For municipalities facing the difficult task of improving their wastewater infrastructure, pumping systems are critical.
As part of most programs that require stormwater permits, a stormwater pollution prevention plan (SWPPP) must be developed and implemented to reduce or eliminate pollutants from industrial activities and construction sites.
Most common problems with pool water chemistry can be attributed to five factors: free available chlorine residual, total chlorine residual, pH, total alkalinity, or calcium hardness. Fortunately, each factor can be corrected easily through careful monitoring, testing, and managing.
Ranney wells have come a long way since Leo Ranney installed the first horizontal collector well in the 1920s. These high-capacity wells offer an alternative to fields with many vertical wells.
Knowing a few important aspects of concrete restoration and integrating them into the construction process will help ensure long-term coating performance and substrate protection.
Three relatively simple measures have been used by transportation officials to improve traffic flow through intersections, reducing congestion: adaptive signal control, signal preemption/priority for transit and emergency vehicles, and advanced signal timing.
Implementing an automated asset management system can be overwhelming for any organization, regardless of its size or number of assets. For the Wisconsin DOT(WisDOT), implementing a new sign management process was a major undertaking that delivered many benefits.
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Geographical information systems (GIS) can help save lives by getting details about the emergency site to police officers, fire rescue teams, and emergency medical services.
Collection of solid waste and recyclables accounts for an average of 50% of municipal solid waste (MSW) management system costs. Any reduction in collection costs can have a major impact on the overall budget, and automated refuse collection is one solution.
Over the past two decades, the evolution of geographic information systems (GIS) has helped a growing number of public works and transportation agencies improve efficiencies and identify potential problems in services delivered to citizens.
Regular care and maintenance of any landscape can have a profound, positive impact on its appearance. What separates effective grounds managers from the rest of the pack is how well they use the resources available to them.
Despite today's access to advanced technologies and superior products, collapses, overflows, and other costly events continue to occur. Money that could be directed toward building new infrastructure gets diverted, sometimes to more visible projects. The solution, or at least part of it, resides in...
Porous asphalt pavements with stone recharge beds are rapidly gaining popularity as major components of a storm-water management system. These pavement/stormwater systems are designed to reduce peak and total volume of runoff and also are effective in removing total suspended solids.
Stabilized pavement bases, such as soil-cement and cement-treated base, have provided economical, long-lasting pavement foundations for more than 70 years.
The key is understanding the asphalt life cycle and how roadways deteriorate. Combine this understanding with an effective pavement life-cycle management (PLCM) approach and roadway managers can save thousands, if not millions, in roadway repair or replacement costs.
Given the financial impacts, safety concerns are typically the strongest selling point for an urban forestry program. But there are other reasons.
The most pressing issue facing public works departments is the shrinking pool of talent from which to draw the work-force of the future. Several key factors make the issue of succession management especially critical over the next three to five years.
A solid preventive maintenance program can help public works fleet managers keep vehicle repair costs and down-time to a minimum, but an inefficient, poorly designed program can cost time and money.
Land, nature, and weather often challenge site engineers, consultants, agencies, contractors, and other construction professionals. The magnitude of the problem of uncontrolled soil movement by water and wind is often overlooked by those unfamiliar with the impact of erosion. Special care must be...
Overhead lifting chain slings are useful tools for various types of overhead lifting operations and are frequently used for material handling in construction and manufacturing. Following industry guidelines is key to optimizing the use of these slings in a safe and effective manner.
Stocking generators should be right up there with water, food, and medical supplies in any first-aid action plan.
Originally offered more than two decades ago, polymer bridge overlays slowly have been gaining wide acceptance as a viable alternative to more standard bridge construction and rehabilitation materials.
Neoprene bearing pads are commonly used in bridges due to their durability, simple details, and maintenance-free qualities.
Ethyl Ann Hansen joined the California DOT (Caltrans) in the 1960s, at a time when the position most commonly held by women at the agency was secretary. Hansen, on the other hand, was an engineer. She spent her career improving transportation in the San Francisco Bay area. Forty years later, the...
