MILESTONE ACHIEVEMENT: Utility Reflects On 7 Million Hours Of Safety
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission is in the midst of a massive 15-year program to repair one of the nation’s largest and most complex water infrastructure systems. Since work started in 2009, more than 11,000 workers have recorded 7.5 million hours without a major injury or lost-time incident, marking a major milestone in the $4.8 billion Water System Improvement Program. mswmag.com/featured
CSO CONCERNS: East Coast Sewers Endure Spring Snowmelt
Cities from Boston to Bangor, Maine, are recovering from an unusually harsh winter after the East Coast was hit with record-setting snowfall. As temperatures rose, so did the chances for combined sewer overflows. It challenged the workforce while straining equipment and budgets, but local municipalities managed the risk and averted potential disaster. mswmag.com/featured
OVERHEARD ONLINE
Toilets are not trash cans, and reducing the amount of inappropriately flushed products will save utilities millions of dollars each year.
— New ‘Flushability’ Guidelines In the Works, mswmag.com/featured
UNDERWATER REPAIR: Divers Repair 30-Inch Water Main Under River
Talk about a tough job. The Portland (Oregon) Water Bureau required scuba divers to fix a fractured water main underneath the Willamette River. The river is approximately 60 feet deep where the divers performed the spot repair using a fitted steel plate and a custom-made PVC structural repair system. mswmag.com/featured