October 31, 2008
Friday Headlines: Investigative Report Looks at Indianapolis Sewer System
Indianapolis TV station WTHR has done an investigation into the amount of untreated sewage entering Marion County’s waterways. As you might imagine the report raises questions and concerns regarding how to get the problem under control. And if you were wondering whether federal funding is needed for cities like Indianapolis here is this quote from the story.
To pay for the deep tunnels and other improvements that will help reduce Indianapolis’ combined sewer overflows, the cost is an estimated $3.5 billion.
For Marion County residents, it means the average $15 sewer portion of a current water bill is expected to jump to $100 each month.
And here’s an eye opening statistic.
All together, about 40 billion gallons of combined sewer overflow are dumped into Indiana waterways each year.
Headlines
Four miles of Orange County, California coastline will remain closed to swimmers through at least this afternoon after 580,000 gallons of raw sewage was released from a Laguna Beach pump station. The spill is the worst in the county in at least nine years.
In Tennessee, a broken water main resulted in about 3,000 Grainger County School students being dismissed early from school. With no water available the toilets wouldn’t work and meals could not be prepared.
A water main break brought a busy street in Lower Manhattan to a halt Thursday morning. Water was going everywhere after the 12-inch, 138 year-old main broke just after rush hour.
City officials in Lincoln, Nebraska recommended the public take precautions after a wastewater back up Wednesday night. An unknown amount of untreated wastewater entered Antelope Creek, which flows into Holmes Lake–which is used for fishing and swimming.
Sewer Rate News
Clinton, Iowa
Grant, Nebraska
Marshall, Missouri
Prichard, Alabama
