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Release Date: 12/22/2015
Contact Information: Margot Perez-Sullivan, 415-947-4149, PerezSullivan.Margot@epa.gov
SAN FRANCISCO –The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced more than $19 million in funding to Nevada for investments in statewide improvement in local drinking water and wastewater infrastructure and the reduction of water pollution. Nevada’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) provides financing for municipal wastewater treatment projects, while the state’s Drinking Water SRF provides financial assistance for drinking water infrastructure improvements.
“This substantial investment at the federal level helps communities develop the infrastructure needed for clean, safe drinking water and proper wastewater treatment,” said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA’s Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. “EPA is committed to protecting the water resources so important to public health and Nevada’s economy.”
Funds provided by the state will go to a variety of water quality infrastructure improvement projects throughout Nevada. Clean Water SRF money goes to projects that benefit public health and the environment, such as converting septic systems to sewer, and that increase reliability and sustainability of wastewater through upgrades and renovations to treatment facilities and sewer lines. Drinking Water SRF money is used to address health risks and improve community and public water systems by supporting projects like groundwater and surface water treatment systems, water storage, transmission and distribution systems, and water metering. For example, the Baker General Improvement District expects to receive over $475,000 to replace a failing water tank with a new 265,000-gallon welded steel tank, which will save thousands of gallons of treated water each year and substantially reduce treatment costs.
Previous Nevada SRF funds have provided $30 million to Clark County Water Reclamation District to upgrade to a more conventional tertiary treatment system. The money has gone to ongoing replacement of old treatment filters, installing additional filters and ultraviolet (UV) disinfection systems. These upgrades increase treatment capacity for used water and sewage and reduce capital and operational costs.
EPA has awarded a combined $205.3 million in federal funding for Nevada’s Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund programs since their inception in 1988 and 1996. The funds are used for a wide variety of water quality projects including watershed protection and restoration, water and energy efficiency, wastewater reclamation, and traditional municipal wastewater treatment systems including nonpoint source pollution control. The funds also support drinking water infrastructure, as well as drinking water plant operator training, and technical assistance.
The EPA’s Pacific Southwest Region administers and enforces federal environmental laws in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, the Pacific Islands and 148 tribal nations—home to more than 48 million people.
For more information on EPA Region 9’s State Revolving Fund program, visit: http://www.epa.gov/region9/water/grants/srf-loan-prog.html
Uncategorized
Release Date: 12/22/2015
Contact Information: Margot Perez-Sullivan, 415-947-4149, PerezSullivan.Margot@epa.gov
SAN FRANCISCO –The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced more than $19 million in funding to Nevada for investments in statewide improvement in local drinking water and wastewater infrastructure and the reduction of water pollution. Nevada’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) provides financing for municipal wastewater treatment projects, while the state’s Drinking Water SRF provides financial assistance for drinking water infrastructure improvements.
“This substantial investment at the federal level helps communities develop the infrastructure needed for clean, safe drinking water and proper wastewater treatment,” said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA’s Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. “EPA is committed to protecting the water resources so important to public health and Nevada’s economy.”
Funds provided by the state will go to a variety of water quality infrastructure improvement projects throughout Nevada. Clean Water SRF money goes to projects that benefit public health and the environment, such as converting septic systems to sewer, and that increase reliability and sustainability of wastewater through upgrades and renovations to treatment facilities and sewer lines. Drinking Water SRF money is used to address health risks and improve community and public water systems by supporting projects like groundwater and surface water treatment systems, water storage, transmission and distribution systems, and water metering. For example, the Baker General Improvement District expects to receive over $475,000 to replace a failing water tank with a new 265,000-gallon welded steel tank, which will save thousands of gallons of treated water each year and substantially reduce treatment costs.
Previous Nevada SRF funds have provided $30 million to Clark County Water Reclamation District to upgrade to a more conventional tertiary treatment system. The money has gone to ongoing replacement of old treatment filters, installing additional filters and ultraviolet (UV) disinfection systems. These upgrades increase treatment capacity for used water and sewage and reduce capital and operational costs.
