June 7, 2010
Monday’s Water News: Massive Water Main Break, Sinkhole in Gainesville
In Florida, a busted Gainesville Regional Utilities pipe three blocks from the University of Florida campus sent torrents of water rushing down a street, dropped water pressure to neighborhoods and restaurants, and caused a sizeable section of road to cave in Saturday night.
Headlines
Officials in Jackson, Mississippi may not see a requested $10 million in federal funding to help with the city’s crumbling water infrastructure until next year or 2012.
Agents from state and federal agencies have raided the Michigan City (Ind.) Sanitary District looking for evidence of environmental crimes. The investigation involves several years of unreported sewer overflows and the firing of the whistleblower who tipped off the government.
Stimulus Spotlight
In California, the Moulton Niguel Water District is receiving help from the economic stimulus to bring recycled water to local parks and golf courses. The city’s water pipeline system is also being extended as part of the project. The project will be financed through 30-year Build America stimulus bonds. which were included as part of the economic stimulus.
The National Park Service has provided $5.35 million in federal stimulus funding for a new wastewater treatment plant at Denali National Park and Preserve in Fairbanks, Alaska.
Sewer Rate News
China Grove, North Carolina
Las Galinas, California
Lee County, Florida
Springfield, Massachusetts
June 4, 2010
Friday’s Water News: Raleigh Gets its Second Sewage Spill in a Week
A sewer main collapse in Raleigh, North Carolina has caused a sewage spill which has led to an estimated 28,800 gallons of spillage into Walnut Creek. This event comes on the heels of another overflow earlier in the week due to rags and paper towels clogging the old system.
Headlines
There are serious problems with the sewage system in Hayti Heights, Missouri. Attorney General Chris Koster is worried that the system is not functioning properly, and filed an injunction to appoint a temporary, limited receivership to preserve and protect the water and sewer utilities and make sure they are operating as intended.
A collapsed sewer main in Seattle, Washington caused the formation of a 16-foot sinkhole yesterday. A pump was powered up to divert the sewage around the broken line through a six-inch hose.
The morning commute was worse than usual for some motorists in St. Louis after a water main break downtown forced the closure of a street. It is believed that the broken main was approximately 100 years old.
Stimulus Spotlight
Thanks to the stimulus package, Fairbanks, Alaska has received a 5.35 million dollar grant towards a new wastewater treatment plant, which will process an estimated 100,000 gallons of water a day
Sewer Rate News
Carson City, Nevada
Middletown, Maryland
Wapakoneta, Ohio
Sutherlin,Oregon
January 15, 2010
Friday’s Water News: Residents in North Carolina Without Water After Massive Break
Residents of Wrightsville’s north end in North Carolina might be without water as the town’s public works team repairs a water main leak that occurred at approximately 3:30 a.m. today. The water main erupted and water ripped through the street sending a foot-high stream of water gushing down the street after the 12-inch main burst.
Headlines
The major water main break is fixed but it will still be a couple days before Overbrook, Kansas is back to normal.The community’s water system started losing pressure Wednesday.Even though everyone in town has water again, a boil advisory remains in effect because of the possibility contaminants could have entered the system.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that communities across rural Alaska will receive $49 million through the Rural Alaska Village Grant Program. The funds will be used to address chronic water quality problems and provide jobs to rural residents. Federal funds will be provided to construct new water treatment plants, bury water mains, build sewer collection mains and decommission old water treatment plants.
A major part of Frederick, Maryland was without water Thursday after a water main ruptured under Willowdale Drive at Key Parkway.
Stimulus Spotlight
Although the project was supported with stimulus money, an additional $105,000 is needed to complete the replacement of wastewater mains along Water Street in Exter, Hew Hampshire. It is anticipated that ARRA funds would pay 50 percent of the total cost, or $350,000, Perry said. So this leaves the town to pick up $350,000 of which $245,000 was approved at the May 2009 Special Town Meeting. The remaining $105,000 still needs to be found.
Sewer Rate News
Tarpon Springs, Florida
Dallas, Texas
Silver Spring Township, Pennsylvania
June 19, 2009
Friday’s Water News: Reduction in Sewer Overflows to Help Great Miami River
The Great Miami River’s water quality should get a significant improvement by 2014, when the city of Hamilton, Ohio is required by the state EPA to eliminate sanitary sewer overflows.
