August 19, 2010
Thursday’s Water News: Massive Water Main Break Disrupts Service to Half of Waco, Texas
A massive break in a 48-inch water main has left Waco, Texas scrambling to save its water supply. Officials are asking residents to stop watering lawns and stop washing cars in order to save precious water. The massive pipe is critical to providing water service to half of the city’s residents.
Headlines
Work will be completed soon on a $6.5 million sewer project in Noblesville, Indiana. Prior to this project, the existing sewer was a combined sanitary and storm sewer that was constructed of brick over 100 years ago. Over the past year, crews installed large-diameter storm sewers and backup sewers.
A large water main break in Center Point, Alabama this morning damaged a busy road, and caused other property damage. Water also was spraying into the air, and damaged the road and blew out a window in a car.
Stimulus Spotlight
In Montana, though the entire project is years away from completion, the Rocky Boy’s/North Central Regional Water System’s first customers can drink the water pouring out of their faucets. Once a treatment plant is built at Lake Elwell and a waterline is installed, the project will deliver clean water to a territory the size of Delaware. Last summer, $20 million in federal stimulus money more than doubled the funding the project has received since it was authorized in 2002.
The drafting of an application seeking federal stimulus funds for Strasburg, Virginia’s planned $25 million upgrade to its wastewater treatment plant has come to a standstill as an environmental review document has become outdated during the process.
Sewer Rate News
Bar Harbor, Maine
Bradenton, Florida
Jackson, Mississippi
The blog is taking its summer vacation. We’ll return with all new material on Monday, August 30.
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 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 10, 2010
Tuesday’s Water News: Water Service Restored to 10,000 Homes in Suburban Baltimore
Water service was restored this morning for up to 10,0000 homes and businesses after a water main break in Essex, Maryland. The 12-inch main which broke is 80 years old and has had multiple breaks over the past year.
Headlines
Chattanooga (Tenn.) and the Moccasin Bend Sewage Treatment Plant are facing state sanctions for the spill Thursday and Friday of more than 100,000 gallons of raw sewage that swamped a marina and killed 3,600 fish.
Monday environmental, business, and civic leaders urged Congress to fund solutions for the sewage crisis in the Great Lakes region. Every year billions of gallons of untreated sewage is dumped into the Great Lakes.
Stimulus Spotlight
The Ohio Water Development Authority plans to sell $423 million in Build America Bonds tomorrow in the agency’s largest offering of the taxable debt. Proceeds from this week’s sale will reimburse the authority for about $148 million already loaned for environmental infrastructure in the state and fund further lending. Build America Bonds were created as part of the economic stimulus.
Many government agencies are close to wrapping up their federal stimulus initiatives, but a large number of communities are still waiting in line for funding or struggling to pay for costly water and sewer projects, according to United States Department of Agriculture officials.
Sewer Rate News
DeSoto County, Mississippi
Hamilton, New Jersey
Oswego, New York
Polk City, Florida
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 29, 2010
Thursday’s Water News: 2 Billion Gallons of Sewage pours into Milwaukee Lakes and Streams
A massive amount of sewage poured into lakes and streams in Milwaukee, Wisconsin after heavy rains hit the area. It is estimated that 2 billion gallons of sewage spilled during this time. This has been the fourth sewage overflow that the city has seen this year alone.
Headlines
A 14 feet deep, 25 feet long sinkhole has opened up along a St. Louis, Missouri neighborhood. Officials say the street collapsed over a brick sewer line dating back to the 1870′s. An investigation is now underway to see how to properly replace the system.
Heavy rains in Duluth, Minnesota cause sewage overflows in the city. Officials say that more than 5,000 gallons spewed out of the city’s overtaxed stormwater drains in several locations around the city.
A pump failure in Des Moines, Iowa led to sewage overflows amounting to 3,000 gallons. The wastewater flowed directly into the Des Moines River, officials say.
Stimulus Spotlight
Thanks to the stimulus package, the town of Patten, Maine is getting 120,000 dollars in federal grants to remove contaminated soil and old gasoline tanks from underneath the town. This will make the water much cleaner and safer to drink for Patten residents.
Sewer Rate News
Indianola, Iowa
Middleboro, Massachusetts
Wellsburg, West Virginia
Port Richey, Florida
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
July 22, 2010
Thursday’s Water News: Water Main Break in White Plains Spews 1 Million Gallons of Water
A 12-inch water main broke early today in downtown White Plains, New York gushing 1 million gallons of water into the streets before officials shut it off. The 41-year-old iron pipe had a least two tears, and will not be fixed before tomorrow. The road will be fixed within three to four days
Headlines
A valve error in Port Ludlow, Washington caused 5,000 gallons of sewage to spill directly into the waterway. The bay has been closed until further notice by officials, who are testing it for contamination. If they do not find any, the bay will be reopened Friday.
The city of Gulf Breeze, Florida has settled a lawsuit over a sewage plant malfunction. The error caused wastewater overflows at the nearby Villa Retirement Community. The suit cost the city $70,000.
New York City is struggling to find ways to deal with its growing sewage issues. The main problem is that the lines underneath the city are extremely old. Some even date back to the 1800′s, officials say.
Stimulus Spotlight
Thanks to the stimulus package, the town of Ann Arbor, Michigan will be receiving a new water main and sewer system along Seventh Street and West Stadium Boulevard.
Sewer Rate News
Conshohocken, Pennsylvania
Granville, Ohio
Irving City, Texas
Lodi, California
July 20, 2010
Tuesday’s Water News: Milwaukee Has Its Largest Sewer Overflow of 2010
Rainstorms in Milwaukee this weekend caused 506 million gallons of untreated wastewater to leak into local streams and Lake Michigan. The storm that caused the overflow produced over 5 inches of rain in just over a single day.
Headlines
A six-inch pipe burst in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Monday. The pipe ruptured in the early afternoon, causing traffic problems.
A sewage spill into Lake Cornelius resulted in a swimming ban being issued by officials in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. A small treatment facility leaked 375 gallons of sewage into a nearby lake in Davidson, North Carolina.
A four-inch water main ruptured in Narberth, Pennsylvania this afternoon leaving residents of an apartment complex without water. The age of the pipe is the suspected cause of the break.
Stimulus Spotlight
Using stimulus funds, the City of San Francisco is issuing $387 Build America Bonds. The interest on these bonds is covered by federal stimulus funds. The city plans to use the proceeds to fund numerous projects including water infrastructure improvement and repair.
Sewer Rate News
Blue Springs, Missouri
Caledonia, Minnesota
Eagle Lake, Florida
Roosevelt, New Jersey
