Public Works articles from April 2005

Public Works archives from April 2005

Self flagellation.(Editorial)
April 1, 2005... People wear their patriotism in different ways. Although I've never been the type to make a lot of noise about it, I'm proud to be an American and proud of what this nation has accomplished both at home and abroad. After having worked on our...

Americans want federal investment in water.(News & Views)
April 1, 2005... According to a recent poll, 86% of Americans believe that clean, safe water is a national issue that demands federal investment. The poll, conducted by the Luntz Research Companies and Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates, surveyed 900 adults; 77%...

House members object to blending proposal.(News & Views)
April 1, 2005... A bipartisan group of members of the House of Representatives urged the EPA to end a controversial policy to expand the use of "blending." The process involves partially untreated sewage being diluted with fully treated sewage during unusually...

AASHTO president named.(News & Views)
April 1, 2005... John F. "Jack" Lettiere Jr., commissioner of the New Jersey DOT (NJDOT), has been named president of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. He assumes the president's post held by J. Bryan Nicol, Indiana DOT...

What are you doing to manage corridor transportation?(News & Views)
April 1, 2005... The U.S. DOT has posted a request for information on its Web site intended for public and private corridor management stakeholders, asking about their efforts and future initiatives aimed at keeping people and goods efficiently moving through...

Court: farm manure rules fail to protect water.(News & Views)
April 1, 2005... The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan said it agreed with environmentalists, who claimed in lawsuits that the rules failed to provide meaningful review of plans developed by the farms to limit the pollution. The court said the...

Construction hiring to jump in early 2005.(News & Views)
April 1, 2005... According to a recent hiring survey, the employment outlook for executive, professional, and sales people in the construction industry is on the rise. Of the executives responsible for construction hiring, 79.1% indicated plans to increase...

Conference offers sessions on watershed management.(News & Views)
April 1, 2005... The 2005 Watershed Management Conference, "Managing Watersheds for Human and Natural Impacts: Engineering, Ecological, and Economic Challenges" is scheduled July 19-22, 2005, in Williamsburg, Va. Topics range from state-of-the-art computer...

Survey reports nation's infrastructure deteriorating.(OPERATIONS)
April 1, 2005... The condition of the nation's public works infrastructure received a near-failing grade in an assessment by the American Society of Civil Engineers, American Public Works Association (APWA), and the U.S. Conference of Mayors. The 2005...

Bush selects EPA leader.(PEOPLE)
April 1, 2005... President Bush has elevated Stephen Johnson from acting head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to the agency's officially nominated administrator. Johnson--a 24-year veteran of the EPA--stepped into the position when former...

AWWA show hits San Francisco in June.(OPERATIONS)
April 1, 2005... The American Water Works Association's (AWWA) 124th Annual Conference and Exposition will be held June 12-16, at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. The event will feature products and services from all aspects of the water industry, including...

Flood demo shows off school's watershed plan.(COMMUNITY)
April 1, 2005... An environmental group, community leaders, and educators joined in March to create a mock flood at a California elementary school, demonstrating the effectiveness of the site's watershed management plan. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Members...

EPA unveils new lead testing program.(RULES & REGULATIONS)
April 1, 2005... The EPA is initiating the Drinking Water Lead Reduction Plan to strengthen, update, and clarify existing requirements to test for and reduce lead in drinking water. According to the agency, the action will tighten monitoring, treatment, lead...

Largest North American drinking water plant opens.(OPERATIONS)
April 1, 2005... The new River Street Water Treatment Plant will provide the citizens and businesses of Kamloops, British Columbia, with clean drinking water. With a capacity of up to 42 mgd (roughly enough water to fill 2000 standard swimming pools), the...

Law strengthens fight against weeds.(OPERATIONS)
April 1, 2005... A new law aims to significantly strengthen the fight against invasive weeds in the United States, helping restore native plants and ecosystems nationwide. The Noxious Weed Control Act enables the Secretary of Agriculture's office to assist...

Maintenance, durability of parking structure major concerns.(DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION)
April 1, 2005... A survey of parking professionals revealed that facility managers are most concerned about maintenance and durability of their parking structures. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] According to the study, owners and managers are increasingly...

Trucks help keep soldiers safe.(OPERATIONS)
April 1, 2005... Mack Trucks Inc., Allentown, Pa., has worked with the U.S. Army and Force Protection to develop the Buffalo blast-resistant vehicle. Features include a 23-foot long robotic arm to detect and disable improvised explosive devices, or...

