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 4, 2010
Wednesday’s Water News: Heavy Rains Cause 1,200 Gallons of Sewage a Minute to Spill in Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Heavy rains in Sioux Falls, South Dakota have caused 1,200 gallons of sewage per minute to pour into local Big Sioux River. Officials are scrambling to fix the leak and clean up the mess simultaneously. The problem arose after an overtaxed sewage system gave out.
Headlines
Residents in Kansas City, Missouri are complaining about a sinkhole that has opened up at the intersection of 40th Street and Warwick Boulevard. The sinkhole is oozing with sewage and is giving off a pungent odor that bothers citizens.
The town council of Kingston, New York has agreed to pay $293,000 dollars to residents who were affected by a sewer main break in their town. The main broke and flooded the townspeople’s backyards and basements, causing damages.
Stimulus Spotlight
Thanks to the stimulus package, the town of Southport, New York is getting sewage service extended to other parts of town. The $1.25 million dollar grant is being funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Sewer Rate News
Tulare County, California
Los Altos, California
Steamboat City, Georgia
Dibol, Texas
Monette City, Arkansas
July 12, 2010
Monday’s Water News: U.S., Mexico Argue Over Sewage Spill Cleanup
Agencies continue to shirk responsibility for a sewage spill near the U.S.-Mexico border in San Diego, California. Over 2.1 million gallons of Mexican sewage leaked into the Tijuana River Valley following a breakdown at several U.S. waste treatment facilities. Agencies have responded by dodging responsibility because of jurisdictional questions.
Headlines
A pair of water main breaks in Fairfield County, Connecticut has disrupted service to about 1,000 customers in the towns of Westport, Fairfield, Weston and Wilton.
Officials in Rockville, Maryland have finally lifted a water restrictions for residents. After a 24-inch water main ruptured last week, the city asked residents to limit their water use, but on Friday another leak was discovered that continued the restriction through the weekend.
Stimulus Spotlight
Fort Smith, Arkansas has received $77 million in economic stimulus funding for new construction projects. Of this sum, $7.5 million has been allocated for laying 12.5 miles of new water piping that will improve service to over 29,000 residents.
In California, the Napa Sanitation district has received $7.3 million in economic stimulus funds to undertake water recycling projects throughout Napa Valley. The construction work must commence before September 30 or the funds will no longer be available.
Sewer Rate News
Evansville, Indiana
Prairieville, Louisiana
Seattle, Washington
Whittier, California
June 22, 2010
Tuesday’s Water News: Water Still Unsafe in Harrison, Arkansas
A break in the sewage system all the way back in January has still not been fixed in Harrison, Arkansas. Officials are worried that contaminated water may flow from nearby Mill Creek into the Buffalo River. A lack of funding is blamed for the delay in repairs.
Headlines
Residents in Lynchburg, Virginia are dealing with raw sewage spills in their backyards. This problem has been going on for months and officials are investigating. It remains unknown how extensive the spills are and what effect they are having on local drinking water.
Another sewage spill has hit Kansas City, Missouri with 95,000 gallons of raw sewage pouring into Kernodle Lake after a sewer line break. Officials are required to give an extensive report on the damage done to the water within five days.
Heavy rains in Richmond, Indiana have caused sewage and wastewater spills. The sewage flowed into the East fork of the nearby Whitewater River. Residents have been advised to avoid contact with the water for 72 hours.
Stimulus Spotlight
Thanks to the stimulus package, Port Richmond, New York’s sewage treatment plant will get a $29 million upgrade. It is being funded with tax-free bonds included in the economic stimulus package.
Water users in Shaftsbury, Vermont are expected to save approximately $1,000 each over the next 20 years in paying off a bond used to upgrade water lines after the town was approved to receive $217,000 in federal stimulus money to pay off more than half of the $425,000 bond administered through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund.
