August 18, 2010
Wednesday’s Water News: Water Main Break Causes Traffic Headaches in Greenville, S.C.
A water main break in Greenville, South Carolina that caused headaches for commuters has been fixed. Right before morning rush hour today, the water main broke below I-385 causing delays for the morning commute. For much of the day, Wednesday, the giant crater caused problems, not only to commuters, but also to residence’s and businesses.
Headlines
In Amarillo, Texas about 80,000 gallons of wastewater leaked from a broken sewage pipeline. The wastewater leak was discovered by city personnel. The pipeline broke because the pump controls at the main pump station in Southeast Park failed and caused a pressure surge in the pipeline.
Rockton, Illinois leaders are speaking out against the Illinois EPA fining the Village for leaking raw sewage into the Rock River.
Residents in Niles, Ohio want to know what the city is doing to stem flooding in the Washington Avenue area during heavy rains.
Stimulus Spotlight
Growth in the Hernando, Florida, which now has a population estimated at 15,000 and growing, is projected to continue, and city officials took steps Tuesday to seek authorization for a $2.3 million-dollar low-interest loan to construct a new water tower adjacent to Interstate 55. The city expects to receive approximately $400,000 in federal stimulus funds, which will cut the actual debt to about $1.7 million.
Sewer Rate News
Ashtabula, Ohio
Milton, Massachusetts
Prescott, Arizona
Winsted, Connecticut
August 9, 2010
Monday’s Water News: Iowa Community Needs Up to $60 Million for Sewer Separation Project
The West Hill sewer separation project in Muscatine, Iowa will take up to a dozen years to complete and will cost between $40 million and $60 million. Muscatine is one of 10 Iowa cities with combined sewer overflows and the EPA has given the city until the end of 2024 to complete the project.
Headlines
The Southeast Michigan Council of Governments will receive a $308,000 state grant to help Detroit integrate green technologies into a combined sewer overflow system. The city is required by the state to capture and treat combined sewer overflow into waterways to meet water quality standards.
Late last week, a ruptured water main turned into a a huge disruption when several downtown Los Angeles businesses were flooded and a street had to be shut down.
Stimulus Spotlight
Thanks to money from the economic stimulus, Olympic National Park in Washington is receiving $3 million dollars for several projects including $810,529 to double the capacity of the sanitary sewer treatment system in the Hoh Rain Forest, which serves the campground, picnic area, visitors’ center and employee housing.
Sewer Rate News
Lewisville, Texas
Monette, Arkansas
New Riegel, Ohio
Somerton, Arizona
August 2, 2010
Monday’s Water News: Main Break Gushes 4 Million Gallons of Water in Bozeman, Montana
Residents in a Bozeman, Montana neighborhood watched in dismay from their muddied front lawns yesterday as cleanup crews, city workers and water-damage companies labored to repair a broken water main and clean up the mess left behind by 4 million gallons of water.
Headlines
Work crews in Troy, Ohio shut off part of the city’s water supply yesterday to repair a water main break. A boil advisory has been issued and will be in effect until Tuesday afternoon. The water main serves most of the western half of Troy.
A broken sewer line spewed nearly 15,000 gallons of untreated sewage in Arnold, Maryland on Sunday afternoon.
Starting next July, sewer rates for residents some residents in Richmond, California will go up 5 percent annually until July 2014. The rate increase will affect more than 16,000 single-family residential units and approximately 2,000 multifamily residential units and 2,000 commercial units. The increase in fees are needed to repair the system built in 1953.
Stimulus Spotlight
After more than a decade of planning, the construction work for $10.8 million upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant in Ferndale, California begins this week. The economic stimulus is financing 40 percent of the project with thanks to a $5 million federal loan with a 40-year repayment and a 2.375 percent fixed interest rate.
Sewer Rate News
Marco Island, Florida
Prescott Valley, Arizona
Princeton, New Jersey
Wellsburg, West Virginia
July 28, 2010
Wednesday’s Water News: Pair of Water Main Breaks for Richmond, California
A pair of water main breaks this morning in Richmond, California flooded streets at both a residential neighborhood and business district. The flooding was caused by pressure buildup that causes weak points in the pipe system to break.
Headlines
A sewage spill in the northern district of Savannah, Georgia resulted from a grease blockage in the sanitary sewer collection system. Over 20,000 gallons flowed into the Ogeechee River, making the spill large enough to be classified as a large spill according to the EPA.
In Berea, Virginia, a sinkhole opened dangerously close to Route 17. The sinkhole measured over 10 feet in all directions; it resulted from a drainage pipe failure.
