With landfill space decreasing and environmental concerns and regulations increasing, public works officials are sifting through the waste stream for new ways to manage waste disposal. One portion of the waste stream that they have identified as lacking comprehensive and standardized management...
John Bardeen, William Shockley, and Walter Brattain—researchers at Bell Telephone Laboratories in Murray Hill, NJ.—never dreamed that their invention of the transistor would become such a big deal in the waste industry when they received the Nobel Prize in physics in 1956.
For any public works employee experienced in presenting a controversial project or fielding service-related complaints, this is the question that eventually arises when contemplating the development of a public relations program. But upon further reflection, the answer has to be “yes” because in...
Many cities are struggling to find new ways to meet the challenges posed by an enormous infrastructure funding gap. Indianapolis is using the flexibility of a public-private partnership to implement new practices to reduce capital improvement costs and to keep up with the demands of population...
When an event brings more people into a small town than the normal population, the public works department has to be ready. Water, wastewater, trash, roads, parks—all are impacted far beyond their originally intended capacity. Here's how two towns reacted.
The American Red Cross is turning to GIS technology to aid in relief efforts following hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Computer mapping, spatial analysis, and GIS Web services have helped the agency manage and distribute food, clothing, and housing. In addition, workers have used the technology to set...
Imagine you're adding a runway at a busy international airport. Then, imagine doing it while saddled with the most stringent environmental impact mitigation permits issued in state history. You would be managing the third-runway project at Seattle-Tacoma (Sea-Tac) International Airport in...
As an officer of the Deep Foundations Institute, I have had the opportunity to travel the globe and meet engineers from around the world. We have found common ground in our engineering challenges and shared countless ideas and experiences, to the mutual benefit of our respective clients.
Want to know the best places to enjoy a great lunch in Chicago? Don't reach for the city's Zagat Survey, or flip to the
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A geographic information system (GIS) now provides detailed information on every intersection in the nation's capital. Washington, D.C.'s, Department of Public Works Solid Waste Management Administration (DPW-SWMA) uses both routing software and new turn-restriction information to increase...
Keeping water flowing to thousands of residents is a demanding job for the Chicago Department of Water Management. With 45 miles of new water mains installed each year, keeping up with how much water flows—and determining whether customers are properly paying for their water and sewer service—can...
Living in the large city of Chicago, I'm very aware of how much solid waste there is—on the streets and in the alleys, where my trash is collected. Those refuse collectors stop by my house only on Tuesdays, but I see the giant blue Streets and Sanitation trucks scattered around the city's...
In these days of high fuel costs, it's important to know how well your fleet is doing with respect to fuel mileage and use. A good fuel management system can help you do that. You can identify vehicles that are not getting good fuel mileage, and you can use the mileage information to schedule...
For American water and wastewater utilities, change is inevitable and unrelenting. Although their fundamental responsibility remains to provide safe, reliable, affordable, and secure systems that protect public health, the environment, and quality of life, changes in society and the global business...
Serving the public can be an arduous, thankless job. The work is challenging, and even if your performance is stellar, the number of complaints you draw often outweighs the kudos. Of course you want to do a good job, but sometimes, when you find yourself in the middle of a grueling workday—which...
When you visit a water plant, what image are you left with? Depending on your experience, you may envision a building pulsating with the noise of pumps and motors; a vast array of tanks filled with water; or a large room of pipes and computer screens with red, green, or yellow lights. When I enter...
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By the time you read this, it's possible that our nation's elected leaders will have figured out a way to fund transportation in this country. After countless extensions, proposals, and threats, it seems that the House, the Senate, and the President are at last drifting toward a compromise on what...
Winners from the 2005 PUBLIC WORKS Department of the Year contest.
An interview with Connie Edmonston, parks and recreation director for Fayetteville, Ark.
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The MS/MT350 street sweeper is a heavy-duty machine mounted on a commercially available truck chassis. With dual steering controls and operating positions, it offers a high degree of maneuverability.
After several years of planning, the public works project is finally approved. The rush begins to get permits in place and procure the necessary support to move the project along. The team makes a final check of the drawings and is ready to break ground. Then at the project kick-off meeting...
The growing emphasis on point source pollution control has focused increasing attention on stormwater runoff. As a result, public works directors all over the country are now addressing the issue, some more eagerly than others. One of the most ardent clean water proponents in northern Illinois is...
By industry association figures, it costs $10,000 to $12,000 per space to build a new multi-level garage. Even more staggering is the estimated annual cost of $650 per space to simply operate the structure, including lighting, cleaning, employees, elevators, and gate equipment.
There are ways to reduce the amount of waste that goes into a landfill. And with the number of landfills decreasing, public works directors should be looking for ways to decrease the amount of solid waste that goes into these landfills. One way is to divert waste into other streams.
Fortunately, the federal government realizes that local agencies need help to reduce crashes in their jurisdictions. Through the efforts of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), many tools and programs have been developed to provide guidance to local agencies, including the Local Technical...
In 2000. Mason City, Iowa, began planning an upgrade of its water treatment system in order to meet the regulations established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Final Radionuclide Rule. Until the new standard became effective on Dec. 8, 2003, the city's treatment for drinking water had...
Chicago's Millennium Park is a different sort of public works project. Though the park is now owned and operated by the city, many of the attractions were paid for by private donations—some of them in the multimillion-dollar range. And the park is really five separate structures—two underground...
