June 11, 2010
Friday’s Water News: Tens of Millions of Gallons of Sewage Leaks in Kansas City
A clean-up has finally begun in Kansas City, Missouri. It is estimated that three years of sewage spills have accumulated to a staggering amount. Tens of millions of gallons of sewage has been spilling, and neither city nor state officials have attempted to clean up until now.
Headlines
In Lafayette, Indiana, it has taken two years to complete the first phase of a massive underground tunnel, meant to help eliminate combined sewage overflow into the Wabash River. The project is part of a 20-year plan to improve its sewer system.
Five thousand gallons of sewage leaked into the Saluda River in Columbia, South Carolina. A line blockage is believed to have caused the spill. State officials are attempting to stop the leak and clean up the mess.
Residents in Barrington, Illinois are demanding the village do something to address flooding that occurs doing periods of heavy rain. The village recently repaired pipes and relined a sewer in an area affected by flooding, but despite the improvements, flooding has continued.
Stimulus Spotlight
A bond has been issued in Pittsford, Vermont to build a badly needed wastewater treatment plant. The city floated $2 million dollars in low-interest federal bonds and expects a stimulus package grant to cover the rest of the cost at about $1.8 million dollars.
Alcoa, Tennessee will receive a $1 million grant from the economic stimulus for the construction of two new water storage reservoirs. The overall cost of the project is estimated to be $5.8 million.
Sewer Rate News
Fruitland, Idaho
Greensboro, North Carolina
Groton, Connecticut
Hannibal, Missouri
Lynn, Massachusetts
November 30, 2009
Monday’s Water News: Oklahoma Uses Stimulus for Drinking Water Projects
Federal stimulus money will be used to fund more than 20 drinking water projects in Oklahoma, expanding old water treatment plants and services and bringing some providers into compliance with health and environmental standards.
Headlines
Crews worked throughout the night to fix a water main break that shut down the water to the Boise State University student union building.
A water main ruptured early Saturday near Hancock Park in Los Angeles, flooding a street and forcing customers to lose service.
Stimulus Spotlight
Washington Governor Christine Gregoire and the state Department of Ecology have approved clean water projects in Olympia, Spokane, and Seattle worth a total of $5.6 million in economic stimulus funding.
Thanks to federal stimulus money, the city of Washington, Illinois will save $3.9 million on a $7.6 million loan it received from the Illinois EPA to begin the expansion of a water treatment plant.
Sewer Rate News
Eureka, California
Gig Harbor, Washington
Salinas, California
September 28, 2009
Monday’s Water News: Water Main Woes Continue in Los Angeles
A water main ruptured in Los Angeles this morning, interrupting service to dozens of customers in what is the latest in a series of breaks in L.A.’s water system. The rupture comes on the heels of other water main breaks reported over the weekend. Some experts have speculated that the city’s recent decision to allow sprinklers to be used only on Mondays and Thursdays may be increasing stress on aging pipes because of sudden changes in pressure.
Headlines
Cleanup continues in the Baltimore suburb of Dundalk after a massive water main break two weeks ago. 33 homes are still without power following the incident. Traffic delays near the area of the break are expected for another two to four weeks while repairs continue.
In Savannah, Georgia, water in the Oatland Island area has been deemed safe after discovered this weekend and according to the Georgia Environmental Protection Department, the waters are safe after 112,000 gallons of sewage spilled into Richardson Creek before they were able to fix the damaged line.
The North Carolina Division of Water Quality has fined the city of Thomasville over $35,000 after a wastewater spill in July and August allowed 15.93 million gallons of raw sewage to enter neighboring creek.
Stimulus Spotlight
The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality has awarded the city of Blackfoot a low- interest loan of $4 million via the economic stimulus for improvements to the city’s drinking water system.
Sewer Rate News
Clute, Texas
Mandan, North Dakota
Troy, Missouri
August 4, 2009
Tuesday’s Water News: $1.9 Million Project Prevents Sewage From Flooding Homes
Residents of Dubuque, Iowa will soon rest more easily knowing that heavy rains will no longer lead to raw sewage flooding homes along a local creek. The $1.9 million project comes after the city faced fines resulting from violations of proper sewage treatment guidelines.
Headlines
Officials in Racine, Wisconsin are scrambling to clear debris from the city’s police station after a 130 year-old water main broke, flooding a parking garage and part of an office building.
Residents of the Zinno Community in Pueblo County, Colorado are suffering under 100 degree heat after a broken water pump interrupted service to 97 homes. Until repairs can be made, the population is relying on a water truck for drinking water.
Stimulus Spotlight
Graceville, Florida will receive $1.9 million in stimulus funds to improve the city’s sewage collection system. The funds are part of $212 million awarded to the state of Florida for drinking water and wastewater management projects.
Today the USDA announced $155 million in funding for water and wastewater infrastructure in 15 states. A total of 36 projects have been selected.
Governor Ed Rendell (D-PA) has announced a $1 billion investment in that state’s water and wastewater systems. The funding boost has come from leveraging and matching nearly $220 million in federal stimulus funds.
