August 11, or 8/11, serves as an important reminder to everyone of the importance of the 811 "Call Before You Dig" message.  A recent report released by the Common Ground Alliance (CGA), the leading association dedicated to protecting underground utility lines and the safety of the people who dig near them, indicated an underground utility line is damaged during digging projects once every three minutes in the United States. That same report found that 34 percent of underground utility lines are damaged because the free 811 phone call was never made, resulting in more than 60,000 unintentional hits annually.

Excavation safety is first and foremost a safety concern, and striking a buried utility line can have serious, even fatal, safety consequences. One free call to 811 can help protect excavators as well as save contractors and their customers time and money. Striking a single line can cause injury, repair costs, fines and inconvenient outages. Every digging project, no matter how large or small, warrants a call to 811. Installing a mailbox, building a deck and planting a tree are all examples of digging projects that need a call to 811 before starting. When calling 811, homeowners and contractors are connected to their local one-call center, which notifies the appropriate utility companies of their intent to dig. Professional locators are then sent to the requested digging site to mark the approximate locations of underground lines with flags, spray paint, or both. The depth of utility lines can vary for a number of reasons, such as erosion, previous digging projects and uneven surfaces. Even when digging only a few inches, the risk of striking an underground utility line still exists.

AGC and its stakeholder partners within the Common Ground Alliance have been on the forefront of promoting the Call 811 campaign and its message of excavation safety and underground damage prevention. AGC will continue to set the bar high for all involved in this effort.

For more information about 811 or your one-call center, click here.

For more information, contact Scott Berry at (703) 837-5368 or berrys@agc.org

The enormous investment gap in water infrastructure has caused many in the private sector and Congress to re-evaluate traditional funding and seek out infrastructure financing alternatives. A recent EPA Clean Water Infrastructure surveyverified EPA estimates exceeding $600 billion over twenty years for clean water and drinking water combined.  AGC of America and the WIN Coalition have been steadfast supporters of the "Trust Fund" concept in H.R. 3202, the "Water Protection and Reinvestment Act of 2009," because it would provide deficit neutral dedicated and sustainable revenues for water infrastructure while continuing to capitalize state SRF programs.  Other legislative efforts, such as removing the cap on Private Activity Bonds, have also been promoted by AGC and others as a way bridge the gap by providing more access to private capital.

The GAO recently issued a report to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee titled "Wastewater Infrastructure Financing: Stakeholder Views on a National Infrastructure Bank and Public-Private Partnerships." AGC was one of 23 national organizations surveyed for the report, which is inconclusive regarding alternative project financing, but demonstrative of the varying views in the water infrastructure community. While the study does not make any specific policy recommendations it is another insightful look at additional water infrastructure financing options.

To view the reports please visit http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-10-728.

For more information, contact Scott Berry at (703) 837-5368 or berrys@agc.org.

On Thursday, July 29, the House passed H.R. 5320, the Assistance, Quality, and Affordability (AQUA) Act of 2010 by a voice vote.  This legislation amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to reauthorize and increase funding for the drinking water state revolving fund (SRF) for FY2011-FY2013. H.R, 5320 authorizes $4.8 billion over three years for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Safe Drinking Water State Revolving Loan Fund (SRF) Program, which provides federal financial assistance to states for the construction of drinking water infrastructure. This is a key development in AGC's and the WIN Coalition's efforts to reauthorize the EPA SRF programs.

AGC of America sent a letter to Congress supporting the overall bill withstanding the inclusion of the Recovery Act "Buy American" requirements. Key changes to current policy in the legislation in addition to higher authorization levels include policies applied to EPA Stimulus funds including "Buy American" requirements for iron, steel and manufactured goods, and application of Davis Bacon prevailing wages. Another key change in the legislation includes applying requirements for qualifications based selection criteria (QBS) for Architecture and Engineering services with an exemption for communities of 10,000 people or less.

Other policy changes include:

• Revising provisions concerning state intended use plans for SRF funds, including by requiring plans to give priority for the use of such funds to public water systems affected by a new national primary drinking water standard and serving disadvantaged communities.
• Providing guidance, tools, methodologies or computer software to assist small systems in undertaking measures to improve the system's management, financial stability and efficiency or to reduce the system's environmental impact.
• Prohibiting the use of lead pipes, solder and flux do not apply to pipes, pipe and plumbing fittings, and fixtures (pipes) that are used exclusively for non-potable services.
• Revising the definition of "lead free" to mean not containing more than 0.2 percent lead when used with respect to solder and flux and no more than a weighted average of 0.25 percent when used with respect to the wetted surfaces of pipes.

AGC of America and the WIN Coalition continue to work with key Senate stakeholders to get companion legislation S.1005, which authorizes $39.191 billion for the Clean Water and Drinking Water SRF program over five years, to the floor of the Senate for a vote before the 111th Congress finishes the legislative session.

For more information, contact Scott Berry at (703)837-5368 or berrys@agc.org