipelines bursting in record numbers around the country, causing<br />
significant repair backlogs, service interruptions, and business<br />
and road closures. Soil surrounding buried water pipelines<br />
dries and shrinks in the summer, and freezes and expands<br />
in the winter, which can cause water pipes to shift and develop<br />
leaks. If the water main is old or in a structurally deficient condition<br />
the changing ground conditions make the water main<br />
even more susceptible to leaks or failures.<br />
To help utilities manage the increase in water main breaks<br />
and to conserve water resources, Wachs <strong>Water</strong> Services will<br />
deploy a variety of leak detection solutions including correlator<br />
listening devices and the Investigator in-line condition assessment<br />
technology for small diameter distribution mains, and<br />
the LDS1000 in-line acoustic/CCTV system for large diameter<br />
water transmission lines.<br />
“We are creating a cost-effective portfolio of proven leak<br />
detection technologies that offer solutions for utilities of all<br />
sizes when dealing with water main breaks and water loss,” said<br />
Cliff Jones, Vice President of Business Development, Wachs<br />
<strong>Water</strong> Services. “We are helping utilities nationwide to develop<br />
proactive water pipeline management programs that reduce<br />
repair and replacement costs, and significantly minimize the<br />
impact of water main leaks.”<br />
GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE<br />
Report Released on Green <strong>Infrastructure</strong><br />
Barriers & Gateways<br />
The Clean <strong>Water</strong> America Alliance (Alliance) released a<br />
report, Barriers and Gateways to Green <strong>Infrastructure</strong>, in an<br />
international webcast recently as part of the Virtual H2O<br />
conference. It is based on a national survey conducted last<br />
Spring that solicited more than 200 utilities, NGO’s, government<br />
and private entities to determine what sorts of obstacles<br />
they experienced, and opportunities were revealed, when<br />
implementing programs.<br />
“Green infrastructure comes in many shades and slices and so<br />
do the benefits and barriers,” explained Ben Grumbles,<br />
President of the Alliance. “Green infrastructure pioneers need<br />
support, guidelines, and assurances to create the foundation of<br />
practice needed for more common adoption. A sustained campaign<br />
of education and collaboration will reduce risk and uncertainty<br />
and open the door for more communities and organizations<br />
to shift the paradigm from gray to green.”<br />
The report summarizes the results of the survey and is<br />
informed by the ongoing green infrastructure research and<br />
developed and refined through conversations with partner<br />
organizations including American Rivers, The Conservation<br />
Fund, Low Impact Development Center, Smart Growth<br />
America, and the Alliance’s Urban <strong>Water</strong> Sustainability Council.<br />
The research survey was funded by the Turner Foundation to<br />
help inform U.S. EPA’s upcoming Stormwater regulations due<br />
to be released December 2, 2011. It can be downloaded at<br />
http://bit.ly/gireport.<br />
The report was planned to be a stimulus for advancing<br />
policy and practice at the Urban <strong>Water</strong> Sustainability<br />
Leadership Conference, Oct. 3-5, in Milwaukee. U.S. EPA’s<br />
Nancy Stoner, the Acting Assistant Administrator for <strong>Water</strong>,<br />
addressed the stormwater rule and how it will impact urban<br />
water management.<br />
Key recommendations include urging EPA to use new stormwater<br />
regulations and permits to help drive green infrastructure,<br />
fully measure and account for economic and environmental<br />
benefits, embrace regional flexibility and results-oriented<br />
approaches, and focus increased federal funding for green infrastructure<br />
initiatives. Coordination among other federal agencies<br />
is critical, especially the USDA, U.S. Department of the Interior,<br />
and U.S. Department of Transportation. This can also be true at<br />
all levels of government. Only through greater coordination,<br />
education, and funding can green infrastructure be advanced<br />
meaningfully and sustainably.<br />
GeoTree Technologies a Finalist in National<br />
Cleantech Open<br />
GeoTree Technologies Inc has been selected as a finalist in<br />
the 2011 National Cleantech Open. GeoTree uses industrial<br />
waste materials to make products that are used for pipe and<br />
road infrastructure rehabilitation.<br />
“Unemployment is the key issue facing this country, and<br />
infrastructure is in a state of severe decay. We need to find solutions<br />
to these macro issues,” said Amir Hoda, President and<br />
CEO of GeoTree Technologies. “The reason for the Cleantech<br />
recognition is our ability to help solve these problems with<br />
solutions than are more cost-effective than current solutions.<br />
GeoTree’s technology fixes America’s infrastructure at a lower<br />
cost, while creating construction jobs, manufacturing jobs and<br />
green-collar jobs.”<br />
GeoTree’s technology rapidly creates a new structural pipe<br />
inside the old pipe, with little to no public disruption. This<br />
process requires no digging, virtually eliminating traffic delays<br />
and associated idling cars and trucks, thereby eliminating as<br />
much as 90 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions. This<br />
technology is being embraced by states, including Georgia,<br />
Virginia, Texas and Michigan.<br />
The Cleantech Open runs the world’s largest cleantech<br />
accelerator. Its mission is to find, fund and foster entrepreneurs<br />
with big ideas that address today’s most urgent energy, environmental<br />
and economic challenges. To date, it has helped raise<br />
over $300 million in capital and created an estimated 2,500<br />
green-collar jobs.<br />
GeoTree Technologies is located in Lafayette, Colo. For<br />
inquiries, please contact Benjamin Cook at 720-921-8810 or by<br />
email at info@geotreetechnologies.com.<br />
education programs of the Alliance. Recommendations were<br />
16 <strong>Water</strong> <strong>Utility</strong> <strong>Infrastructure</strong> <strong>Management</strong><br />
November/December 2011