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Staff at Richmond (Ind.) Sanitary District’s wastewater treatment plant have been working around the clock since Friday to resolve an issue that led suspended solids and E. coli to overload the treatment and filtration process and discharge into the East Fork Whitewater River.

In California, the city of Guadalupe is moving forward with a plan on a $4.75 million project to upgrade its wastewater treatment plant. The new system, which features new headworks, a dewatering system and biological treatment system will allow the city to meet state discharge standards.

Work started today on a new sewer line in Lexington, Kentucky which will help address sewer overflow problems in one part of the city. The new 24 inch sewer line will replace a 15 inch line, that was originally built in 1966.

The city of Whitefish, Montana has begun a five- to six-week project to replace and rehabilitate underground sewer mains throughout the city.

Water and Sewer Rate News
Easton, Massachusetts
Plymouth Township, Michigan
Ripon, Wisconsin
Surprise, Arizona

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A second engineering study of a sewer project in Trumbull, Connecticut has revealed that pipes and manholes in the system are riddled with even more problems than initially reported and will cost $8.4 million to fix.

The Village of Pomeroy, Ohio will use $2 million in grants to remedy compliance violations handed down by Ohio EPA. Funding from the grants will be used to correct combined sewer overflows and upgrade its wastewater treatment plant.

In Georgia, the major spill reported as ongoing last week at the city of Richmond Hill’s wastewater treatment plant occurred longer than previously thought.  The spill which began May 17 continued through May 30, with more than 10.8 million gallons of treated wastewater flowing from the facility’s constructed wetlands into Elbow Swamp.

Three of Bay City, Michigan’s top officials head to Washington, D.C., this week in an effort to get financial relief for the city’s overwhelming sewer debt. Bay City has more than $40 million in sewer debt spanning the past two decades from a state-mandated order to upgrade its wastewater treatment plant.

Water and Sewer Rate News
Arizona City, Arizona
Funkstown, Maryland
Monroe, Michigan
Palo Alto, California

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In Georgia, the Augusta Utilities Department is using a dog to sniff for raw sewage in order to help detect and eliminate elusive sewage leaks. This spring, the state’s Environmental Protection Division fined the city roughly $45,000 for about 100 sewage spills dating to 2004.

A water main break created a sinkhole that sunk part of the pavement on Thursday at the Taste of Syracuse (N.Y.) was fixed this morning, three hours before the annual celebration of Central New York cuisine opened. The two-foot wide sinkhole opened early Thursday morning less than 200 yards from the stage where music artists are scheduled to perform on Saturday.

Ruscombmanor Township has accepted a $500,000 grant from the state of Pennsylvania to extend an existing sewer line through the township which is expected to cost $1.8 million.

A Georgia Administrative Law Judge has revoked Forsyth County’s permit allowing it to discharge 6 million gallons a day of treated waste water into the Chattahoochee River. In her ruling, Judge Kristin Miller said the permitted discharge would violate state and federal laws because it would result in lower water quality in the Chattahoochee, and the county could more thoroughly treat its waste water and discharge less pollution into the river.

Water and Sewer Rate News
Brookings, Oregon
Dana Point, California
Glendora, California
Tolleson, Arizona

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After initial reports estimated a 20 million gallon sewer overflow in Bay City, Michigan last week,  a report from the Bay City Wastewater Treatment Plant now states over 90 million gallons of combined groundwater and sanitary sewage was discharged into the Saginaw River after two inches of rain fell.

EPA has awarded $485,000 to Fayetteville, Arkansas to replace undersized sanitary sewer pipe with larger diameter pipe and rehabilitate about 90 manholes.

Killeen, Texas may be fined for alleged violations concerning its 289,000-gallon sewer spill that surged into South Nolan Creek in February. According to a Texas Commission on Environmental Quality investigation, Killeen failed to prevent the sewage discharge which killed several hundred fish.

In California, Port San Luis and Avila Beach were closed Friday after 1,000 gallons of raw sewage spilled into the ocean because of a  leaking pressure main under a roadway.

Water and Sewer Rate News
El Mirage, Arizona
Enfield, Connecticut
Naperville, Illinois
Springfield, Illinois

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Engineers trying to figure out the cause of sewer backups at homes in Southington, Connecticut say they expect to make recommendations for solving the problem by the end of May.

In a settlement with the Ohio EPA, the city of Crestline will make sewer system and wastewater treatment plant improvements to eliminate overflows of untreated sewage and comply with effluent contaminant limits set in its discharge permit.

