Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission plans to expand oversight rules on natural gas pipelines

State regulators are moving toward stricter oversight of natural gas pipelines, though officials say that effort began before the Allentown explosion that killed five people one year yesterday. “We’ve been really taking a close look, partly because of some of the tragic incidents, but also because of the expansion of Marcellus Shale in the state,” said [...]

South Bismarck sewer repairs continuing

Crews were seen repairing a corroded sewage pipe and keep raw sewage from seeping into homes in south Bismarck. The city’s utility operations director, Keith Demke, said the workers were not successful in stopping the leak Wednesday night, and he said more work is required. “We are asking residents in the affected area to continue [...]

Investigation findings: Corrosion at Michigan nuclear plant due to stainless steel components

A recent investigation by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission found that the failure of a water pump due to the corrosion of certain kinds of stainless steel components caused an August shutdown of the Palisades nuclear power plant in Covert. In a news release from his office,Congressman Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, [...]

$20m (AUD) to fix Canberra’s Scrivener Dam

Up to $20 million will be spent repairing Canberra’s Scrivener Dam after a safety audit uncovered corrosion problems. The annual safety audit of the dam three weeks ago found corroded bolts in the flap gates of the dam wall which are opened during flooding to regulate the level of Lake Burley Griffin. It recommended 120 [...]

Water line break & corrosion a headache for Tucson Water

Aging water lines are a problem for Tucson Water. They often break causing big headaches. But what happens when lines that are relatively new break. Solving that problem goes from headache to migraine. A 24 inch line broke in front of Miller Elementary School at Camino de la Tierra and Avenida de Isabel. Because it was not [...]

Pennsylvania Public Utility posts new rules for replacing aging pipelines

Noting the Feb. 9 natural gas explosion that killed five Allentown residents, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission last week proposed requiring gas utilities to file plans outlining how much aging underground pipelines leak and when the utilities intend to replace them. The PUC unanimously agreed without discussion to seek comments on the proposal, which was [...]

A Kansas city must conduct tests to determine the corrosivity of the city’s water supply

McPherson’s Board of Public Utilities initiated plans to tackle the city water supply’s copper contamination, although the utility remains far from implementing any changes. At its Monday meeting, board members were informed by BPU General Manager Tim Maier the utility received instruction from the state. Officials outlined what steps must be taken to lower copper [...]

PG&E replacing plastic pipes in Cupertino

A San Francisco  neighborhood is being made safer. PG&E is replacing thousands of feet of dangerous plastic pipeline that carries natural gas. That kind of pipe has a history of failure and it did so recently in the very spot where PG&E is now changing it out. PG&E crews began carving out sections of the [...]

Corrosion – Fatal Impact on Concrete Wall Flaw

A deficiency in the concrete wall construction of the basin at the Gatlinburg Wastewater Treatment Plant led to the basin wall collapsing, killing two employees in April, a report from the state issued Thursday says. “Walls were cast in a manner that produced a cold joint between the cast wall which fell” and three interior [...]

Waterville council considers $80 million natural gas line

Officials proposing to build an $80 million natural gas pipeline through central Maine got both support and questions at a City Council meeting earlier this week. Mark Isaacson and Anthony Buxton, partners in Kennebec Valley Gas Co., are seeking a tax increment financing agreement with Waterville and 11 other communities on the proposed line, which [...]