August 11, or 8/11, serves as a 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) 837-5321 or berrys@agc.org.

AGC Vice President Kris Young testified before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Water and Natural Resources.

AGC Vice President Kris Young, President and CEO of Miller the Driller in Des Moines, Iowa, testified before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Water and Natural Resources  regarding the GAO report titled "Opportunities and Challenges in the Creation of a Clean Water Trust Fund."

Young voiced AGC of America's support of a "trust fund" for water infrastructure, and shared a contractor's perspective on the funding challenges that local communities face in replacing and rehabilitating drinking water and wastewater infrastructure. In her testimony, Young stated that often a contractor is not called until disaster strikes, citing frequent infrastructure failures in her local community. Young also pointed out the high unemployment in the construction industry and referenced AGC research on how infrastructure investment spurs economic growth and provides employment for construction workers and numerous other industries.

Young also cited the precedent for using trust funds to tackle national infrastructure priorities and that financing water infrastructure through a trust fund would have several advantages over general fund financing. This is because the funding stream would not be subject to the vagaries of the annual appropriations process, thereby providing the certainty that state and local officials need to commit to long-term infrastructure projects. Additionally, Young stated that the revenue sources for a trust fund must be defensible and supported by the public.

Young also discussed the importance of educating the public about our water infrastructure needs and highlighted AGC's efforts to do so with the Liquid Assets documentary. Several other witnesses including the National Association of Clean Water Agencies, Maryland Department of the Environment, and the American Society of Civil Engineers testified in support of the trust fund concept.

For a summary of the hearing content, witness testimonies and video of the hearing, click here.

For more information, contact Perry L. Fowler at (703)837-5321 or fowlerp@agc.org.

Congressman Earl Blumenauer (far right) listens as AGC CEO Steve Sandherr (left) delivers his remarks during a press conference on Capitol Hill.

AGC CEO Steve Sandherr called for the establishment of a water trust fund Wednesday during a press conference on Capitol Hill.  Congressman Earl Blumenauer invited AGC to participate in the event in which he set the stage for a long-overdue debate on water infrastructure funding.

Read AGC's statement here.

On June 6, AGC's Chief Economist Ken Simonson gave a presentation to Washington, D.C.'s  Water and Sewer Authority (WASA) senior management.  WASA provides drinking water and wastewater services to 500,000 customers in the District of Columbia, and 1.6 million customers in Maryland and Virginia. In his presentation, Simonson discussed the outlook for construction markets and highlighted increasing unemployment and material price trends in the construction industry.

AGC's Municipal &Utilities Division director Perry L. Fowler also participated in the WASA briefing and discussed current industry trends and regulatory issues impacting AGC contractors such as  American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Buy American requirements and recent waivers issued by the EPA.  Former AGC of D.C. president and AGC national board member Dragan Stojanovic, Norair Engineering Corp., also attended the meeting.

Simonson also spoke to the New York City Department of Environmental Protection at its Newtown Creek Water Pollution Control Plant on June 22. Both the Washington, D.C. and New York water agencies have multi-billion dollar construction plans and sought out AGC's chief economist for his take on the outlook for materials costs.

If you know of a water or wastewater agency that would like to schedule a similar presentation for its senior management and estimating or engineering staff, please contact Perry Fowler at fowlerp@agc.org.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a di minimus waiver from Buy America requirements contained in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.  This is the second Buy America waiver issued by EPA; the first national waiver applied to projects under contract before President Obama signed the ARRA.  This nationwide waiver can be applied to materials or components which constitute five percent or less of the total cost of materials incorporated into  a water infrastructure project funded by EPA's Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Loan ( SRF) programs funded by the ARRA. 

AGC's efforts were critical in educating the EPA about the complexity and components of typical water infrastructure projects, such as treatment plants or pipe replacement and rehabilitation projects. 

This waiver was deemed to be in the public interest  by the EPA in order to ensure ARRA-funded projects proceed within the timelines established in the legislation to provide jobs and infrastructure investments. AGC applauds EPA's action to avoid project delays and unnecessary liability for AGC members.

To view a copy of the 6-page EPA document click here.

For additional information contact Perry L. Fowler at fowlerp@agc.org or (703) 837-5321.

