Truck-mounted hoists account for a healthy portion of the American truck accessory market. According to Stephen Latin-Kasper, director of market data and research for the National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA), an estimated $75 million to $80 million worth of truck-mounted hoists were sold in...
The historic city of Alexandria, Va., is abandoning its outdated hard-copy utility maps in favor of up-to-date sanitary, storm, and combined sewer geographic information system (GIS) maps created in the field, in real time.
River crossing restoration projects are happening all over the country. What many public works departments may not be aware of is that they are not the only entities interested in replacing the infrastructure. Projects like this represent a unique partnership opportunity among local entities...
A Gardena, Calif., company has come up with a solution that helps sidewalks and trees coexist peacefully.
The latest products for public works.
The latest in traffic control and safety equipment.
The latest in vehicle maintenance lifts.
Custom-made manhole risers stand the test of time and traffic.
While cities are working to make sidewalks more accessible, many are learning that their curb ramps don't comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This article, the second in a three-part series, discusses product options. Part three will cover real-world examples.
Your municipality is in the midst of its first NPDES Phase II permit. What should you expect for the next one?
While farming out services like water treatment has become nearly as common as a new Starbucks, landfills are one area in which public ownership still dominates. According to the National Solid Wastes Management Association, two thirds of municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills remain in the hands of...
Hydraulic modeling is great for predicting potential system failures, but nothing beats data from the field. Building flow-monitoring services into the initial phases of a sewer project averts costly repairs down the road.
Four cities earn top honors in our second annual Department of the Year award program. A jury of their peers says these departments raise the standard of excellence for themselves, their communities, and their profession.
Are we better off than previous generations, both personally and professionally? Technology is wonderful and invaluable, no doubt about that. But it doesn't come without its baggage.
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) offers a report that lays out the types of construction materials used in the successful building and rehabilitating of bridges, as required by SAFETEA-LU.
The U.S. EPA has awarded $420,000 in grants to 42 student teams to research and develop sustainable environmental solutions.
Water treatment company Severn Trent Services has honored the Ralph Brennan Water Treatment Plant in Daytona Beach, Fla., for switching from gaseous chlorine disinfection to using onsite sodium hypochlorite-generating technology to disinfect water for the city's 100,000 residents.
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For the second year in a row, the Water Environment Association of the Texas Trinity River Authority Central Regional Wastewater System (CReWSers) won the Operations Challenge at WEFTEC, an annual water-quality trade show.
Windy City denizens were surprised when Mayor Richard Daley announced that, after more than a decade, the city would be abandoning the blue-bag recycling program.
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Brief news from the public works field.
Brief items about toilets.
Milk: it does a body good. And, thanks to new ultra-clean electricity generation technology, it'll help out a California wastewater plant, too.
Regardless of who's in the House, you're keeping your house in order.
PUBLIC WORKS goes to the movies to review new animated feature FLUSHED AWAY.
Kids are fascinated by gross things; they also dig learning how stuff works. Combining the two, San Diego created an ingenious program to teach youngsters all about the gross and groovy world of sewers.
The latest products for the Public Works field.
These products were among the many that caught our attention at APWA.
The latest in public works billing software.
The latest in leaf collection equipment.
One example of effective traffic management comes from a high-profile project running through the heart of Boulder, Colo. The $8.9 million Broadway Street and Bridge Reconstruction Project involved total reconstruction of a four-lane arterial that carries 30,000 vehicles per day.
While many greenery-minded municipalities buy their bedding plants, shrubs, and other vegetation from private nurseries, some parks departments have found that maintaining a city greenhouse saves money, provides flexibility, and improves constituent relations.
While cities are working to make sidewalks more accessible, many are learning that their curb ramps don't comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This article, the first in a three-part series, explains what the law requires and why.
From do-gooders to good-for-nothings, 50 people, places, and events that shaped, shocked, or otherwise rocked our world over the past year.
