HISTORY: Why are tunnel boring machines named, and why are they named after women?

• Posted by Jared Shepherd
• 5237 Views
• December 13th, 2013
• in Miscellaneous
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Yesterday, our tunnel boring machine Mackenzie—who has been disassembled for more than a month but keeps right on tweeting—received a great question from a follower: Are all tunnel boring machines named after women? Why?@MomChungtheTBM @BerthaDigsSR99 @BigAlmatheTBM @LadyBirdTBM @MackenzieTBM — Kimble McCraw (@kimblem) December 12, 2013 With a little help...

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HOME: Holiday stress? Why water lines burst the way they do.

• Posted by Jared Shepherd
• 4057 Views
• December 11th, 2013
• in Miscellaneous
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Photo courtesy justclaire, flickr If you’ve every experienced a frozen or burst water line at home (our condolences if you have), “inconvenient” doesn’t begin to describe it. However, the word “interesting” might. We came across a technical but very educational blog post by Nick Berry as featured on Popular...

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NEWS: #WaitToTweet ’til you’re toilet-trained? iPotty voted worst toy of 2013

• Posted by Jared Shepherd
• 3706 Views
• December 11th, 2013
• in Miscellaneous
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Photo courtesy Jezebel The votes are in: The worst of the worst toys of the year is the iPotty, an iPad holder built into your child’s potty-training seat. The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood annually presents one unlucky winner with the TODAY (Toys Oppressive and Destructive to Young Children)...

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PIC: Sweet home Milwaukee? Trash boat has best name ever.

• Posted by Jared Shepherd
• 3906 Views
• December 10th, 2013
• in Miscellaneous
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OK, so Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District has the best boat name ever. Since 2012, Milwaukee’s canals and rivers have been maintained with a skimming boat named the Lynyrd Skymmr. Lynyrd Skymmr. Worth noting today since it was on this day back in 1973 that Lynyrd Skynyrd played in Ohio,...

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AWARD: When it comes to national recognition, clean water works.

• Posted by Jared Shepherd
• 4108 Views
• December 5th, 2013
• in Miscellaneous
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Our first internally produced technical magazine has been recognized by the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) as a 2014 National Environmental Achievement Award-winner. Clean Water Works was selected to receive this Public Information & Education honor thanks to its scientific content and contribution to public education regarding...

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VIDEO: 1928 school film shares how to treat sewage, how to set rat traps, and how not to catch malaria, typhoid, or the bubonic plague

• Posted by Jared Shepherd
• 3942 Views
• December 5th, 2013
• in Miscellaneous
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Throwback Thursday is an opportunity to harken back to a time when we used the words “hence” and “typhoid” in daily American conversation. The 4-minute clip above is from a 20-minute 1928 educational silent film called “Health and Hygiene” which focused on the causes of common diseases and their...

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PIC: Ask an engineer how a combined sewer works. Here’s what you get.

• Posted by Jared Shepherd
• 4115 Views
• December 3rd, 2013
• in Miscellaneous
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“It’s a little messy around the edges,” Joe said, referring to his sketch of a combined sewer regulator. I would have described it as intricate, then again, I’m not Joe. Joe Jira is a Geographic Information System Analyst in our Engineering department, and Analyst doesn’t give his enthusiasm for...

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LOOK: Mackenzie, now in pieces, awaits a resurrection

• Posted by Jared Shepherd
• 3940 Views
• December 2nd, 2013
• in Miscellaneous
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It is finished. Mackenzie—the 1,500-ton tunnel boring machine that once spanned more than three football fields in total length—now rests in hundreds of pieces in the cold December Bratenahl air. Since finishing her three-mile journey digging the Euclid Creek Tunnel back in August, she has been meticulously disassembled and...

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LIST: 10 ways to protect your plumbing if you’re hosting holiday guests

• Posted by Jared Shepherd
• 3953 Views
• November 26th, 2013
• in Miscellaneous
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‘Tis the season when your bathrooms could be working overtime. Are they ready for the holidays? If you’re hosting any holiday get-togethers, don’t overlook one of the most essential rooms in your home. @ItsThePlumber Tim McKenna posted great tips to check before your guests arrive to ensure your bathroom...

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AWARD: Euclid Creek Tunnel wins International Project of the Year award

• Posted by Jared Shepherd
• 4539 Views
• November 21st, 2013
• in Miscellaneous
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We hope Mackenzie‘s getting her acceptance speech ready. Our Euclid Creek Tunnel project has earned the Tunnelling Association of Canada‘s 2013 International Project of the Year Award, and we’re honored, says Kellie Rotunno. “We’re very proud of this,” said Rotunno, Sewer District Director of Engineering and Construction. “It’s our...

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