Landscape and park designers often run into strange problems when designing into an existing space. For Paul W. Bouchard, the problem was hawthorn trees. “The preservation of existing trees was the biggest challenge concerning the orientation and layout of the project, which includes the splash pad...
In business today outsourcing is common; public works departments are no different. No department by itself can handle all of the things that are thrown at it—from planning new parks to rebuilding outdated parking facilities to maintaining water treatment plants.
In-house training has proven to be the answer for public works departments that have difficulty finding qualified equipment operators and truck drivers.
All levels of government in the United States are facing a new era of capital financing and infrastructure management. In recent years, many revenue sources have diminished while others have evaporated entirely.
Parcel data, regional and community maps, facility as-builts, building permits, and other collected data are the longstanding capital of public works departments. Systems to manage and better analyze these pieces of information, however, have advanced with technology, and public agencies need to be...
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Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla., has introduced legislation to increase the federal government's role in developing desalination plants.
In the National Engineers Week Future City competition, students—under the guidance of a teacher and engineer mentor—design a city on a computer using SimCity 3000, build a 3-D model, write an essay, and create an oral presentation. Regional winners receive all-expense-paid trips to the national...
The National Transportation Operations Coalition has released the National Traffic Signal Report Card, which gave traffic signal operations a score of D-.
The
, released by the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI), shows a dramatic increase in traffic congestion over the past two decades. Pete Ruane, president of the American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA), points the finger squarely at government.
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Cutting electricity costs; detention pond design seminar; fund seeks to help rural projects; bipartisan group launches e-waste group; work-truck resource; highway groups product 'green' forum; aluminum can recycling increases.
Safe drinking water plants should be at the top of the list for public works professionals. Adding security measures to a treatment system should be paramount.
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The BC1172RB refuse compactor features a premium wheel/tooth design, with one-piece, chill-cast teeth made of high-strength, wear-resistant material. Powered by a 536-hp, water-cooled engine, the unit has an operating weight of 120,000 pounds. Other characteristics include a sealed-tub design...
Today's automation, computers, and communication systems have advanced to a level that provides for the implementation of user-friendly enhancements and increased choices for management of a water or wastewater plant's operation and data acquisition.
In 2004, four hurricanes made landfall in Florida. While not all of them impacted Marion County, we had the unusual misfortune of dealing with two of the storms in September—back-to-back. Both storms (Frances and Jeanne) were packing tropical storm force winds by the time they reached us, with...
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Microbial processes ultimately determine whether arsenic builds to dangerous levels in groundwater, according to researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Remediation may be as simple as stimulating certain microbes to grow.
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Computer equipment, construction software, construction tools, and more -- the most innovative products of 2007, chosen from the thousands on display at the World of Concrete trade show, held Jan. 2007 in Las Vegas.
Lafayette, La., which has a population of 105,000, annually hosts dozens of parades during the festive pre-Lenten season, sponsored by the Mystic Krewes of Mardi Gras. However, none is as important as the cleanup crew. Cleanup efforts by the city's Department of Public Works (DPW) involves several...
Washington, D.C., is home to a large number of high-profile government offices, landmarks, and other buildings. These vulnerable structures require protection from the potential effects of terrorist attacks, so that the U.S. government and the people working for it can continue their important work...
For the Cook County Highway Department, finding a durable, cost-effective solution for heavily traveled bus stops along Chicago's Western Avenue required creative thinking. Like other stops, these are constantly subjected to pushing, shoving, and rutting from the stress created by the starting and...
The final responsibility for all decisions made in any business belongs to the manager. Managers strive to make informed decisions that will improve communication with staff, implement efficient business practices, and provide speedy resolutions to problems. Clear communication with staff allows...
David A. Lorenz, executive director at South Suburban Park and Recreation District in the South Denver, Colo., metro area has eyed the closed Arapahoe County- owned landfill in Douglas County as a potential recreation site for years. Developers in Douglas County, the nation's fastest growing county...
This is the finest product for city streets to come along in years,” said Marty Savko of Nickolas Savko & Sons, Columbus, Ohio.
Pervious pavement is a design alternative that allows water to percolate through the pavement structure and into underlying soils—an achievement that directly conflicts with even lecture on traditional pavement design delivered in universities across the country.
If you want to avoid having horror stories to tell, said Sam Lamerato, do your homework thoroughly when choosing your fleet management software. It's a must to visit another government agency to see your prospective software in action, said Lamerato, former chairman of the Fleet Services Committee...
The most challenging aspect of a municipal water professional's job is not always technology, budgets, and capacity issues. Rather, it is often the increased levels of public attention and conflict over new policies and projects. Managers, engineers, and their customers are finding that they need...
I love my Mac. At least I do when it works. Most people are very loyal to their computers, but I'm on a Mac at work and a PC at home. So really, I can go either way as long as the machine does what I want it to do. But computers often require upgrades. We're about to move into Mac OSX here at the...
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency demonstrated significant progress cleaning up high-priority contaminated sites in the national Superfund program, according to a released summary.
Approximately 3.1 million miles of rural roads stretch across America. As area populations increase and these roadways become more functional and busier, they also have become more deadly. In 2003, more than 21,000 people were killed on rural roads. Most rural roads have no shoulders, limiting a...