Nevada water plan boasts $2 billion price tag.(COMMUNITY)
April 1, 2005... A plan to pipe water to Las Vegas from rural Nevada could cost more than $2 billion, according to a preliminary estimate released by the Southern Nevada Water Authority. The plan includes 461 miles of pipeline, four pumping stations, and 200...

Do you have a Cindy?(Ideas & Opinions)
April 1, 2005... At the city where I used to work, there is a woman named Cindy who handles all the calls for the public works department, providing a front-line response to all requests and complaints. With her knowledge of city regulations and procedures, she...

Training: put it in the purchase contract.(Ideas & Opinions/Fleets)
April 1, 2005... Providing training for mechanics these days--especially for new heavy equipment--can be a challenge, especially for smaller cities and counties. The solution, most fleet managers have found, is to write training into the purchase contracts for...

Rebuilding Iraq's infrastructure: the most important thing we will leave behind in Iraq is a solid public works system.(Special report)
April 1, 2005... When Craig Johnson arrived in Iraq in October 2003, he found an infrastructure in ruins. Johnson--a vice president for Muscatine, Iowa-based Stanley Consultants and managing director of Stanley Baker Hill, a joint venture that provides...

Snow fighting in the 21st century: emerging technologies enhance efficiencies.(Snow & ice control)
April 1, 2005... What used to be an operation consisting of a fleet of trucks plowing snow and throwing out rock salt or sand is evolving into a high-tech world of specialized chemicals, computerized discharge controls, decision-making software, road and...

Slabjacking: pump it up; An economical alternative to costly replacement of sunken concrete slabs.(Concrete construction & repair)
April 1, 2005... Cracked, bumpy, and uneven concrete surfaces can present both minor and major problems. Does the neighborhood roller-hockey gang complain that your jagged streets prevent them from playing like Gretsky? Are you worried about tripping hazards...

Total project management: a reliable solution for large infrastructure projects.(Infrastructure construction & maintenance)
April 1, 2005... Building a major municipal infrastructure project is a challenging task for any community. For smaller cities, building something as complicated as a water treatment and distribution plant, a wastewater treatment plant, or another large public...

Godwin Sub-Prime[R] electric submersibles for sludge removal.(SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION: Products for the Pros)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2005... The new models, available in 3, 3.5, 6 and 8 horsepower, are designed for sludge removal from process tanks in water and wastewater treatment facilities. The 3 and 6 horsepower models have single phase motors, whereas the 3.5 and 8 horsepower...

Multipurpose Hand-Held Vise.(SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION: Products for the Pros)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2005... Multipurpose Hand-Held Vise Save time and money with the new The Multi-Vise Tool[TM] II. It can power in like most vises but can also power out. Install culvert bands, water pipe repair clamps and bell pipe. Heavy duty J-Hooks or L-Hooks can be...

Inside drops.(SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION: Products for the Pros)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2005... INSIDE DROPS for Sanitary Sewers eliminate outside drops, clean up failed inside drops and are excellent as stormwater drops and in wet wells. Compact, low-profile bowls and stain-less brackets are simple and cost effective, reduce maintenance...

Enduring beauty and strength for exterior hard landscapes.(SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION: Products for the Pros)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2005... CHROMIX Admixtures for Color-Conditioned Concrete provide non-fading UV-resistant integral colors for improving the appearance and durability of concrete. Request our new expanded color card at info@scofield.com or 800-800-9900. ...

Coir sediment control products.(SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION: Products for the Pros)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2005... RoLanka's offers variety of strong, durable coir products for successful sediment control. These biodegradable products not only help to remove sediment effectively, but also create no trash to remove or haul. These products are can be utilized...

Sno-Way[R] snow plows.(SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION: Products for the Pros)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2005... We offer the largest selection of snow and ice fighting equipment in the industry. Engineered for municipal-duty vehicles, Sno-Way's 28V, 29T Trip Edge and 32 Series snow plows provide extreme durability for demanding plowing conditions....

Battling green invaders.(Products Solving Problems)
April 1, 2005... Thousands visit Teddy Roosevelt National Park in Medora, N.D., each season, but few notice one of the park's greatest threats--leafy spurge. "Leafy spurge can survive almost anywhere," said Chad Prosser, liaison for the Northern Great...

