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District developing a long-range water plan to maximize assets
Broomfield, Colo., Jan. 13, 2016 – After a two-year study conducted by MWH Global and Hawksley Consulting, Castle Pines North Metropolitan District has decided on a long-range water plan that ensures the future of enduring water supplies to the District.
“The business of providing water to our residents in Castle Pines has become increasingly challenging. It’s not enough to own multiple water assets. We have to position ourselves in a way that gives us durable, sustainable and renewable water supplies to replace those from non-renewable groundwater sources,” said District Manager Jim Nikkel.
The District enlisted the help of Colorado-based engineering, consulting and construction firm MWH and its subsidiary, Hawksley Consulting for a study focusing on solutions that maximized the value and use of the District’s water assets. In addition, the firm determined a plan that reduces reliance on groundwater from wells and builds infrastructure to support a renewable water supply from snow and rainfall.
The District’s water plan was designed for strategic utilization of Lower South Platte water rights, Plum Creek and Hock Hocking water rights, as well as storage in Chatfield Reservoir. Nikkel said the plan achieves a meaningful goal.
“The plan we received from Hawksley Consulting will allow us to maximize our existing investments, replace up to 97 percent of our groundwater supplies, and cost us about half as much as we had originally estimated,” Nikkel said. He added, “In the first phase of the plan, we’ll have a renewable water supply of 900 acre-feet (AF) per year, or 50 percent renewable. This puts our community in a great position for our future water needs.”
Board President Keith Dodd, added, “Not just the current board, but previous boards have been diligent in working toward reducing our reliance on groundwater. Those sources aren’t always going to be enough for our community. We have a responsibility to protect what’s ours.”
Within the next three to five years, the initial phase of the District’s plan involves storage of renewable water in Chatfield Reservoir, through the Chatfield Reallocation Project. Nikkel says from that point, it will be a continual effort to bring assets on line.
“Our customers trust us to put the investment we’ve made to work. We’re doing that, by implementing the findings from Hawksley Consulting, developing the infrastructure, and continuing to assess our community’s long-range water needs,” Nikkel said.
About MWH Global
MWH Global is dedicated to Building a Better World. As specialists in water and natural resources, MWH employees use innovative ideas and technology to help solve complex infrastructure and environmental challenges. This work is built on a nearly 200-year history during which MWH has delivered services from initial planning and design through construction, start-up and operations. Today, MWH employs approximately 7,000 experts including engineers, consultants and construction professionals in 35 countries on six continents. Each of these experts is committed to serving global communities through sustainable development and project delivery. MWH is a private, employee-owned company headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado. For more information, visit www.mwhglobal.com or connect via Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
About Hawksley Consulting
Hawksley Consulting builds on a rich legacy of innovation and impactful solutions to provide answers for our clients’ greatest challenges. Our management consultants throughout the U.S., U.K., Australia, New Zealand and the Middle East bring together global expertise in strategy, finance, risk management, asset management, organizational development, information technology, stakeholder engagement, and environmental and social sustainability. We implement practical solutions for public and private clients in the water, wastewater, energy, transportation, industrial and government sectors. Hawksley Consulting is a wholly-owned subsidiary of MWH Global, the leader in water and natural resources dedicated to Building a Better World. For more information, visit hawksley.com or connect with us on Twitter and LinkedIn.
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Important Updates Alter Sewer Main Condition Assessment and Recommends New Standards for Accepting Post-Rehabilitation Projects
Sacramento, Calif. – January 11, 2016 – a leading provider of smart water leak detection 
technologies and cloud computing applications, announced that its patented technology has been prominently featured in a new edition of the industry’s leading wastewater collection manual – OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE OF WASTEWATER COLLECTION SYSTEMS, VOLUME 1, SEVENTH EDITION.
First published in 1976 with nearly 90,000 copies in print, the OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE OF WASTEWATER COLLECTION SYSTEMS manual is used by operators, managers, and consulting engineers, worldwide.
The Seventh Edition was published in December 2015, while the Sixth Edition was published in 2003.
“Our manual was originally designed to allow for self-paced instruction where operators worked at their own speed,” said Ken Kerri, Ph.D., P.E., former Director of the Office of Water Programs, California State University, Sacramento (1965-1997) and Chief Project Consultant until his passing in 2014.
“Once operators started using the manual for home study, we realized that it could serve as a textbook in the classroom,” said Dr. Kerri, who co-authored the section on Electro Scanning Inspection.
Today, the Office of Water Programs is a nonprofit organization operated by University Enterprises, Inc., California State University, providing distance learning programs for the operation and maintenance of drinking water and wastewater facilities.
“We are delighted to see our technology become an integral part of Chapter 4: Inspecting and Testing Collection Systems,” states Chuck Hansen, Chairman, Electro Scan.
