Billtrust, a leading provider of outsourced billing services, recently announced a merger with Mark Altman & Associates (MA&A), a leading provider of comprehensive billing solutions serving municipal, utility and private sector customers nationwide.

The U.S. Attorney?s Office and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Dec. 29 announced that the City of South Bend, Ind., has agreed to make an estimated $509.5 million worth of improvements to its combined sewer system to significantly reduce overflows of raw sewage to the St. Joseph River, which is a tributary of Lake Michigan.

Itron Inc. recently announced that it is ranked No. 1 in a number of market position estimates in the latest water meter market analysis report published by IMS Research.

Andy Shea has been named the Water business group’s vice president and new market sector director for industrial/private client based in HDR?s King of Prussia office near Philadelphia, Pa.

American Water Works Company Inc., the largest publicly traded U.S. water and wastewater utility company, announced the expansion of its Water and Sewer Line Protection Programs to homeowners in Georgia, Kansas, North Carolina and Texas communities.

Echologics, a leading developer of acoustic-based technologies for water loss management, leak detection and pipe condition assessment, has enhanced its acoustic leak listening device, LeakTuner, to increase the technology?s ability to help utilities precisely locate leaks in water distribution pipelines without breaking ground or disrupting service.

At the end of every year, it is a tradition to review the past 12 months and to identify ways to do better in the coming year.

From Oct. 26-29, 2011, the second International Conference of Pipelines and Trenchless Technology (ICPTT 2011) was held at the National Convention Center in Beijing.

What began in February 2011 with joining of two industry forces has culminated in a fully integrated provider of comprehensive water, environment, transportation, energy and facilities services united under the new brand CDM Smith.