Sewer Rate News
Conyngham, Pennsylvania
Houston, Texas
Olanta, North Carolina
Toccoa, Georgia
June 14, 2010
Monday’s Water News: Louisville Deals With Mounting Sewer Debt
As the Metropolitan Sewer District debt in Louisville, Kentucky builds, residents are beginning to feel the pinch. The Metropolitan Sewer District maintains the highest level of debt it has ever sustained. There appears to be more trouble on the horizon due to a court-imposed rehabilitation program with an $850 million price tag.
Headlines
Nearly all of the Eastwood community in Syracuse, New York has been restored with adequate water pressure. An official claimed workers were able to restore the neighborhood with decent water pressure after they freed a valve that failed to respond correctly to a broken water main.
Mandated upgrades of wastewater treatment plants are affecting Portsmouth, Maine. These upgrades are designed to reduce the amount of nitrogen in the water and concomitantly the amount of nitrogen in the Great Bay Estuary into which the water flows.
A water main break early this morning in Alexandria, Virginia caused a sinkhole to form near a busy intersection this morning.
Stimulus Spotlight
In Arkansas, construction is set to begin in November on a project 60 years in the making. U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln announced that $37 million in federal funds are available for two high-volume pump stations at the heart of the Bayou Meto Water Management Project. These funds, derived from the American Recovery and Restoration Act, are essential to beginning the project, but more funds will be needed to see it through.
Sewer Rate News
Boston, Massachusetts
Las Gallinas, California
Montpelier, Vermont
Morganton, North Carolina
April 23, 2010
Friday’s Water News: Ohio Community Receives CDBG Funds for Wastewater Treatment Plant
Federal funds will soon be coming to Ohio City, Ohio to build a new wastewater treatment plant. $500,000 from the Community Development Block Grant will pick up 20 percent of the approximately $2.5 million cost to complete construction of the project. The rest of the cost will be paid for by village residents by securing a low-interest loan for the outstanding amount which will then be repaid with a sewer surcharge on their monthly bills.
Headlines
A precautionary boil water advisory was issued last night for 225 residents in a Sarasota County, Florida apartment complex after a 2-inch water main break.
Officials in Anderson County, South Carolina must figure out a way to address a $1.3 million in its sewer fund.
In Ohio, Gallia County has reached an agreement with the City of Gallipolis for both phases of the Green Township sewer project has been reached. Phase one of the project will not begin until 2012.
Stimulus Spotlight
North Little Rock, Arkansas will receive $2.8 million from the economic stimulus to install sewer lines for 300 residents currently using septic tanks for wastewater disposal. In addition to the stimulus funding, the USDA is providing a $1 million grant to fund the project.
$8.9 million from the USDA by way of the economic stimulus will allow West Carroll Township, Pennsylvania to build a new water treatment system. The project will include a new plant to replace two obsolete plants, 3 miles of new and replacement pipelines and an intake system to improve water quality and pressure.
Sewer Rate News
Exeter, New Hampshire
King County, Washington
Staunton, Virginia
April 20, 2010
Tuesday’s Water News: Arkansas Community Seeks $25M Loan for Water Projects
In Jacksonville, Arkansas, the City Council supports a plan by the water department to secure $25 million in loan funds from the state’s National Resources Commission to pay for four major capital improvement projects. The projects will include adding new water lines and replacement of a ground water storage tank.
Headlines
Work has begun on a new wastewater treatment plant for Sweetwater, Tennessee. The city will finance the project with a $6.5 million bond that it will pay back over the next 20 years.
A broken water main break in a Las Cruces, New Mexico caused a gas line to leak this morning.
Minnesota’s Public Facilities Authority will provide $12.3 million in financing to seven cities for drinking water and waste water improvements.
Stimulus Spotlight
In Loveland, Colorado, the Bureau of Reclamation has received $12.2 million from the economic stimulus to recoat the penstocks above the Flatiron Power Plant. The penstocks are large pipes that carry water from a reservoir to a nearby power plant behind a lake which provides water and power in northeastern Colorado.
Despite the inconvenience for some Galion, Ohio residents, construction of two pump stations and a main line to the wastewater treatment plant should be completed in August. Part of the $5.3 million project will be funded via $3.4 million in economic stimulus funds.