A broken water main buckled the pavement and released over 100,000 gallons of water on Tuesday afternoon in St. Louis, Missouri. Initially, officials feared a 36-inch steel pipe had ruptured, but they have verified that it was actually just an 8 inch main. Repairs will last until Friday.
In Lothian, Maryland, 5,000 gallons of untreated wastewater spilled into the Patuxent River. Officials advise residents to refrain from swimming in the area until at next Tuesday.
Stimulus Spotlight
Manistique, Michigan is taking on a massive $8 million water and wastewater infrastructure project which will cover more than 40 blocks. The project is being funded through the economic stimulus via a combination of grants and low-interest loans through USDA.
Sewer Rate News
Kalkaska, Michigan
Peabody, Kansas
Prescott, Arizona
San Mateo, California
July 26, 2010
Monday’s Water News: Allegheny County Communities Affected by Water Main Break
This morning was a rough one for many families and businesses in who lost water in several Allegheny County (Penn.) communities. Residents say the water main break is the third in as many days for the area. Once water service was restored some residents discovered they had to let their faucets run for a while.
Headlines
The Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati has finished a sewer system construction project in Green Township, which installed 3,750 feet of new sewer line and eliminated the need for several pump stations.
A water main break in Culpeper, Virginia sent over 300,000 gallons of water rushing down a main road in the residential district. The pipe that burst was only an 8-inch line, but the enormous pressure exacerbated the spill.
Stimulus Spotlight
The city of Chino Valley in Arizona has approved a new city budget on Friday night. The budget includes projects to restore water and other types of infrastructure and depends on up to $42.4 million in stimulus funds to accomplish these goals.
Over $11 million in federal stimulus funds have been granted to the city of Asbury Park, New Jersey. These funds will go to underground electric, sewer, and cable lines to improve services to the city’s residents.
Sewer Rate News
Decatur, Illinois
Irving, Texas
Louisville, Kentucky
Sarasota, Florida
South Bend, Indiana
June 15, 2010
Tuesday’s Water News: $2.5 Billion Sewage Problem in Kansas City
The outdated wastewater system in Kansas City, Missouri cannot handle much more pressure. After heavy rains Monday, sewage overwhelmed pump stations and flowed directly into local waterways. City officials have been putting off dealing with the issue directly until recently, when federal penalties forced them to agree to a $2.5 billion investment in wastewater infrastructure.
Headlines
Reports of chronic sewage overflows in Greenbackville, Virginia has led state officials to investigate the matter. A local resident has complained that wastewater overflows have been consistently happening on several roads throughout the county and were being exacerbated by recent storms.
Many residents in a suburban Cincinnati community are still dealing with sewage backing up into their homes after heavy rains. The Metropolitan Sewer District is slow to help the citizens with the clean-up, as they are underfunded and overworked.
Heavy rains in North Platte, Nebraska have overwhelmed its sewer system. Citizens have been advised to limit their water usage to ease the wastewater pressure. City officials claim that the water is not contaminated.
Stimulus Spotlight
Almost $7 million in state and federal money is going to help the residents of Superior, Wisconsin build new sewage and stormwater systems in their town. Half of that money was provided by the stimulus package, the other half by the state.
More than $2 million dollars in stimulus funds has been granted to Minneapolis, Minnesota to help build a smart grid water usage system. The grid is expected to save the city $1.7 million a year.
There is a new sewage treatment plant being built in Snow Hill, North Carolina. The stimulus package is funding $3.7 million in grants toward the facility.
Sewer Rate News
Tucson, Arizona
Seattle, Washington
Vermilion, Pennsylvania
Williamsport, Maryland
June 3, 2010
Thursday’s Water News: Congress Moves Ahead on Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Legislation
There were a couple of legislative items from last week of importance to the water and wastewater infrastructure.
First, the House has passed H.R. 4213, a legislative package of tax extensions which contains a provision that would exempt bonds that finance water and sewer furnishing facilities from state private-activity bond volume caps. The next step for the legislation is the Senate which may take up the legislation went it returns on June 7.
Second, the House Energy and Commerce Committee has passed the Assistance, Quality, and Affordability Act (H.R. 5320) which would reauthorize and increase funding for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. The next step for the bill is House consideration of the legislation.
Headlines
Chicago Mayor Richard Daley has responded to a federal request to clean up the Chicago River by telling federal officials to “Go swim in the Potomac.” Daley said the federal government could help clean up the river by helping pay for the completion of the Deep Tunnel project designed to hold water during heavy rains so waste doesn’t pour into the body of water.
A pre-dawn break of a 79 year-old water main in Northeast Washington, D.C. on Wednesday created a hellish traffic mess throughout the day on a street that has heavy traffic even on the best of days.