EPA has awarded a combined $205.3 million in federal funding for Nevada’s Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund programs since their inception in 1988 and 1996. The funds are used for a wide variety of water quality projects including watershed protection and restoration, water and energy efficiency, wastewater reclamation, and traditional municipal wastewater treatment systems including nonpoint source pollution control. The funds also support drinking water infrastructure, as well as drinking water plant operator training, and technical assistance.
The EPA’s Pacific Southwest Region administers and enforces federal environmental laws in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, the Pacific Islands and 148 tribal nations—home to more than 48 million people.
For more information on EPA Region 9’s State Revolving Fund program, visit: http://www.epa.gov/region9/water/grants/srf-loan-prog.html
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NASTT turns 25 in 2015! What was happening 25 years ago?
On Christmas Day, 1990, “The Godfather Part III” directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Al Pacino, Diane Keaton and Andy Garcia premiered.
Also on Christmas Day, 1990, the first successful trial run of the system which would become the World Wide Web occurred.
And on December 31, 1990, the Sci-Fi Channel on cable TV began transmitting.
And that’s a wrap! We had a great time looking back at the last 25 years this year. We hope you enjoyed it too!
Uncategorized
Release Date: 12/17/2015
Contact Information: Joe Hubbard or Jennah Durant at 214-665-2200 or r6press@epa.gov
DALLAS – (Dec. 16, 2015) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved revisions to the Pueblo of Pojoaque’s water quality standards. The Clean Water Act revisions included revised aquatic life criteria and updates to technical references. The Pueblo, located in New Mexico, protects public health and aquatic life for the area that includes the Rio Pojoaque, Rio Tesuque, and Rio Nambe water bodies.
“The Pueblo of Pojoaque is preserving ecosystems that are essential to tribal lands,” said EPA Regional Administrator Ron Curry. “The Pueblo’s leadership will strengthen its ability to restore and maintain its water resources.”
Under the Clean Water Act, a tribe must be federally recognized, have a governing body, jurisdiction and capability in order to administer a water quality standards program. In 1996, EPA approved the Pueblo’s application to administer the water standards program and approved the water quality standards. In Sept. 2015, the Pueblo held a public hearing on its proposed revisions to the standards and notified neighboring tribes, state agencies, federal agencies and local authorities of the opportunity to comment on the proposed standards.
The goal of the Clean Water Act includes restoring and protecting the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the nation’s waters. Water quality standards established under the Clean Water Act set the tribe’s expectations for reservation water quality. These standards also serve as water quality goals for individual surface waters, guide and inform monitoring and assessment activities, and provide a legal basis for permitting and regulatory pollution controls.
For information on federally approved water quality standards adopted by Indian tribes and states, please visit: http://www.epa.gov/wqs-tech
On November 8, 1984, the EPA issued its Policy for the Administration of Environmental Programs on Indian Reservations. In doing so, the EPA became the first federal agency to adopt a formal Indian policy to guide its relations with tribal governments in the administration of its programs.
Connect with EPA Region 6:
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eparegion6
On Twitter: https://twitter.com/EPAregion6
Activities in EPA Region 6: http://www2.epa.gov/aboutepa/epa-region-6-south-central
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PERRY, Okla., Dec. 15, 2015 – The Ditch Witch family is deeply saddened to announce the passing of the company’s founder and industry icon Ed Malzahn on 
Friday. He was 94.
Malzahn changed the way the world’s utility infrastructure is installed and maintained when he launched the first service line trencher, the Ditch Witch model DWP in 1949 from a small machine shop in Oklahoma. That small shop grew to become Ditch Witch, a Charles Machine Works company, which today employs more than 1,500 workers, and has more than 175 dealerships and branches serving 195 countries. The company has produced and sold more than half of the world’s trenching machines.
“Ed was the inspirational leader of the Ditch Witch and Charles Machine Works family for over 65 years,” said Rick Johnson, chief executive officer for Charles Machine Works. “He possessed a sharp mind, strong rural work ethic and generous spirit – all of which he used to better those around him.”