Sewer Rate News
Belgrade, Montana
Cadillac, Michigan
Charleston, Illinois
Spring Hill, Tennessee
April 14, 2010
Wednesday’s Water News: Rationed Lawn Watering Blamed for L.A. Water Main Breaks in 2009
A Los Angeles law that rationed lawn watering for conservation is to blame for the water main breaks that inundated homes and businesses last summer, according to a 167-page independent report. With residents restricted to watering only two days a week, pressure fluctuated in the city’s 7,200-mile water system, straining aging and corroded cast iron pipes until they burst.
Headlines
A water main break caused problems for residents in Queens, New York today. A 12-inch main ruptured behind a home, flooding several backyards and at least two basements. Overall about 20 homes were affected by the break and as many as 11 people were evacuated.
Baltimore, Maryland Public Works crews have fixed a 20-inch water main break that flooded roads Tuesday night. Crews shut off water valves and worked overnight to repair the break.
Work is set to begin in Belvidere, Illinois on a sanitary sewer reconstruction project. The $850,000 project will reconstruct 2,492 feet of sanitary sewer and start next week.
Stimulus Spotlight
The federal government will provide $20.7 million to complete a project that will link state and federal canals in the San Joaquin Valley, California. $20 million in funding will come from the federal stimulus package. The $34 million Intertie Project will connect the Delta Mendota Canal and the California Aqueduct using a 500-foot underground pipe and pumps.
Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe has presented a check for $7.5 million in economic stimulus funds to the Franklin-Sebastian Public Water Authority to help fund improvements for Charleston, Lavaca and other communities east of Fort Smith.
Sewer Rate News
Adams, New York
Evanston, Illinois
Los Angeles, California
Tampa, Florida
April 12, 2010
Monday’s Water News: Milwaukee Proposes Over $13M for Sewer Upgrades
Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District’s deep tunnels would be drained more quickly after a rain storm, providing more wastewater storage space for the next downpour, under a proposed $13.67 million upgrade of three aging pumps.
Headlines
In an opinion piece on the New York Times website yesterday asked several experts how the nation can begin to address the prevalent risks of chemicals in drinking water given the overwhelming financial costs?
Technicians in Englewood, Colorado are testing an ultraviolet light system as part of a pilot program to upgrade and improve the disinfecting process at the its wastewater treatment plant.
Stimulus Spotlight
Fort Smith, Arkansas is receiving $4.38 million in economic stimulus funds to repair its 50 year-old water and sewer systems. Almost no aspect of the systems meets current codes.
Nearly $4.8 million in federal stimulus and state no-interest loan funds for drinking water and wastewater projects has been provided to Meigs County by the Ohio EPA.
Sewer Rate News
Kingston, Massachusetts
Lockport, Illinois
Riverbank, California
Spring Hill, Tennessee
February 25, 2010
Thursday’s Water News: North Carolina Town Recevies $4M for Wastewater Treatment
More than $4 million has been awarded to the town of Beulaville, North Carolina from the USDA for improvements to the town’s wastewater treatment plant. USDA is giving the town of approximately 2,000 residents a $2.295 million grant and a $2.3 million loan. The interest rate for the loan is 3.25-percent and must be paid back over the next 40 years.
Headlines
Ground was broken today in Oxnard, California on a construction project that is expected to give the city one of the most advanced wastewater treatment plants in the state. The project which is expected to cost $60 million will be partially funded by a $20 million grant from the U.S. Department of the Interior and $15 million from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.
San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders announced the city posted its best sewage-spill figures of the decade in 2009. The city reported 38 spills last year, down from 365 in 2000 and 62 in 2008.
Stimulus Spotlight
Massachusetts State Treasurer Tim Cahill, who chairs the Massachusetts Water Pollution Abatement Trust, has announced that the Trust has successfully committed and certified its $185 million allotment of federal stimulus funding to 115 local drinking water and wastewater infrastructure projects.
While Kentucky has already obligated its $73 million share of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding for water and sewer projects, there is still money available.
Sewer Rate News
Doyelstown, Pennsylvania
Fairfield, Iowa
Maumelle, Arkansas