A water main break yesterday in Tuscon, Arizona disrupted service to 500 area customers.
Stimulus Spotlight
With help from the stimulus package, residents in Elk Point, South Dakota have seen the construction of a new water main and sanitary sewer in their town. With some of the system being 100 years old, residents are grateful that this is being done.
Sewer Rate News
Huron, Ohio
Wichita, Kansas
Manchester, Connecticut
Charleston, West Virginia
May 12, 2010
Wednesday’s Water News: Daytona Beach Traffic and Water Service Disrutped By Water Main Break
A water main break in Daytona Beach, Florida has caused a giant car-sized hole in the middle of one of the city’s busiest roads. Water was still gushing out of the of the pipe and onto the road this afternoon because the 50 year-old pipe is so old, the valves don’t work anymore, and crews can’t turn the water off to fix the pipe.
Headlines
Individual septic systems in Wolf Creek, Montana are slated to be replaced with a $3 million community wastewater treatment facility to better protect the small town’s drinking water. Funding for the project includes a $1.16 million grant and $3999,000 loan from USDA. Those funds will be used in conjunction with a $750,000 grant from the Treasurer State Endowment Fund; $100,000 from the state Department of Natural Resources and Conservation; and $529,000 from WRDA.
Milton, Indiana will hold a groundbreaking ceremony on Friday for a new $3.7 million wastewater treatment project that will install sewer lines, a pump station and a 6.5 mile force main. Milton won a $1 million grant from the state’s Office of Community and Rural Affairs to help pay for the project.
A recent study by Lux Research suggests the market for harnessing energy from wastewater sludge will almost double over the next decade.
Stimulus Spotlight
Oronoko Township, Michigan is considering a $5.98 million sewer project that would be partially funded by the Build America Bond program in the economic stimulus.
Sewer Rate News
Brooktrails, California
Pima, Arizona
St. Marys, Georgia
Vacaville, California
May 7, 2010
Friday’s Water News: D.C. Planning Massive Tunnels to Reduce Combined Sewer Overflows
The District of Columbia is planning to build the first of three massive underground tunnels in 2011 to reduce combined sewer overflows during wet weather events. The first tunnel will run along the Anacostia River, which suffers the greatest amount of overflows. Each of the tunnels will be approximately 24 feet in diameter, but the Anacostia tunnel-at 13 miles in length-will be the longest.
Headlines
Officials in Bossier Parish, Louisiana plan to spend about $50 million over the next few years building the its first sewer plant. Most of Bossier Parish, like other parishes in northwest Louisiana, has no public sewer system.
Despite $160 million in economic stimulus funding for state water projects, some in California have criticized the program for not doing enough to help communities with the most contaminated drinking water because their projects were not shovel-ready.
Stimulus Spotlight
In New York, a $10.35 million project to bring municipal water to about 600 properties in the towns of Louisville and Norfolk could break ground this summer. Funding for the project will include a $6.79 million grant from the economic stimulus and a $3.5 million loan from USDA.
A $550,000 grant from the economic stimulus has helped connect a mobile home community in Mecca, California to the Coachella Valley Water District’s Water system.
Sewer Rate News
Carson City, Nevada
Durham, North Carolina
Peoria, Arizona
Portland, Oregon
April 30, 2010
Friday’s Water News: Cedar Falls (Iowa) Needs Sewer System Fix
Cedar Falls, Iowa needs to fix its sewer system or face the possibility of state and federal regulators halting future development in the city. Cedar Falls has a long-standing problem with too much storm water getting into its sewer system, causing overflows of wastewater at a lift station and sometimes overloading the main wastewater treatment plant, leading to dumping raw sewage into the river.
Headlines
120 thousand gallons of waters filled a street in Bonita Springs, Florida after a massive water main break. Collier County Utilities says an aeration valve broke because due to age.
Elevated levels of uranium in domestic wells have forced residents of the Yerington Paiute Tribe Campbell Ranch Reservation in Nevada to drink bottled water since 2004. But the tribe has received a grant from USDA to build a water treatment facility and the extension of water lines on the reservation.
Stimulus Spotlight
Construction has begun to install a sewer system at Hide-A-Way Lake in Picayune, Mississippi. The total project will cost $5.9 million. The Utility Authority will be taking out a loan of about $800, 000 for the SRF and the remaining balance is being funded with economic stimulus funding.
Ophir, Colorado will be able to borrow up to $500,000 at a zero percent interest rate in economic stimulus funding to improve its water system.
Sewer Rate News
Blooming, Grove, New York
Glendale, Arizona
Herkimer, New York
Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