Recognition of Malzahn’s accomplishments as an industry leader and innovator included his induction into the Oklahoma Inventors Hall of Fame, American Rental Association Hall of Fame, Construction Equipment Hall of Fame and North American Society for Trenchless Technology Hall of Fame. He also was named Inventor of the Year by the Oklahoma Bar Association: Patent, Trademark and Copyright Section.
The needs of the community and its residents were always a priority to Malzahn, who held deep Oklahoma roots. His efforts as a civic leader and philanthropist included volunteer service and financial contributions to numerous organizations and boards at the local, state and national level.
As a family man, Malzahn’s family life extended to his work life. Charles Machine Works has remained a family business since its creation, even after global success. Malzahn’s granddaughter Tiffany Sewell-Howard, who represents the fifth-generation of the Malzahn family, now serves as the executive chair of Charles Machine Works.
Malzahn is survived by his three children, nine grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
To send condolences or share memories, please visit EdMalzahn.com.
Memorial and funeral arrangements are scheduled as follows:
Memorial:
Friday, December 18, 2015:
6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Ditch Witch Training Center
1947 West Fir Avenue
Perry, Okla. 73077
Funeral Services:
Saturday, December 19
2:00 p.m.
First Presbyterian Church
1922 N. 15th Street
Perry, Okla. 73077
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Perry Memorial Hospital Foundation, c/o Brown-Dugger Funeral Home at 1010 North 7th Street in Perry, Oklahoma.
To read more about Ed’s induction into NASTT’s Hall of Fame, click here.
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Contributed by Vermeer
Efficiency is more than drilling fast
“Efficiency” is a word that gets used a lot in the horizontal directional drilling world.
However, if your sole focus is on improving efficiency while drilling, you’re already operating inefficiently.
That’s because inefficient use of time during setup and cleanup, mud mixing and potholing cuts into margins the same way that as a prolonged bore does.
“The more efficient you are on a jobsite, the more opportunities you’re going to have to help reduce costs, whether it’s machine costs like fuel or maintenance, or manpower expenses,” says Lee Schroeder, applications specialist for the Underground segment at Vermeer.
With that in mind, he offers some tips on how to assist in improving jobsite efficiency.
SETUP
Jobsite setup is going to depend on many factors, including the location and the project. Are you using a smaller drill or a maxi rig? Is it an urban or a rural setting? Are you operating near traffic? Regardless, have a plan before you arrive.
“No two jobsites are going to be the same,” Schroeder says. “It all ties around the project location and the type of product they’re installing.”
BE PREPARED
The drilling in horizontal directional drilling gets a lot of attention, and for good reason. But Schroeder has seen a lack of preparedness related to overall planning of the job, including mud mixing and exposing utilities.
Have the proper mud mixed for the soil conditions at that jobsite and ready to go for when it’s time to drill. Same thing for exposing utilities. Get the local One Call service to come to the jobsite a few days before the drilling is to begin so your crew can have time to expose the utilities. Many contractors are turning to reclaimers to minimize delays in disposing of drilling spoils. Also, have your crew prepare all tooling (for example, reamers, swivels, bits and product) during the pilot bore so it is ready to use as soon as the pilot bore is complete.
“Probably the biggest factor in maximizing jobsite efficiency is communication,” Schroeder says. “If a crew member knows what needs to be done and can anticipate what will happen next, they’ll be more proficient on a jobsite.”
CLEANUP
Everyone wants to wrap up the current job and move on to the next one, but it’s important to plan for the cleanup of the jobsite by making sure everyone has a defined role in tearing down the jobsite and performing any necessary rehab work.
EFFICIENCY PAYS
At a time when margins and deadlines are getting tighter, running a more efficient operation from start to finish may help a company achieve project goals. It also can benefit crew members who get bonuses for reaching certain footage goals.
To read more articles like this, visit the Vermeer Navigator Nation blog, an educational site for HDD operators.