Electro Scan’s technology is not only explained in Section 4.4 of the Seventh Edition, but also depicted in numerous illustrations, statistical analyses, and practical applications, in accordance with ASTM F2550-13.
In numerous instances, Electro Scan’s low voltage technology is able to identify and quantify leakage amounts in gallons per minute (GPM), often where defects are not identified by certified closed-circuit television (CCTV) operators or by using other inspection techniques.
Electro Scanning Inspection also provides wet-weather condition assessment information, not available using CCTV inspection, and can be performed year around to help locate sources of sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) and find defects in newly repaired or relined pipes.
Important updates contained in the Seventh Edition suggest altering the acceptance criteria for rehabilitated pipes using Electro Scanning Inspection to assess the effectiveness of cured-in-place pipe (CIPP), service re-connections, and point repairs, explaining the importance of quantifying pre- and post-rehabilitation inspection results.
Given Electro Scan’s ability to automatically find sources of leaks that are frequently missed by CCTV inspection, the manual suggests using Electro Scanning Inspection first to objectively locate and quantify pipe defects, then using CCTV inspection to document the most severe defects.
In addition to Electro Scanning Inspection (Section 4.4), Chapter 4: Inspecting and Testing Collection Systems also includes an updated section on CCTV Inspection (Section 4.3), Smoke Testing (Section 4.5), and Dye Testing (Section 4.6).
Continues Hansen, former Founder and CEO of Hansen Information Technologies, “It was an honor to contribute to Electro Scanning Inspection at the invitation of Dr. Kerri and share this game-changing technology with operators, managers, consulting engineers, and students.”
Image 1- Mark Grabowski,Vice President and General Manager, Electro Scan Inc. and Dr. Kerri, co-author of Electro Scanning Inspection and former Chief Project Consultant, Office of Water Programs until his passing in 2014.
Image 2- Sixth Edition, Volume 1,
published in 2003.
About Electro Scan
Founded in 2011, Electro Scan develops smart water leak detection instrumentation and cloud computing applications that automatically locate, measure, and report pipe condition assessments for water, sewer, and gas pipelines. The Company is headquartered in Sacramento, California.
Contact
Carissa Boudwin, Tel: +1 916 779 0660, Email: carissa@electroscan.com
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GSSI announces the release of updates to the SIR® 4000 ground penetrating radar (GPR) 
control unit. The controller is designed to bridge the legacy of GSSI’s traditional analog antennas with next-generation of digital offerings, giving it the flexibility by supporting a wide range of users in numerous applications. The updates bring the StructureScan 2D collection module to the controller, simplifying its use for the concrete construction industry.
The StructureScan 2D collection module offers users greater flexibility for using the controller in concrete construction industry applications. The module includes high frequency antenna-specific set-ups to ensure survey efficiency, and enables the controller to automatically recognize smart antenna set-ups.
Additionally, the update offers users the option of on-the-fly automatic gain to better enhance the data display, while still saving the file in the original raw format for post processing. The updated collection module also includes a horizontal zoom function, allowing users to increase the size of the data set up to 8x to resolve smaller targets, and a “Save Image” shortcut for quick reports.
Fully integrated, the SIR 4000 provides a 10.4 inch high definition LED display, a simple user interface, plug-and-play GPS integration, and Wi-Fi enabled data transfer functionality.The SIR 4000 is designed with a number of exclusive features, including a casted aluminum chassis that offers superior temperature stability and an impact resistant design that combined, delivers a full IP 65 rated- able to withstand tough jobsite conditions.
For pricing and availability, please contact your local sales representative.
About GSSI:
Geophysical Survey Systems, Inc. is the world leader in the development, manufacture, and sale of ground penetrating radar (GPR) equipment, primarily for the concrete inspection, utility mapping and locating, road and bridge deck evaluation, geophysics, and archaeology markets. Our equipment is used all over the world to explore the subsurface of the earth and to inspect infrastructure systems non-destructively. GSSI created the first commercial GPR system nearly 45 years ago and continues to provide the widest range and highest quality GPR equipment available today.
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BOSTON – EPA is now accepting nominations for the 2016 Environmental Merit Awards, which will recognize environmental achievements during the past year. Award categories are available for individuals, businesses, governmental entities, and other organizations. Awards are also given under a lifetime achievement category.
These regional awards have been given out annually since EPA was created in 1970. Past recipients have included scientists, community activists, business representatives, public officials and other individuals committed to preserving the environment. An independent EPA panel will select the winners based on the following criteria: long-term effects on the environment; ability to address an environmental problem or need; collaboration with others; ability of the program or accomplishments to be widely shared; clarity and effectiveness of the presentation; and promotion of innovative ideas or techniques. Awards are traditionally given in four categories: individual; business, industry, trade, and professional organization; local, state or federal government; and environmental, community or non-profit organization.