Instead of using manual, mechanical testing methods, today's cars, trucks, and heavy equipment require computerized troubleshooting, which is often expensive. However, Jake Stucky of Missoula, Montana, has found some cost-saving solutions.
One important tool in the management of e-waste is product stewardship: a management strategy where whoever designs, produces, sells, or uses a product takes responsibility for minimizing its environmental impact throughout all stages of its life cycle.
In September, the Greater Vancouver Regional District began working on the second of twin tunnels for its Seymour Capilano Drinking Water Filtration Project, using Robbins tunnel boring machines.
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Two universities have joined forces to study how well stormwater best management practices (BMPs) address pollution, water quality, and sustainability.
The Missouri DOT (MoDOT) has launched an ambitious bridge rehabilitation plan to repair and replace hundreds of troubled structures by 2012.
At the end of September, bulldozers razed the entire town of Elkport, Iowa, erasing 150 years of history. The demolition came two years after the town's 86 former residents endured severe flood damage and dawdling by federal agencies that were slow to open their relief checkbooks.
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Brief items from Public Works News.
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Stories from the sanitation and sewage front.
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Daniel Ruefly won an essay contest and got to be the person who flipped the switch and detonate a hated Washington, DC bridge.
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Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey pulled a bunch of male sea bass from the river and found they were producing eggs, something boy fish don't usually do.
There's often a big difference between what people think they're entitled to and what's appropriate, or even possible, for your department to provide. Examples of this disconnect abounded at the American Public Works Association's annual meeting in September.
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In a September 2006 PUBLIC WORKS Survey, we aksed our readers about solid waste service in their municipalities.
Dennis Hein is a third-generation trash man, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather.
A look at how Hamilton Township overhauled their snow response system.
Vance and her team at the Butler County Department of Environmental Services (BCDES) were set on starting up an environmental management system (EMS) in 2001, and nothing was going to stop them.
The city of Austin developed a Pedestrian Master Plan to address compliance issues, using a custom GIS toolset called the Pedestrian Infrastructure Management System that scores sidewalks on ADA compliance, giving the city an efficient way to rank construction or maintenance needs.
PUBLIC WORKS takes a close look at Iowa City's concrete pavement restoration (CPR) efforts, a finds them to be lasting and effective.
As part of its continuing effort to improve construction methods, CDOT is comparing the pros and cons of hot-mix asphalt (HMA) and portland cement concrete pavement (PCCP).
Santa Barbara County is one such agency now reaping the rewards (and awards) from a pavement preservation program it launched six years ago.
The latest in sewer inspection, repair, and cleaning products
The Water Distribution and Collection Division of the city's Department of Public Utilities has developed a flow monitoring program that provides snapshots of current conditions, letting them identify, isolate, and rehabilitate sections that aggravate the I/I problem.
Now that the Everglades's natural water flow has been altered to civilize Florida, civilization is attempting to alter the wetlands again, this time to save the Everglades.
Few public utilities look at the long-term “big picture.” Strategic plans look beyond those capital improvements and focus on other critical issues that a municipal utility must plan for. A strategic plan defines the mission of the utility and the issues that are critical to its success, and...
Sewer utilities can improve performance and reverse the aging process by implementing buried infrastructure management (BIM), a systematic planning process that allows them to leverage resources to maximize the immediate and long-term benefits of every action.
Membrane filtration isn't just for big cities. Two small water districts are using the decade-old technology to combat discharge requirements and prepare for growth.
Keeping up with federal water-pollution standards wasn't too onerous in the 1970s, when events like Earth Day made it politically expedient to turn on the federal spigot. But standards keep getting tougher.
The Post-Tensioning Institute (PTI) has recognized a number of roads, bridges, and other construction projects with its 2006 PTI Awards.
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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has adopted new guidelines requiring that all precast concrete used in drainage structures come from plants certified by the National Precast Concrete Association.
A new dam in Wise County, Va., makes use of roller-compacted concrete (RCC) as a flood-fighting structure.