Headlines
A $5.7 million project was delayed by a vote from the Englewood Water District of Florida after listening to intense opposition for one hour. The project was set to add roughly 500 new customers to its sewer network.
A water main break has closed a street in Wasilla, Alasaka for up to two weeks. A four foot geyser of water was created by a four foot crack running laterally down a ten inch steal pipe.
Stimulus Spotlight
In the city of Casa Grande, Arizona, the city council approved up to $2.8 million out of the $4 million in projects would be paid through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Sewer Rate News
Highland Park, Michigan
Brownsburg, Indiana
December 17, 2008
Wednesday Headlines: Major Main Break Causes Disruptions in Cleveland
A 42-inch water main rupture around 7:30am this morning in Cleveland, is flooding streets and drying up taps for miles. The break has trapped at least three people in nearby warehouses while leaving several businesses, homes and the Cleveland Clinic without water.
Headlines
Michigan communities should start a wish list of improvements to infrastructure such as sewage disposal and water systems which could be ready to go in a few months, if a state engineering firm’s government sources are correct. A stimulus package, if approved by Congress, would favor projects ready to start construction in 4-6 months and provide needed investment to states and communities.
The large volume of rain in the Macon, Georgia area on Thursday and Friday of last week led to a variety of sewage spills all across Bibb County. There were 13 sewer overflows over the two day period which was caused by 5.07 inches of rain.
Approximately 20,000 gallons of water gushed from an 8-inch broken main flooding part of downtown San Anselmo, California. The 1940s-era pipe was scheduled to be replaced this past summer at night to keep busy San Anselmo Avenue clear during the day. But neighbors voiced concern that noise from the project during summer nights, when windows are left open, would be intrusive, so the water district delayed work until spring 2009.
An underground water main break created a sinkhole that briefly captured the front end of a pick-up truck Tuesday morning in Danbury, Connecticut. The driver was not injured and the truck sustained only minor damage.
Sewer Rate News
Jacksboro, Texas
Juneau, Alaska
Sharon, Pennsylvania
Waseca, Minnesota
December 11, 2008
Thursday Headlines: Water Main Break Shuts Down Road in Ashland, Kentucky
U.S. 23 in Ashland, Kentucky reopened Thursday morning after a water main break closed the busy road and sent hundreds of students home from school. The 12-inch water main that broke provides water to the city of Catlettsburg, Marathon Oil’s refinery complex south of Catlettsburg and thousands of homes in South Ashland.
Headlines
Mandated by the EPA and the state Department of Natural Resources, construction of the CSO elimination program would cost an estimated $100 million; therefore, Clinton, Iowa and other cities have turned to the courts to fight the requirement.
In Alabama, sewer overflows were reported Wednesday in Mobile and Daphne after heavy rains in the area. Heavy rain sending water into sewer lines blocked by grease was the cause of the spill.
After six years of construction work and planning, a flood-control and sewer project in Fort Wayne, Indiana is finally complete. The project is intended to prevent streets from flooding during rainy weather and sewage from backing up in basements.
A break in a 12-inch water main in Kansas City beneath the Broadway Extension has forced the closure of the southbound lanes US-169. On average about 35,000 cars travel on that stretch of highway each day.
Sewer Rate News
Camp Hill, Pennsylvania
Homer, Alaska
Waseca, Minnesota
Willow Springs, Missouri
December 10, 2008
Wednesday Headlines: Water Main Break in Boston Disrupts Traffic
Part of a major artery in Boston remained closed this morning as crews worked to repair a 24-inch pipe that ruptured near City Hall and spilled tens of thousands of gallons of water.
Headlines
680 middle school students in Anchorage, Alaska were sent home Tuesday morning because of a sewage backup caused by a blockage in underground pipes.
In Pennsylvania, Allentown workers are repairing a broken water main in the city’s west end. Public works officials speculated the freeze-and-thaw cycle this time of the year could be a factor. The break interrupted service to 15 properties.
Public Utilities crews in Raleigh, North Carolina spent most of Tuesday fixing a water main broke due to the cold weather. Crews repair an average of two leaks a day, according to city officials, and many of those repairs occur as pipes age.