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Mobile weather monitoring; snow response management; FEMA reporting module; integrated weather tracking; snowplow management; and more.
Because of several uncommon features of the 15-acre municipal plant's infrastructure, operators of the Fort Atkin-son, Wis., wastewater rreatment plan consider the reliability of pumps throughout the 2.7-mgd facility a top priority. They restored predictable performance at a critical link in the...
Every sewer line repair job contains an element of the unknown. Because work is done below ground, surprises inevitably occur once the site is accessed—and some surprises are bigger than others. In New Jersey, the Middlesex County Utilities Authority found more than they bargained for when they...
Most of the backhoe-loader manufacturers have been busy lately improving their new product offerings. We take a closer look at: new M Series 2 backhoe-loaders from Case; Caterpillar's E-Series, a three-machine lineup of backhoes introduced at this year's World of Concrete Show; and Terex's TX970B...
As part of its role as program manager and engineering consultant to Houston's Surface Water Transmission Program, Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam Inc. (LAN), Houston, has collaborated closely with the city's Design Branch on a series of emergency repairs to large-diameter water pipelines. During three...
In most towns, solid waste personnel have collection down to a science. Unfortunately, sometimes Mother Nature has other plans. Hurricanes, blizzards, heavy rains, and other severe weather events can gum up an otherwise smooth collection operation and make a mess of things. In addition to regular...
Not long ago, farmers who hauled their crops to market built new roads using nearby materials. So it was with a road now called County Trunk Highway (CTH) S in northwestern Racine County, Wis. The north-south highway connects the village of Wind Lake with CTH K to the south, a distance of about 3...
Elevated levels of lead in Washington, D.C.'s drinking water became national news in 2004, reviving interest in a public health issue that had largely faded from the media spotlight since the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finalized the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) in 1991. Although most...
One of the primary reasons public works employees join a union is the strong contracts for benefits and other perks. Read the results of this and other aspects of unionized work forces, as PUBLIC WORKS shares results of its recent union survey.
PUBLIC WORKS Associate Editor Jenni Spinner asks: How often How often do you get out to see your town? Have you ever left the comfort of your office or truck cab to get out to take a good look at the town you serve? If you haven't, you're not getting the big-picture view—the one your constituents...
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The American Academy of Environmental Engineers (AAEE) has announced the winners of its 2006 Excellence in Environmental Engineering Awards.
After last year's Lollapalooza concert and arts festival proved successful, the Parkways Foundation arm of the Chicago Park District is bringing an expanded version of the event back to Grant Park this August.
Several public bridge projects across the country won recognition in the 2004–2005 Timber Bridge Awards. The awards, sponsored by the American Institute of Timber Construction, the Engineered Wood Association, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service's Wood in Transportation Program...
Two Ohio towns captured gold and silver medals at the Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting in February. Founded in 1991, the contest is designed to recognize the best-tasting municipal and commercially available water.
The American Public Works Association (APWA) will lead the industry in celebrating National Public Works Week May 21–27.
The results of the National League of Cities' (NLC) annual survey of municipal officials, released in March, indicate that traffic congestion, infrastructure, and emergency services rank among the top issues on the minds of the country's city managers.
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Pervious concrete forum; Drinking water poster available; Tools for small water systems; a correction.
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This annual American Public Works Association conference—held in Peoria, Ill., April 30–May 3—offers public works crews like the team in Old Orchard Beach a range of tools help them improve their efforts to fight winter weather.
Snow is a simple substance, but it can be a powerful force. If enough of it attacks a city at once, it can bring traffic to a crawl, collapse roofs—even bring down a mayor.
In Katrian-ravaged Jefferson Parish, contractors and parish leaders are rushing to construct “safe rooms” at 20 pumping stations in the parish—a move that can protect both lives and property.
Jason Meyers, the new editor in chief of PUBLIC WORKS magazine, introduces himself to a new audience.