Sewer cameras create cost savings.(Products Solving Problems)
April 1, 2005... Southern California's El Toro Water District (ETWD) boasts a customer base of more than 50,000, 135 miles of sewer pipelines, and its own 5 mgd water-recycling facility. An in-house crew--headed by collection systems supervisor Ralph...

Selecting a conveyor for your waste facility.(PW Solutions)
April 1, 2005... Conveyors come in many shapes and sizes. Used on a host of jobsites, in production plants, or at material-recovery facilities, conveyors move materials from one portion of the facility to another. Conveyors are found in areas like municipal...

High-stacking plows.(Featuring: Snow plows & accessories)(Buyers Guide)
April 1, 2005... The 29 Series snow plow is 29 inches high and comes in widths of 7.5 and 8 feet. The company recommends installing the plow on heavy-duty 0.5- and 1-ton trucks. Interchangeable skins (steel, stainless steel, and polycarbonate) are offered....

Mini tailgate spreader.(Featuring: Snow plows & accessories)(Buyers Guide)
April 1, 2005... The SmartHitch 1100 mini tailgate spreader spreads dry, free-flowing materials (salt and other deicers) effortlessly. The power on/off feature enables the operator to attach the spreader simply by backing up to it, aligning the undercarriage...

Flexible, reversible plow.(Featuring: Snow plows & accessories)(Buyers Guide)
April 1, 2005... The Flex Plow offers the cast distance of a one-way plow and the versatility of a flexible unit. Change the angle of the plow with the pull of a lever. The automatic contour uses two 3 X 6.5-inch hydraulic cylinders. The trip-edge design and...

Back plow.(Featuring: Snow plows & accessories)(Buyers Guide)
April 1, 2005... This back plow provides an efficient accompaniment to your front-plow system. It helps increase productivity by as much as 50% by pulling snow while the front plow pushes it. It scrapes snow and ice off the surface with 2000 pounds of down...

Quick plow mounting.(Featuring: Snow plows & accessories)(Buyers Guide)
April 1, 2005... The EZ-Mount Xpress snowplow system mounts in seconds, with no pins, levers, or jacks. To use, simply drive up to the plow and push a button. The tool automatically attaches and locks to the truck. Disconnection is just as simple. The system...

Snow pusher for loaders.(Featuring: Snow plows & accessories)(Buyers Guide)
April 1, 2005... Sno Pushers attach to your loader, maximize the machine's efficiency. Compared to conventional snow blades, pushers may increase the pushing capacity of your machine by as much as 500%. The quick-change attachment feature makes it easy to...

Trip edge plow.(Featuring: Snow plows & accessories)(Buyers Guide)
April 1, 2005... The Super Plow is a poly trip edge reversible unit designed for use on medium-duty trucks. The 0.38-inch poly moldboard is backed with a heavy-duty framework, rather than a full steel back, to avoid corrosion and extend the plow's service life....

Quick-attach plows.(Featuring: Snow plows & accessories)(Buyers Guide)
April 1, 2005... The Hitch-N-Run system--available on the company's snow plows--offers fast, easy attachment to your vehicle. To use, approach the snow plow; the tapered design self-aligns the plow with the truck. Then, the latch hooks engage and rotate into...

Utility plow.(Featuring: Snow plows & accessories)(Buyers Guide)
April 1, 2005... The Snowsport utility plow is easy to install: simply attach the front mount to the vehicle, assemble the push frame and push it into the receiver, and hang the plow blade. The product-which can be attached to a variety of vehicles--has no...

Carbide blades.(Featuring: Snow plows & accessories)(Buyers Guide)
April 1, 2005... I.C.E. Series plow blades feature individual bullet-shaped solid carbide tips on the edge. The products offer maximum fracture resistance in tough, high-impact conditions. In addition, they provide better fracture resistance than traditional...

PW forum: answers to vexing questions.
April 1, 2005... Answers in this section are from PUBLIC WORKS' reader panel, a select few "know-it-alls" who volunteer their time to answer your questions. If you have a question or are interested in contributing your expertise to this column, please contact...

Public works vet turns little problem into big idea.(Profile)
April 1, 2005... Bob Riggle is a 33-year veteran of the public works department in Vail, Colo. Known by his colleagues as "The Wizard," he has a reputation for tackling problems in unique ways, with a little hard work and a lot of brain power. Years ago, Riggle...