Trenchless Road Shows Roll into California

The second stop for the Trenchless Road Show (TRS) 2008 program was Concord, Calif. Known for being a progressive state, it should come as no surprise that an event concerning technologies involving one of mankind’s greatest resources — water — would receive the turnout that it did.

More than 230 participants met Sept. 17-18 at the Hilton Concord Hotel, located between San Francisco and Sacramento, to learn how their organization could save both time and money through trenchless technology products and services.

At the TRS, attendees seeking new technologies were encouraged to visit the booths of more than 30 trenchless exhibitors, vendors, as well as attending the outdoor equipment demonstrations and educational sessions.

The event kicked off with local speakers describing the challenges and solutions used to address water and wastewater needs in their area. Speakers included Bill Chavez from the Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District, who spoke about the district’s award-winning tunneling projects. Bill Clement of the Central Contra Costa Sanitation District described his district’s use of Web-based GIS and its integration with TV inspection data, while Marisa Boyce and Serge Terentieff from the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) profiled the results of the district’s trenchless technology pilot program.

Bob Hoffman of Corollo Engineers, who along with Rolf Ohlemutz of the Vallejo Sanitation and Flood Control District, gave an outline of how the district manages wet weather flows, and Norman Joyal of Jacobs Associates detailed the upcoming tunneling projects for the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. Another highlight of the event was a track on advanced trenchless technology, which featured Dr. David Bennett of Bennett Trenchless Engineers and Glenn Boyce of Jacobs Associates.

Sessions at the show included rehab technologies, data management and advanced trenchless technologies. The live outdoor demonstrations, a major feature of the Road Show, included PVC pipe fusion, sewer bypass pumping, and extended point line repair.

As a whole, TRS is known for being a smaller, more personable forum which caters to the local agencies and contractors. Attendee Sanna Garcia with EBMUD stated, “Through attending TRS I was able to learn about new technologies while meeting new people and companies.”

With a sociable exhibition setup, engaging outdoor demonstrations and first rate classes the second stop for the TRS was a great success in many ways.

Exhibitor Marilyn Shepard with RedZone Robotics, stated, “TRS provided us with a forum for introducing RedZone to the industry, in a personal way. There was ample time to get to know the attendees. It is a more intimate setting, which makes it very attractive to vendors and creates an atmosphere and overall feeling of being “local” for the attendees.”

The final stop in the Trenchless Road Show 2008 series is Baltimore, Nov. 12-13.