A day at the beach

For Ocean City, life really is a beach. Situated off the coast of Maryland, the island — which is 10 miles long and three blocks wide — is a year-round resort offering miles of sandy beaches on the Atlantic Ocean.

By Michael Fickes • July 1, 2002

Austin continues fight with aquatic weeds

Last week, researchers at San Marcos, Texas-based Southwest Texas State University released 25 sterile grass carp into Lake Austin as part of Austin’s ongoing efforts to control the invasive weed hydrilla.

By Lindsay Isaacs • May 9, 2002

Nature’s filter: Constructed wetlands

In 1985, Orlando, Fla., began construction of the Orlando Easterly Wetlands (OEW), an approximately 1,220-acre complex that the city figured would provide critical wildlife habitat for central Florida.

By Misty Reagin • April 1, 2002

LIGHTING/Convention center lets there be (natural) light

Over the last decade, urban planners have transformed Chattanooga, Tenn., from a wasteland of empty warehouses and abandoned storefronts to a thriving tourism destination

Sept. 1, 2001

Getting the public in public works: Q&A with incoming APWA President Richard Ridings

Richard Ridings will take over as president of the American Public Works Association when it convenes its International Congress and Exposition on Sept.

By Janet Ward • Aug. 1, 2001

MAPPING/Software helps utility track miles of water pipe

Cincinnati Water Works (CWW) is in high demand. Warren, Butler and Clermont counties have clamored to use the utility’s water, which is cleaned using a carbon filtration system.

July 1, 2001

Calculating your parking needs

Locally gathered data is essential in determining successful municipal parking plans.

By John Revell, Richard Rich • May 1, 2001

The problem of manufactured gas plants

Before the United States had an extensive system of natural gas pipelines, municipalities that needed gas for lighting, heating and cooking had to make

March 1, 2001

Mosquito control: Trench warfare and beyond

In the early 1900s, California's northern peninsula was a haven for wealthy Americans, who inhabited summer homes overlooking the San Francisco Bay.

By Beth Wade • Feb. 1, 2001

Water Tank Maintenance

A water storage tank can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to construct, and, although it is initially expensive, it is — over the life of the structure — the most cost-effective means of keeping drinking water clean, safe and in adequate supply.

By Chip Stein • Feb. 1, 2001

Old landfill becomes recreational complex

Grading donations saved the town the cost of purchasing soil and paying to have it graded, and kept the fill material out of the active local landfill.

Nov. 30, 2000

Have trash, will travel: Moving garbage across state lines

Over the last 10 years, local and state governments have tried numerous methods to restrict the flow of garbage across their borders.

By Kivi Leroux • Sept. 30, 2000

Accreditation: Certifying public works excellence

Public works professionals are talking to themselves these days. Actually, they are asking themselves questions, like: * Are our performance and productivity levels as high as we want them to be? * Is our agency well managed? How would we know? * Would we subject our operations to an external review?

By Bill Sterling • Aug. 1, 2000

PARKS & RECREATION/New York village turns brownfield into park

As brownfields remediation catches on across the nation, New Yorkers are taking their turn to reclaim useful land. Prompted by the state’s Clean Water/Clean Air Bond Act, Irvington, N.Y., is turning an industrial site into a 12-acre waterfront park overlooking the Hudson River.

June 1, 2000

Georgia localities complete watershed study

The governments of Forsyth County, Hall County and Gainesville, Ga., have recently completed a watershed assessment in preparation for the development of strategies to enhance and protect the region’s water sources.

June 1, 2000

Recycled landfill will yield a new park

When Newport News, Va., closed its last municipal landfill in 1996, the city set out to fulfill a 1992 recommendation that the site be transformed into a park.

May 1, 2000

Neighborly night lights:Ball fields that don’t spill the beams

When Fort Lauderdale, Fla., decided to build fields for soccer and football at the edge of city-owned Holiday Park, officials were concerned about the possibility of sports lighting intruding on nearby residents.

By Sharon Colley • April 1, 2000

Wisconsin towns battle water bottling company

After spending a year searching for a new source of spring water, Greenwich, Conn.-based Perrier Group of North America has zeroed in on Big Spring and Mason Lake Watershed in New Haven, Wis., and Newport, Wis. Since March, the Waterkeepers of Wisconsin and the Concerned Citizens of Newport have been fighting to keep the spring water bottling company from building a plant and bottling water in their communities.

Feb. 1, 2000

Saltwater intrusion: Florida’s underground movement

Standing on a beach in southern Florida it is impossible to see that the saltwater gently rising and falling with the tide also is slowly creeping inland underground.

By Michael Terrazas • Feb. 1, 2000

PARKS & RECREATION/Historic downtown park gets facelift

History was falling into disrepair in downtown Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Colee Hammock, site of an 1836 massacre and a park since 1934, was falling apart.

Jan. 31, 2000

Water district makes itself ‘at home’

At first glance, 8815 West Spring Mountain Road looks much like any other upscale suburban home in the Las Vegas Valley. However, despite the stucco walls, tile roof and landscaped lawn, the house is anything but typical.

Jan. 1, 2000

San Marcos reservoir set to serve

The Vallecitos Water District (VWD) in San Marcos, Calif., has completed construction of a project that will ensure the district’s ability to supply water well into the future.

Jan. 1, 2000

Separating the powers

From the aldermen and councillors of colonial America to the mayors, councilmembers, commissioners and managers of the 20th century, local government in the United States has passed through a variety of incarnations.

By Michele Frisby • Nov. 1, 1999

Garbage: Bin there, done that

Over the years, not only has the nation’s system for collecting and disposing of its trash changed, but so has the definition of the word “trash.” As early as 1910, the American Public Health Association was classifying municipal waste into two general categories: organic matters (which could include sewage, depending on a town’s disposal systems) and inorganic substances.

By Lanier Hickman • Nov. 1, 1999

Lettuce recycle: Putting food waste to work

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that more than 21 million tons of food waste is generated each year, a figure that represents about 14 percent of the municipal solid waste in the United States.

By Kivi Leroux • Oct. 1, 1999