The following is a transcript of the WaterWorld Weekly Newscast for October 30, 2017.
Hi, I'm Angela Godwin for WaterWorld magazine, bringing you water and wastewater news headlines for the week of Oct. 30. Coming up...
- Water main break cuts service to 11 communities
- Sewer lining collapse kills worker
- NJ wastewater plant goes solar
- New SUEZ research lab to focus on oil, gas industry
Last Monday in Oakland County, Michigan, a break in a 48-inch water main left more than 300,000 residents in 11 communities without water.
The Great Lakes Water Authority immediately issued a boil-water notice and crews worked around the clock to repair the pipe.
By Friday, a boil water advisory remained in effect for seven communities, but GLWA was expecting to be able to lift those as soon as water quality tests were completed.
Officials are not sure what caused the 47-year-old pipe to fail but speculated that a power outage that tripped the water pumps may have caused a pressure spike.
GLWA is investigating the cause of the incident.
Last week, a sewer lining project ended in tragedy for a twenty-two-year-old installer who became trapped in a 24-inch-diameter pipe.
The accident happened in Streamwood, Illinois, a northwest suburb of Chicago.
Brett Morrow was cutting access holes about 25 feet into the pipe when the resin lining gave way, collapsing around him and hardening in place.
It took rescuers four hours to free Morrow, but they were unable to save him.
An official cause of death has not yet been determined.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is conducting an investigation into the incident.
Last week, officials celebrated the ribbon-cutting on a new solar storage project at the Caldwell, New Jersey, wastewater treatment plant.
The system combines a 2,682-panel, 896-kilowatt-dc solar system with 1-megawatt-hour batteries.
During the day, the solar panels recharge the batteries and help power the wastewater treatment plant and at night, the batteries help keep the facility running.
Under normal plant operation, the solar system provides electricity directly to the grid and can power about 165 homes annually.
But in the event of an extended power outage, the combined solar and battery system works in conjunction with the treatment plant's existing diesel back-up generators to keep the plant functioning for as long as 10 days without outside power.
SUEZ broke ground last week on a new R&D lab in Tomball, Texas.
Targeting a mid-2018 opening, SUEZ said the lab will provide industrial water, oil, microbiological, deposit and metallurgical failure testing to support SUEZ’s customers.
The site will also have an advanced technical training center for engineers and scientists who are developing and supporting new chemical and monitoring technologies.
SUEZ said the new facility will expand its current R&D efforts to include further process innovation in the oil and gas industry, focusing on global upstream and downstream applications.
For WaterWorld magazine, I'm Angela Godwin. Thanks for watching.