This year EPA will also be awarding the Children’s Environmental Health Award for an Individual or group that has made significant progress, contribution, leadership toward protecting children from environmental health risks in schools, homes, and childcare environments in New England. Criteria for the Children’s Environmental Health Awards are:
– Innovative efforts to increase awareness of children’s unique vulnerabilities to pollutants and other environmental hazards through research, education, outreach, or capacity-building activities; and/or
– Development of activities or programs that have produced tangible reductions in risk to children from environmental health hazards where they live, learn, and play.
A final award category is available. For a third year EPA will be awarding the Ira Leighton “In Service to States” Environmental Merit Award. This award recognizes an individual or organization that has made significant strides in facilitating state and federal partnerships through innovative sustainable solutions addressing critical environmental challenges in New England. The successful candidate will have actively demonstrated conviction and leadership in protecting the environment and in promoting sustainable practices, and will be determined by a collaborations among the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC), the Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management (NESCAUM), the Northeast Waste Management Officials’ Association (NEWMOA), in coordination with the New England state Environmental Commissioners.
The deadline for nominations is February 12, 2016. Awards winners will be invited to a ceremony in May in Boston. Nominations are only accepted online.
More information on Award categories, evaluation criteria and how to submit nominations: http://www.epa.gov/environmental-merit-awards-new-england
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Planting 80,000 trees is equivalent to reforesting over 250 football fields.
Bala Cynwyd, PA, December 10, 2015 – Philadelphia Insurance Companies (PHLY) will support the planting of 80,000 trees after reaching the goal of a yearlong collaboration that engaged agents, customers, and employees. The goal of the PHLY 80K Trees initiative, which launched in partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation on Earth Day 2015, was to help wildfire and natural disaster recovery efforts and restore habitats across the country. There are over one million acres in desperate need of replanting due to natural disasters according to the U.S. Forest Service. PHLY’s efforts to plant 80,000 trees will help provide greater security to communities, including PHLY’s policyholders.
“PHLY is on a mission to save forests devastated by natural disasters,” shared Bob O’Leary, president and chief executive officer of Philadelphia Insurance Companies. “Trees provide habitat for wildlife and clean water for communities, while helping to protect businesses from flooding by increasing soil stability and reducing storm water runoff in urban areas.”
Being a property/casualty carrier and providing flood insurance, PHLY recognizes the potential effect these risks might have on the marketplace. To protect communities from future devastation, PHLY has taken action through PHLY 80K Trees to address the imperative need to build healthy forests and ecosystems.
The PHLY 80K Trees goal was reached with the help of PHLY’s independent agents, brokers, and policyholders. PHLY invited producers and policyholders to enroll into receiving paperless statements. The company will use the cost savings to fund the planting of 40,000 trees in Bastrop State Park and surrounding communities. An additional 20,000 trees will be planted in both Superior National Forest in Minnesota and Modoc National Forest in California. PHLY employees also raised money to support the initiative and will help plant a portion of the 40,000 trees in Bastrop State Park near Austin, TX in January 2016.
As part of its partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation in 2015, PHLY also purchased carbon-offsets, which reduced its carbon footprint by 2,200 metric tons. This is equivalent to removing 463 passenger vehicles from the road for a year.
For more information about the initiative please visit www.PHLY.com/Trees.
About Philadelphia Insurance
Philadelphia Insurance Companies designs, markets, and underwrites commercial property/casualty and professional liability insurance products incorporating value added coverages and services for select industries. In operation since 1962, the Company, whose commercial lines insurance subsidiaries are rated ’A++’ (Superior) by A.M. Best Company and ’A+’ for counterparty credit and financial strength by Standard & Poor’s, is nationally recognized as a member of Ward’s Top 50, National Underwriter’s Top 100, and one of the Top 150 Workplaces in America. Policies are underwritten by Philadelphia Indemnity Insurance Company. The organization has 50 offices strategically located across the United States to provide superior service. For more information, please visit www.PHLY.com.
About Arbor Day Foundation
Arbor Day Foundation is a million member nonprofit conservation and education organization with the mission to inspire people to plant, nurture and celebrate trees. More information is available at arborday.org.
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AURORA, IL-TT Technologies recently launched its new comprehensive trenchless website. The fully responsive design allows users to view and interact with the website from mobile devices including tablets and smartphones. Trenchless contractors and engineers are able to get information on trenchless tools, methods and parts and accessories on their mobile device directly from the jobsite.
The site contains photographs, illustrations and animations of trenchless methods and applications including pipe bursting, pipe ramming, horizontal boring, lateral replacement and directional drilling.
The site is designed to be an extensive trenchless pipe replacement resource for contractors, engineers and municipalities. In addition to method descriptions and equipment specifications, the site contains numerous case studies describing actual trenchless projects.
The site can be accessed at: www.tttechnologies.com
