September 1, 2010
Wednesday’s Water News: Boil Water Advisory Issued for Georgia Community
In Warner Robins, Georgia yesterday, two restaurants, two convenience stores, an elementary school, a small day care center and about 50 residences were without water after an 8-inch water main ruptured.
Headlines
The City of Columbia, South Carolina issued a boil water advisory yesterday after a water main break. The advisory was issued for several apartment complexes which house hundreds of students who attend the University of South Carolina.
About 48,000 gallons of raw sewage spilled into a residential lagoon in Redwood City, California last week, nearly 10 times more than city officials initially estimated. The city estimate was revised after crews discovered a pipe had broken underground, sending far more sewage into the water than originally thought.
All three pumps at the a pump station in Cohoes, New York have failed, resulting in 27,100 gallons of raw sewage discharging into the Salt Kill, a tributary of the Hudson River. The cause was a string of rags found in the system.
Stimulus Spotlight
In Massachusetts, permanent financing for a new water plant that will serve Chatham and New Berlin should be secured next month. Plans are to pay for the project through Build America Bonds, a federal stimulus program that will reimburse the commission for 35 percent of its interest expenses. The bonds will be paid off over 30 years.
Sewer Rate News
Colleyville, Texas
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Gulfport, Mississippi
San Marcos, Texas
August 30, 2010
Monday’s Water News: Massive Water Main Break Leads to Smaller Ones in New Jersey
In New Jersey, seven additional water mains ruptured in and around Clifton and Passaic in the hours after a massive water main break last Tuesday dumped 40 million gallons of water into a parking lot.
Headlines
The Washington state Department of Ecology has lowered the dollar amount of the penalty that King County was assessed for sewer overflow violations earlier this year. Originally, King County was fined $46,000, but that amount was lowered to $39,500 after the penalty was recalculated by the state at King County’s request.
Work has begun in Duluth, Minnesota to address its sewer overflow problems by constructing a 1 million gallon tank at one of the Sanitary District’s pumping station.
Stimulus Spotlight
Officials in North Dakota today broke ground for a water treatment facility in Linton for the South Central Regional Water District. The project has received more than $21 million in federal stimulus grants and more than $7 million in federally backed loans.
The Santa Clara Valley Water District (Calif.) has decided to begin the second phase of a federally funded flood protection and habitat enhancement project on Lower Silver Creek in San Jose. The project, in partnership with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, has been awarded $18.5 million in federal economic stimulus funds through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Sewer Rate News
Buellton, California
Holmdel, New Jersey
Rome, Georgia
Superior, Wisconsin
August 16, 2010
Monday’s Water News: Michigan Beach Pollution May Be Coming from Milwaukee’s Sewer System
Michigan officials are warning residents that syringes and other household trash washing onto beaches could be coming from sewer dumps from the flooding in Milwaukee three weeks ago. More than 2 billion gallons of untreated sewage and storm water poured from Milwaukee-area sewers into waterways after torrential rain storms on July 22.
Headlines
In Oregon, the Lebanon City Council has approved issuing up to $6.5 million in Wastewater Revenue Bonds to finance a new wastewater treatment plant and to refinance an existing bond at a lower interest rate. The current treatment plant was constructed in the early 1970s and although it meets the city’s current needs, it is close to capacity and the community is growing.
Crews from Mobile (Ala.) Area Water & Sewer System have repaired a break in a 10-inch water main that caused water pressure and outage problems in west Mobile on Sunday. A lightning strike is thought to be the cause of a split in the line that was estimated to be between 6-and-10 feet long.
Stimulus Spotlight
In an effort to improve the Boonville, Missouri’s public water system, an engineer will examine its infrastructure and identify potential projects. The city received a $45,000 grant from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources as part of federal stimulus funding to hire the engineer.
In California, a $3.2 million pipeline was constructed by the Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District with the help of a $600,000 federal stimulus grant. And upon its recent completion, it became the first recycled water project completed with stimulus funds in Southern California.
Sewer Rate News
Jamestown, California
Marco Island, Florida
McCook, Nebraska
Tybee Island, Georgia
August 12, 2010
Thursday’s Water News: Drinking Water Service Shut Down for Residents in Ames, Iowa
Officials in Ames, Iowa have closed the city’s water supply after a water main broke beneath a flooded creek. The shut down leaves most of the city’s 55,000 residents without drinking water. Iowa has been hit with widespread flooding after three nights of storms.
Headlines
Opposition has emerged to a proposal to build a big commercial wastewater treatment plant in Sussex County, Delaware that’s envisioned to serve thousands of new homes spreading northwest from Rehoboth Bay.
The Y Bridge and a portion of Main Street in Zanesville, Ohio was expected to be open this morning after a water main break caused a closure on Wednesday. The bridge had to be closed because a large portion of the road had to be torn up to repair the break.
Stimulus Spotlight
The city of Tacoma, Washington’s Water System is issuing $73.65 million in Build America Bonds–a program created in the economic stimulus– for repairs of its water and sewer systems.
In addition, the city of Sarasota, Florida is issuing $33.7 million in Build America Bonds for a system that provides water supply, treatment and delivery to nearly 19,000 residents.
Sewer Rate News
Malvern, Ohio
New Hanover County, North Carolina
Sturgis, Michigan
Whittier, California
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 6, 2010
Friday’s Water News: Sewage Spills Into Whitewater River in Richmond, Indiana
Heavy rains in Richmond, Indiana have led to sewage spills along Whitewater River, contaminating the water. The spill occurred because the rainwater and sewage system became overloaded. Officials have warned residents to avoid contact with the water for 72 hours.
Headlines
80,000 gallons of sewage spills in Blaine, Minnesota. Officials say the old The chlorination system was malfunctioning at the local sewage plant and caused the wastewater to leak.
Residents in Baltimore, Maryland are concerned that sewage leaks are killing local fish at Deep Creek Lake. Approximately 1,000 dead fish have been found floating on the lake and residents are blaming recent wastewater spills.
Stimulus Spotlight
Thanks to the stimulus package, the residents of Crawford, Nebraska are receiving $4 million dollars in stimulus grants to get a new wastewater treatment plant.
The town of Palisade, Colorado is receiving a total of $7.8 million dollars to build a new sewer plant. The funds are being provided in a $4 million dollar low interest loan and a $3.8 million dollar grant, both provided by the stimulus package.
Sewer Rate News
Toro, California
Northport, Alabama
Northridgeville, Ohio
St. Louis, Missouri
August 5, 2010
Thursday’s Water News: Heavy Rains in Omaha, Nebraska Cause Sewage Spills
After heavy rains hit Omaha, Nebraska, sewage poured into homes across the city. This has been a recurring problem in the city. Officials claim that the cost of making the sewer lines good enough to stop these spills is an estimated $1.6 billion dollars.
Headlines
A broken sewer line in Baltimore, Maryland has caused 10,000 gallons of sewage to pour into nearby Herring Run Stream, which is a tributary to many Baltimore rivers. Officials have warned all residents to avoid contact with any streams or rivers in the area until further notice.
A malfunction in Thompsons Station, Tennessee is causing sewage leaks in the town. The spill is estimated at 800 gallons minute and has yet to be repaired.
Stimulus Spotlight
Thanks to the stimulus package, the town of Glenburnie, Maryland will be getting a new stormwater and sewage system, as well as some road repairs. The $24 million dollar project is being funded by low interest stimulus loans.
Sewer Rate News
Sacramento, California
Sandusky, Ohio
Talladega, Alabama
Fox Lake, Wisconsin
Orroville, California
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
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