AGC of America applauds Contractors Association of West Virginia (CAWV) for its successful use of the Liquid Assets documentary to highlight state and local needs.  An article about CAWV's successful campaign is included in the March/April edition of West Virginia Construction News.

For information about how you can use Liquid Assets to raise awareness in your community visit www.agc.org/liquidassets.

If you would like to receive a copy of Liquid Assets or would like additional information, contact Perry Fowler at (703) 837-5321 or fowlerp@agc.org.

Contractors Association of West Virginia Hosts Governor

"We've got a lot of work to do and we're getting ready to do it," Governor Joe Manchin told CAWV members and legislators.  The governor was the keynote speaker at a March 12 legislative reception sponsored by the Contractors Association of West Virginia and WV American Water Company.  Nearly 100 legislators, government officials and CAWV members attended the function, which was covered by the local media.

Following the Governor's remarks, attendees viewed an overview of the 90-minute documentary, Liquid Assets: The Story of Our Water Infrastructure, and joined local water officials for a lively discussion. Panelists explored the value and cost of water and wastewater services, the unique requirements presented by West Virginia's terrain and the amount of unserved state residents.

For more information on how your company or AGC Chapter can use Liquid Assets to raise awareness about water infrastructure, visit www.agc.org/liquidassets or contact Perry Fowler at (703) 837-1983 or fowlerp@agc.org.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) publicly released its fourth Drinking Water needs assessment on March 26.

The survey identified $334.8 billion in needs for the 20-year period from January 2007 through December 2026.  With $200.8 billion in need over the next 20 years, transmission and distribution projects represent the largest category of need. The other categories, in descending order of need are: treatment, storage, source and "other." 

To obtain a full copy of the report please visit http://www.epa.gov/safewater/needssurvey/index.html

For more information, contact Perry Fowler at (703)837-5321 or fowlerp@agc.org.

The AGC Municipal & Utilities Division hosted Mr. Steven Allbee from the EPA Office of Water at AGC's 90th Annual Convention in San Diego. Albee a 30-year veteran of the EPA, serving as the primary author of the EPA Clean and Drinking Water Gap Analysis and one of the leaders in establishing the State Revolving Fund Program. He is widely regarded as one of the leading national experts on water infrastructure needs and advanced asset management approaches. Allbee was featured in the AGC funded documentary Liquid Assets: The Story of Our Water Infrastructure.

Allbee gave a compelling presentation about the significant challenges facing our aging water infrastructure and the critical role that contractors play in ensuring public health and water quality. His thorough and entertaining presentation was well received by the audience of fifty-plus contractors. Allbee noted that the level of attention and funding for water and wastewater was unprecedented and lauded AGC for its support in raising awareness in Congress and throughout the nation with Liquid Assets.

Albee commented that he thought that a Trust Fund for Clean Water would never happen, but was extremely optimistic given recent developments in water infrastructure, including the $7.4 billion contained in the stimulus for clean and drinking water, the recent passage of H.R. 1262, which contains $19.4 billion over five years in authorization of appropriations for wastewater infrastructure projects including $13.8 billion program for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, and the President's 2010 Budget which called for $3.9 billion for the Safe Drinking and Clean Water State Revolving Loan Fund Programs. Establishment of a of Clean Water Trust Fund is one of AGC's top legislative priorities in the 111th Congress and AGC anticipates the introduction of legislation in the coming months.

For more information or a copy of Mr. Allbee's presentation, contact Perry Fowler at (703) 837-1983 or fowlerp@agc.org.

The Highway and Utilities Contractors Issues Meeting took place Feb 6 and 7. Over 120 contractors came to La Quinta, Calif., for discussion of the issues that affect their particular markets and to hear presentations from some of the leading experts in the field.

Topics included materials prices and availability for asphalt and steel, the national implications of the California Air Resources Board's Off-Road Diesel Emissions limits and the political outlook for the economic stimulus package, SAFETEA-LU reauthorization and the Water Trust Fund. Scott Williams and Don Weaver, chair and vice-chair respectively of the Highway & Transportation Division, presided over the first day of activities, which included sessions on worker visibility standards and public works financing troubles. Brad Barringer and Art Daniels, Municipal & Utilities Division Chair and Vice Chair, presided over the second day, which included sessions on ethics and compliance programs, Florida's success with dispute resolutions boards, and OSHA's crane operator standard.

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