Creating an International Standard

The Pipeline Assessment and Certification Program now serves several countries in multiple languages.

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We all knew there was a great need for the standardization of pipeline inspection in our industry back in 2001. The only thing we needed was a champion and some guidance. Both came together that year when the Pipeline Assessment and Certification Committee was formed under the leadership of committee chair Rod Thornhill of White Rock Consultants, then-executive director of NASSCO Mike Burkhard, and the Water Research Centre (WRc) in Swindon, England.

We held our first class in January 2002 after many meetings of the minds and some old-fashioned elbow grease. Since that time, PACP has grown steadily, gaining momentum as word spread about the new standard being adopted across the country. PACP has become increasingly more important from coast to coast and is now included in many specifications and EPA consent decrees. Hawaii has been using PACP for several years, and we are now providing training in Alaska.

As the PACP expanded, the Centre for the Expertise and Research on Infrastructure in Urban Areas (CERIU) in Montreal, Quebec, de-termined that it would greatly benefit their asset management programs and aid in the quality and accuracy of the data collected. They translated PACP into French and adopted it as their standard in 2008, followed soon thereafter by the Canadian Standards Association, which sets standards for the rest of Canada.

Once Canada adopted the PACP standard, we turned our sights to the south and created a Latin America Committee to aid in determining the feasibility of expanding PACP into that region. Colombia showed the most interest, although we determined there was a definite need in other areas of the region as well.

In order to meet the demand for PACP in Spanish-speaking areas, the Latin America Committee, under the guidance of Diego Calderon, NASSCO staff engineer, began the process of translating the manual and all of the training materials needed to conduct a successful class in Spanish. After extensive peer review, the materials were ready for prime time.

The first two-day class was held at CDM-Smith's Bogotá office, and was delivered last October by Master PACP Trainer Luis R. León, P.E., BCEE, a project manager at CDM-Smith. An attendance of 12 to 14 students was projected, but 22 sewer professionals ultimately participated in the class, which led to a well-diversified learning experience. Participants included contractors, consulting firms, operators and municipal engineers. In particular, there was a high percentage of attendance of engineers and operators from the three largest municipal sewer service providers in Colombia: Bogotá (EAAB); Medellín (EPM); and Cali (EMCALI). The training in Colombia sparked interest in other South American countries, as well as Puerto Rico.

Our mission at NASSCO continues to meet the current needs of the industry: To set industry standards for the assessment and rehabilitation of underground infrastructure, and to assure the continued acceptance and growth of trenchless technologies, now in multiple countries and in multiple languages. If there is a need for PACP in your area, please contact NASSCO.

Ted DeBoda is executive director of NASSCO. He can be reached at director@nassco.org.

Get the EDge Training and Continuing Education Courses

PACP TRAINING

February 13-14, 2013

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Includes Manholes and Laterals!

Trainer: Garret Harvey

For more information or to register contact Jasmine Harvey at 403-243-0276 or jasmine@thuro.ca

March 5-7, 2013

Waterbury, CT

Includes Manholes and Laterals!

For more information or to register contact Laurie Perkins at 603-570-7115 or laurie.perkins
@wright-pierce.com

March 8-10, 2013

Twinsburg (Cleveland), OH

Includes Manholes and Laterals!

Trainer: Brandon Conley

For more information or to register contact Kay Doheny at 248-939-3220 or pacp@dohenysupplies.com

March 13-14, 2013

Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada

Includes Manholes and Laterals!

Trainer: Garret Harvey

For more information or to register contact Garret Harvey at 250-223-8664 or gevanharvey@gmail.com

March 18-20, 2013

Owings Mills, MD

Includes Manholes and Laterals!

For more information or to register contact Dawn Jaworski at 410-486-3500 or dawn@nassco.org

April 15-17, 2013

Owings Mills, MD

Includes Manholes and Laterals!

For more information or to register contact Dawn Jaworski at 410-486-3500 or dawn@nassco.org

May 6-8, 2013

Owings Mills, MD

Includes Manholes and Laterals!

For more information or to register contact Dawn Jaworski at 410-486-3500 or dawn@nassco.org

Northville, MI

Includes Manholes and Laterals!

Jack Doheny Companies Open House Equipment/Training Show

(Thurs. May 9, 2013 - ALL INVITED)

Trainer: Brandon Conley

For more information or to register contact Kay Doheny at 248-939-3220 or pacp@dohenysupplies.com

May 14-16, 2013

Atlantic City, NJ

Includes Manholes and Laterals!

NJ WEA Annual Conference

Trainer: Brandon Conley

For more information or to register contact Kay Doheny at 248-939-3220 or pacp@dohenysupplies.com

PACP RECERTIFICATION

March 7, 2013

Sacramento, CA

PACP User Recertification

For more information or to register contact Dawn Jaworski at 410-486-3500 or dawn@nassco.org

 

April 9, 2013

Owings Mills, MD

PACP User Recertification

For more information or to register contact Dawn Jaworski at 410-486-3500 or dawn@nassco.org

ITCP TRAINING

If you are interested in having a class at your facility or in your area, contact Gerry Muenchmeyer at 252-626-9930 or gmuenchmeyer@suddenlink.net



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