Underground Construction - December 2020 - 8

NEWSLINE LATEST INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS
NASSCO Releases Brochure
to Inform Communities
About Styrene Safety

Kleinfelder Completes
Acquisition of
Gas Transmission Systems

NASSCO has published a new, two-page brochure,
" What's That Odor, " to help inform communities
about the safety of styrene used in the steam cure
process of Cured-In-Place Pipe (CIPP).
" It is important that we reassure private property
owners and the public in general that CIPP is a
proven and minimally disruptive process used to
repair or replace our critical sewer infrastructure, "
said NASSCO Executive Director Sheila Joy.
" Understandably so, the odor produced from
styrene sometimes used in the curing process
of CIPP can alarm people, so NASSCO's Health
and Safety Committee, Pipe Rehab Committee
and CIPP Safety Workgroup have joined forces to
produce this informative brochure.
In addition to online access, NASSCO is
encouraging contractors and municipalities to
download and print the brochure free-of-charge
to educate the public on the value of CIPP and
the steps they can take to prevent the odor from
entering buildings, answer questions about safety
and so much more. " What's That Odor? " is available
on the NASSCO web site: www.nassco.org.

San Diego-based Kleinfelder Group said it has
acquired utilities and pipeline services firm Gas
Transmission Systems (GTS) for an undisclosed sum.
" GTS will continue to capitalize on opportunities
resulting from significant regulatory drivers, "
Kleinfelder said. " Kleinfelder and GTS have
several shared portfolio clients, which will lead to
synergistic momentum that will drive opportunities
for value creation and further establish Kleinfelder
as a major player in the energy. "
The GTS organizational structure will remain
unchanged under the direction of President Ben
Campbell and will report through West Division
Director Victor Auvinen, Kleinfelder said.
" As a well-established gas utilities and pipeline
services firm, GTS is a strong addition to Kleinfelder, "
said Kleinfelder President and CEO Louis Armstrong.

USDA Awards Alaska Utility
$22 Million for Fiber Installation
Alaska Power & Telephone Company (AP&T) has
been awarded a $21.5 million grant from the U.S.
Department of Agriculture to install fiber optic

CGA Research on Utility Locating Points to Stressed Damage
Prevention System
The Common Ground Alliance
(CGA) published a new White Paper
that is based on recent research
among locating stakeholders that
points to an often strained damage
prevention system.
The CGA White Paper analyzes
data from a survey of more than
Biggest Challenges facing the locating industry. (Source: CGA)
400 locate technicians, information gleaned from in-depth interviews with 20 locating managers and industry decision-makers, and
damage data from CGA's 2019 DIRT Report to paint a picture of how the locating industry is working
to manage the increasing volume and complexity of tickets.
The White Paper summarizes the findings of CGA's recent survey of locate technicians and oneon-one interviews with locating managers and decision-makers and shares four key takeaways that
the damage prevention industry can leverage to achieve timely, accurate locates:
1. The volume and variability of tickets are huge challenges for the locating industry.
2. White-lining and updated facility maps may be the damage prevention industry's most effective
paths to timelier and more accurate locates.
3. Retaining an experienced workforce is likely to produce better safety outcomes.
4. Reimagining relationships between key stakeholders can dramatically move the industry forward.
" As we see damage root cause groups equalizing in the 2019 DIRT Report, it's never been more
important for us to consider how we can strengthen each part of the damage prevention process, "
said Josh Hinrichs of ELM Companies and vice-chair of the CGA Board of Directors. *

DECEMBER 2020 | UCONonline.com

cable in rural Alaska as part of the agency's Rural
Utility Service's ReConnect program.
AP&T will provide over $7 million in matching
funds for its SEALink Project, with funds used
to construct local networks that will provide
high-speed broadband to all premises in Kasaan
and Coffman Cove, and to develop and install
an estimated 214-mile fiber optic cable between
Prince of Wales Island, Petersburg, and Juneau.
Development will occur over the next five
years, with completion planned for 2025.

Rural Maine Water Systems
to Make Upgrades with
Federal Help
The federal government is providing a pair of
rural Maine water systems more than $5.7 million
to help make improvements.
U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural
Development is giving the city of Gardiner more
than $3.5 million and the Livermore Falls Water
District $2.2 million. Most of the money is in the
form of loans, though Gardiner is receiving a
$500,000 grant.
Gardiner will be able to upgrade a wastewater
treatment facility and pump station while the
Livermore Falls district will be able to replace
outdated water mains, the USDA said.
The investments " will ensure that users of these
two systems have reliable and properly working
water and wastewater infrastructure, " USDA Rural
Development State Director Timothy P. Hobbs said.

Callahan Pipeline Completion
Announced in Northeast Florida
Peninsula Pipeline Company, a Florida subsidiary
of Chesapeake Utilities Corporation, along with
SeaCoast Gas Transmission, a TECO Peoples Gas
affiliate have completed the Callahan Intrastate
Pipeline, bringing additional natural gas capacity
to Nassau and Duval Counties.
The Callahan Intrastate Pipeline facilities
include a 26.5-mile-long joint natural gas
pipeline, which initiates from a gate station that
was recently commissioned on the Southern
Natural Gas Cypress Interstate Pipeline near
Crawford Road in Callahan, Florida to Radio
Avenue and Highway 17 in Yulee, Fla. Peninsula
Pipeline constructed, partially owns and will fully
maintain the pipeline.
The new supply source will enable both
Chesapeake Utilities subsidiary Florida Public
Utilities Company (FPUC) and Peoples Gas to

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Underground Construction - December 2020

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