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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

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