An op-ed appearing in the Washington Post on Monday argues that Conservatives can and should support increased investment for infrastructure–including water and wastwater infrasturcture–on the grounds of future economic growth and globabl competitiveness.
Sewer Rate News
Clarkston, Idaho
Spring Hope, North Carolina
Traverse City, Michigan
October 27, 2008
Monday Headlines: In Boston, 16-Inch Water Main Break Closes Streets
Boston Public Works crews worked overnight on Saturday and all day on Sunday after a 16-inch water main ruptured. Roads were shut down around City Hall and the Brooke Courthouse, and a stretch of Cambridge Street was slightly buckled by the break. Some homes were flooded and other residents reported low water pressure.
Headlines
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection is investigating the cause of the discharge of nearly 400,000 gallons of sewage sludge from a sewage treatment plant in Bordenton Township.
Water-main breaks during routine hydrant flushing are believed to be the cause of an E. coli contamination last week in Fulton, New York. Said Mayor Ron Woodward, “We have 63 miles of water line in the city and some of them are 100 years old.”
New Castle County, Delaware faces more than $145,000 in penalties and other expenses for violating a five-year-old order to improve overflowing sewage and stormwater collection systems.
In Miles Crossing, Oregon, work has begun on a long-awaited sewer system. The $8.1 million project is expected to take a year to complete and will initially serve about 400 homes and businesses.
Sewer Rate News
Ashland, Pennsylvania
Homer, Alaska
Lake County, California
Lincoln, Illinois
October 16, 2008
Thursday Headlines: Funding Needed for Washington, DC Sewage Plan
This Washington Post story is a couple of weeks old but is emblematic of the problem throughout the country. Water and sewer bills in the Nation’s capital will increase dramatically if the federal government does not bear the burden of a $2.2 billion sewage management plan mandated to reduce pollution of the region’s waterways. The project is required to meet the city’s obligations under the Clean Water Act.
Headlines
Scientific American takes a look at Milwaukee’s sewer system. Since 1994, a 26-mile deep water tunnel has been keeping Milwaukee’s sewage from spilling into Lake Michigan. The deep water tunnel is just one part of a $3-billion water pollution initiative that has also upgraded 400 miles of sewer infrastructure in Milwaukee and surrounding communities.
Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle has released $3.3 million for two state revolving funds, including $1,655,000 for the Water Pollution Control Revolving Fund and $1,671,000 for the Drinking Water Treatment Revolving Loan Fund.
A projected 100 percent to 125 percent increase in fees for sanitary sewer service and stormwater management caused concern among residents attending the city of Neenah, Wisconsin’s sixth annual town meeting.
Raw sewage is no longer flowing into the Shenango River from a Mercer County, Pennsylvania pump station. For several days, a broken line was dumping as much as 500,000 gallons of untreated waste into the river.
Sewer Rate News
Homer, Alaska
Muscle Shoals, Alabama
September 26, 2008
Friday Headlines: Despite Improvements Port Huron Struggles with CSOs
Despite making significant improvements and spending $135 million since 1988 on separating its combined sewer system, Port Huron, Michigan still ranks in the top five in the state for volume of combined sewer overflows. Last year, Port Huron accounted for 2.3% of the 13.575 billion gallons of untreated storm water and sewage released in the state of Michigan.
Headlines
In Texas, Fort Hood officials have confirmed the cleanup of about 168,000 gallons of spilled sewage, which they believe did not contaminate bodies of water. Public works inspectors have determined a fracture in the main distribution pipe allowed the sewage to escape from the facility.
Neighborhoods in Houston, Texas are experiencing problems with sewage spills as the city’s Public Works Department tries to get all lift stations operating again. Every sewage lift pump was affected by Hurricane Ike in some way and even municipal utility districts suffered issues with the power outages at lift pump stations that control wastewater.
Long Beach, California made a slight improvement from last year but still had the worst water quality in the state “by far” because the Los Angeles River pours into the city’s waters, according to a new report released by Heal the Bay.
Lawyers for Alabama’s Jefferson County and bond insurers were set to battle on Friday over an emergency request to give control of the county’s heavily indebted sewer system to a court receiver. Jefferson County is negotiating with Wall Street creditors against a Tuesday deadline on restructuring $3.2 billion of troubled sewer-system debt.
Sewer Rate News
Anchorage, Alaska
Glendale, Arizona
