For many years, the need to accurately map underground utilities was not a priority for cities and utilities. But as the underground space has become increasingly congested and development has encroached on what had been open land, knowing the precise location of pipelines is becoming more and more critical.

Milwaukee is inextricably linked to water. The city lies on the shore of Lake Michigan and near the confluence of the Menomonee, Milwaukee and Kinnickinnic rivers. In fact, the name itself is a Native American term often translated as ?gathering place by the water.?

Sustainable infrastructure provides the quantity and quality of water necessary to meet present needs without affecting the needs of future generations. More than ever, the water needs for future generations are in peril.

The intense economic realities of the ?new normal? of today?s business environment are driving both private- and public-sector entities to make significant changes to their organizations and to enhance their focus on efficiently meeting their current and future challenges.

Pipe is often overlooked but nonetheless is a critical component of any water and sewer system. In fact, underground transmission and distribution systems comprise a majority of the replacement costs facing drinking water utilities today.

America?s economic growth in the last few decades was possible because of the historical investment in the planning and the construction of our water and wastewater systems.

Huge areas of land mass within Australia, India, China and the United States are highlighted as suffering extreme pressure on their renewable water supplies by a new index and map that evaluate water stress.

Total construction spending increased by 0.7 percent in October, driven largely by growing demand for power projects and public construction, the Associated General Contractors of America noted Dec. 1 in an analysis of new Census Bureau data.

The ASCE Pipelines 2010 Conference held in Keystone, Colo., from Aug. 28, to Sept. 1, 2010, was a huge success.

A total of 17,515 water professionals and 984 exhibiting companies occupying a record breaking 295,295 net square feet of exhibition booth space attended WEFTEC 2010