PennVEST has awarded the small community of Franklin with a $2.8 million grant for a major rehabilitation of its sanitary sewer system.

Traffic will be closed for two streets in downtown Tucson, Arizona for at least a week after a break in a 36-inch line on Tuesday. Workers will have to dig by hand to get to the break. The city is hoping to fix the damage and re-open the road before next weekend’s Mariachi conference.

Water and Sewer Rate News
Aiken County, South Carolina
Hudson, Ohio
Laguna Niguel, California
Mill Valley, California

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In Staten Island, New York, FDNY, NYPD and Department of Environmental Protection officials were on the scene after a water-main break causeda flood of water to cascade onto the street.

The city of Lynchburg, Virginia hopes to be able to break ground by late summer on phase two of improvements to its water and sewer system. The project is expected to take 18 to 20 months and is part of the city’s 10-year master plan.

Laguna Pueblo in central New Mexico will receive two grants totaling $2 million to improve its water and waste water systems. The current sewage collection system was built more than 20 years ago and the water distribution systems were constructed more than 50 years ago.

In Washington, a much-hoped-for funding source for a proposed sewer system in Carlsborg is one step closer to reality, after the state House of Representatives included a $10 million loan in its proposed state construction budget.

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Los Altos, California
Mesa, Arizona
Montgomery, Illinois
West Dundee, Illinois

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City of Akron Public Service officials have been authorized by the City Council to seek permits for two sewer separation projects and subsequently to move forward with construction.

The flow of untreated sewage that pours into the San Francisco Bay every rainy season could finally be curtailed by a new state law and a string of lawsuits. The EPA and local nonprofits have launched lawsuits against multiple sanitary and utilities districts and municipalities in a bid to end the spills, many of which could violate the Clean Water Act.

State lawmakers in Nebraska have given first-round approval to a bill that would help the city of Omaha pay for $1.7 billion in federally mandated sewer upgrades.

Residents in a section of Laurel, Mississippi will soon have some relief from issues involving sewer water flowing on their property thanks to a sewer construction project funded by a Community Development Block Grant.

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Madison, Wisconsin
Marana, Arizona
Newtown, Pennsylvania
West Dundee, Illinois

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A nearly $1 million storm sewer project is set to begin construction in Waveland, Indiana that will put new sewers throughout nearly the entire town. The project will cost $995,000 and is being financed by the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs.

Two water main breaks under the Kamehameha Highway in Honolulu forced a portion of the roadway to close yesterday.

The city of Topeka, Kansas has been ordered to fix a  sewer pipe and pay a woman thousands of dollars for damages caused by a backup into her home.

Classes were cancelled yesterday at Presentation College in Aberdeen, South Dakota due to a water main break.

Water and Sewer Rate News
Bluefield, West Virginia
Grand Blanc Township, Michigan
Nogales, Arizona

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A water main break on the west side of Indianapolis tied up traffic for three hours yesterday.

Rep. Bob Latta (R-Ohio) has reintroduced legislation which amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, updating the EPA’s clean water affordability policy to assist municipalities’ that cannot meet unfunded mandates to improve their wastewater infrastructure projects.

Officials in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa want the state to give them $10 million in a tight budget year to rescue their town from a failed multimillion dollar wastewater lagoon system.

In Ohio, plans have moved one step closer which would pave the way for Washington County to initiate $1.3 million in sewer system improvements, as well as allow plans to move forward on the city of Marietta’s $22 million wastewater treatment plant improvement project.

Water and Sewer Rate News
Clive, Iowa
Rio Rico, Arizona
Springboro, Ohio

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Hollywood, Florida is beginning the second year of a five-year, $200 million-plus water and sewer capital improvement program. 70 percent of the system is over 50 years old and needs refurbished or replaced. Funding for the program has come from the bond issuance, grants and to a lesser degree, money from federal government stimulus funds.

A water main break in Chanhassen, Minnesota led to a sewer back up for 18 area residents after water from the broken pipe couldn’t make its way to the surface due to the frozen ground. The back up led to a mixture of water and sewage spewing into the affected homes, filling the basements with a foul, smelly mess.  

A new $695,000 sewer line project in Harrison Township, Pennsylvania is expected to eliminate sewer backups into homes caused by an overloaded combined sewer system. The problem has plagued the area for 30 years, according to longtime residents.

A $2.6 million federal grant and loan from USDA will help pay for construction of a wastewater treatment plant for the village of Waldo, Ohio.

Water and Sewer Rate News
Corona, California
North Lauderdale, Florida
St. Helena, California
Tuscon, Arizona