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Underground Construction September 2006 __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ Special Coverage: Hurricanes of 2005 Through all the terror and turmoil of the disaster, the people of the sewer, water, telecom, electric and gas industries responded with speed, efficiency, dedication and innovation to get their systems up to speed. In what could only be described as an incredibly daunting task, this industry’s members didn’t flinch at the challenge. Here are their stories: Hurricanes Katrina & Rita: A Disaster Still Being Felt Life in New Orleans means knowing storms on a first-name basis. Residents here recall flood estimates like the birth dates of their children. Each storm dredging up strong memories of evacuations or riding it out, but always the stifling hot days to follow when cleanup crews erased the evidence and people put their lives back together. ___________________ Race To Clean Stormwater Catch Basins The world’s news organizations provided extensive coverage of the devastation caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, followed by details of rescue efforts and round-the-clock work of thousands of employees of utility providers, contractors and volunteers to restore basic services to the United States Gulf Coast and New Orleans areas. Storm drain clean-out contractor: ____________________ Diverse Actions By Telecom Contractor Prove Beneficial Any time a major disaster damages or destroys utility infrastructures, contractors play a key role in restoring vital services. No better example can be found than recovery efforts following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the devastation they brought a year ago. Contractor: ___________________ Restoring Power Generated Thanks Most of us take electricity for granted and don’t appreciate how critical electrical service is until we lose it. So, when disaster strikes, restoration of power is a top priority as it is needed to conduct rescue operations, for treatment of the injured and later to clear debris so recovery and rebuilding can begin. Contractor: ____________________ Beaumont Water Utility Rides Out Rita When Hurricane Rita roared ashore early Sept. 24, 2005, close to the Texas-Louisiana state line, it was a Category 3 hurricane with top winds of 120 mph and warnings of up to 25 inches of rain. By that time, the Beaumont Water Utilities had already come up with a novel idea to keep both their employees and equipment out of the path of the storm. They would board a military cargo ship docked in the Port of Beaumont, allowing them to recover more quickly after the storm. _____________________ Gas System Running, But 840 Miles Must Be Replaced Entergy New Orleans, the provider of electricity and natural gas services for the city of New Orleans, may be the most troubled public utility in the nation. ______________________ Considering the extent of damage to telecommunications systems by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita last fall, restoration of service in most areas proceeded with remarkable speed. ______________________ Power Restoration Quick Despite Double Huriricane Hit Repairs and rebuilding of electrical infrastructures destroyed and damaged by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita have restored the availability of electrical power to most communities along the Mississippi and Louisiana Gulf Coasts, inland areas of both states, New Orleans and adjacent parishes. ____________________ N.O. Utilities Struggle To Return Full Services Times are hard in the Big Easy. Indeed, it is hard to conceive of a major American city with a greater collection of problems than those faced in New Orleans. A year after Katrina and the flooding that followed, New Orleans is a ghost of what it once was. ____________________ Features Acceptance, Productivity Of Microtunneling Grows Microtunneling is considered by many to be the most complex and costly of all the various trenchless technologies. Excavation Safety An Evolving Challenge Effective damage prevention and good management of buried utilities require attention to a number of details, including evolving regulations, infrastructure changes, intentional planning and adaptation/utilization of new technologies. The stakes are high in terms of life and property protection as well as construction cost. Horizontal Directional Drilling HDD Facilitates Alaskan Pipeline Relocation When Alaska Pipeline Company – a wholly owned subsidiary of SEMCO Energy, sister company of ENSTAR Natural Gas the gas distribution supplier to South Central Alaska – needed to relocate a section of the Beluga Natural Gas Pipeline Transmission system crossing the Susitna River, they knew the project presented special challenges. HDD contractor: ARB HDD Used For Sewer Grinder Installation Residents of Rockville and the Grand Lake and Pleasant Lake areas, just west of St. Cloud, recognized something had to be done when elevated nitrate levels in lake HDD contractor: _______________ Town’s Fast-Growth Prompts Use Of Restrained Joint PVC For Water Line Located 28 miles east of Memphis on Tennessee Highway 64, Oakland, TN, is one of the region’s fastest growing towns. Yet, as urban-weary Memphians move east to live in quieter small-town surroundings, the sudden swell in population has caused significant strain on a transmission line running from the Oakland Water Treatment Plant to the western portion of Fayette County, TN. Restrained joint PVC: Mud Mixing Fluids Rehabilitation Technology City Uses Pro-Active Grout Program To Reduce Volume, Treatment Costs Remote Inspection Equipment |
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