At Xtradirt.com, city managers can post ads calling for someone to take surplus fill dirt, sand, gravel, recycled concrete, and asphalt off their hands, or post a call for needed material.
News and events from the Public Works field.
The 2006 Competitiveness Awards, bestowed by the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA, applauds water systems that get their job done brilliantly.
Managing rapid expansion requires a unique skill set. But so does meeting the needs of communities that don't lie in the path of growth. When budgets decline, your customers expect the same level of service.
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The results from PUBLIC WORKS' August survey, concerning municipal pools.
Robert Amme's goal is to turn the nation's tire stockpiles into inexpensive paving materials.
The latest products from APWA.
The Meriden, Conn., Water Pollution Control Facility has reduced organic content and waste volume with the Screenings Washer Monster, a device that grinds, washes, compacts, and dewaters bar screenings. Since installing the device, the facility has eliminated odor, handling of screenings, and...
raditionally, developers have built and paid for improvements via permits issued by a city. While permitting works well for low- to moderate-growth areas, it has definite deficiencies. PUBLIC WORKS examines some strategies for overcoming the roadblocks.
When Kansas City's urban core needed a jumpstart, city officials broke through the backlog by launching the Capital Improvements Management Office.
Take a page from these cities' playbooks to learn how to craft and execute an effective cleanup plan.
Many public agencies have created effective procedures to curb new encroachments onto rights of way. But there remains a larger issue: What to do about existing encroachments that may have been in violation for years, or even decades?
Alone, aerial images won't make your road maintenance team work faster or your sewer mains stop backing up. But when combined with a geographic information system (GIS), accurate data collection, and sound asset-management practices, they can enhance communication internally and with constituents.
PUBLIC WORKS elucidates ample reasons to forego the option of leasing.
When landslides took out an important Montana road--crucial to the tourist economy--the collective effort of MDOT crews and their consultants and contractors proved to be a success.
Although trenchless technology can be more cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and safer than traditional exhume-and-replace construction, it's still not universally embraced. But that is changing.
PUBLIC WORKS highlights the APWA Top Ten Public Works Leaders.
Alan Gesford, a former public works director for several Pennsylvania municipalities, shares the experiences that informed his view on the public works production.
The Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute (CRSI) has announced the winners of its 18th biennial Design Awards Competition. Winners were judged on four criteria: satisfaction of the owner's objectives, effective planning, innovation to meet project goals, and full exploitation of the benefits of...
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The Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) will recognize the winners of its 2006 Excellence Awards at WasteCon 2006, Sept. 21, Charlotte, N.C. The awards honor management facilities, operations, and programs.
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Residents of Fire Island, N.Y., experienced a three-day drinking water emergency after a water authority employee took tainted water samples.
The American Public Works Association (APWA) received a $130,000 federal cost-share grant from the USDA Forest Service to fund an outreach program that aims to help public works departments improve tree care projects.
One Canadian city is harnessing its current resources to create a new source of energy and revenue.
To combat water shortages, many cities are creating and expanding programs that give residents and businesses rebates or utility-bill credits for conserving water.
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News in brief from the Public Works field.
Among the plethora of federal initiatives that affect public works leaders is the National Incident Management System. With all the other rules and regulations competing for your attention, why should you give this priority?
A profile of Victor Ramirez, director of engineering and building/city engineer in Crystal Lake, Illinois
The latest in loaders and excavators.
On-board power in public works fleets is increasing due to the need for lighting and computerized equipment. Here are some ways to get that boost when you need it.
A preview of APWA events related to water and wastewater.
A preview of APWA events related to stormwater and erosion control.
A preview of APWA events related to leadership and management.
A preview of APWA events related to equipment and technology.
A preview of APWA events related to building and facilities management.
A preview of APWA events related to engineering and design.
A preview of APWA events related to solid waste.
A preview of APWA events related to parks and grounds.
A preview of APWA events related to fleets and trucks.