Sewer Rates
New Albany, Indiana
Graniteville, South Carolina
Menasha, Wisconsin
July 29, 2009
Wednesday’s Water News: EPA Sues West Virginia Town Regarding Failing Sewage System
The EPA has filed a lawsuit in federal court against Fort Gay, West Virginia. The suit alleges the town is allowing malfunctioning sewer pumps to discharge raw waste into the town’s drinking water supply.
Headlines
A new report from the Natural Resources Defense Counsel notes that beach warnings and shutdowns resulting from water quality concerns have surpassed 20,000 for the fourth consecutive year. The study also states that most contamination occurs when waste water collection systems become overwhelmed by heavy rainfalls.
The city of Stockton, California will pay $4 million to the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance to settle a lawsuit, filed under the Clean Water Act, which alleged that 1,530 sewage spills in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta have endangered public health.
Travelers in Colfax, Idaho are facing delays after a morning water main break on U.S. Highway 195 reduced traffic to one land in each direction.
Stimulus Spotlight
Monroe City, Missouri will use $1.4 million in stimulus funds to make repairs and improvements to its water distribution system. Announcing the plan, State Senator Wes Shoemyer noted that the thirty year old system could “no longer keep up with the demands placed on it.”
Washington Governor Christine Gregoire says the town of Metaline will get $600,000 in federal stimulus money plus another federal grant of nearly $1 million to pay for 320,000-gallon water storage tank, a filtration plant and new water meters for the town of 175 residents.
Sewer Rates
Boulder, Colorado
Dothan, Alabama
Leesburg, Virginia
July 16, 2009
Thursday’s Water News: Bi-Partisan Support for Water Trust Fund Bill Grows
On Wednesday, Congressman Thomas Petri (R-Wisc.) joined Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) in support of H.R. 3202, the Water Protection and Reinvestment Act. The bill would supply an additional $10 billion annually to help close the EPA estimated $500 billion gap between needs and funding over the next twenty years.
Headlines
An overnight water main break in Boise, Idaho flooded nearly twenty homes and opened a sink hole which swallowed a car.
Sewage plant improvements open 2,600 acres of valuable land to development in the Silicon Valley.
A tainted water supply in Putnam, Connecticut is forcing town officials to truck in drinking water from a neighboring municipality.
Stimulus Spotlight
Goshen, Virginia will receive over one million dollars in stimulus funds through the USDA Rural Development program to help replace depression era water pipes.
Stimulus funds will allow Delevan, New York to install its first water filtration system. Prior to this system the town had been relying on unfiltered spring-fed water.
Sewer Rate News
Lodi, California
Danville, Pennsylvania
Bowling Green, Ohio
April 15, 2009
Wednesday Headlines: Niagra Falls Residents Angry with City After Break
A water main break that occured several weeks ago in Niagra Falls, New York left behind 12 million gallons of water, thousands of dollars in damage to some homes, and now homeowners are calling on the city to pay up.
Headlines
Needed upgrades and expansions to parts of the Poplarville, Mississippi’s water system may be coming out of the federal stimulus package. If approved, the city would receive have 25 percent of the cost of the project paid for, leaving approximately $827,488 the city would have to finance and repay in 20 years.
A buildup of grease caused a manhole to overflow with up to 6,000 gallons of untreated wastewater earlier today in Kannapolis, North Carolina.
Approximately 600 residents in Bullitt County, North Carolina have had water service restored after and a boil advisory lifted after following a water main break yesterday.
A water main break yesterday has closed a major street in Colorado Springs, Colorado until Thursday after water got under the asphalt causing the road to buckle.
Sewer Rate News
Hailey, Idaho
Hopewell, Virginia
Worthington, Indiana
February 12, 2009
Thursday Headlines: Final Vote on Stimulus Expected Tomorrow
House and Senate Conferees have agreed on a $789 billion economic stimulus conference report which could be voted on as soon as tomorrow. The conference report includes $4 billion for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, $2 billion for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, $1.28 billion to support $3.8 billion in grants and loans for rural water and wastewater infrastructure and $1 billion for the Bureau of Reclamation to provide clean, reliable drinking water to rural areas and to ensure adequate water supply to western localities impacted by drought.
Headlines
Flash flooding and temperature swings have put severe stress on St. Louis’ sewer system and the Metropolitan Sewer District has reported nearly 50 streets have experienced sewer backups. The worst of the incidents occurred when a tractor trailer became stuck in a 20 foot sinkhole caused by a broken main.
The Saginaw River is full of sewage this morning, after wastewater treatment plants in Bay City, Essexville and Saginaw all reported overflows. These are the first overflows of the year for these cities.
A spill of hundreds gallons of sewage from a ruptured sanitation line in Imperial Beach, California left a stretch the beach contaminated and closed several facilities near the beach.
A water main break in Sioux Falls, South Dakota caused some traffic problems on a busy street this morning after the water froze creating hazardous driving conditions.
Sewer Rate News
Bonners Ferry, Idaho
Delphos, Ohio
Tomah, Wisconsin
December 10, 2008
Wednesday Headlines: Water Main Break in Boston Disrupts Traffic
Part of a major artery in Boston remained closed this morning as crews worked to repair a 24-inch pipe that ruptured near City Hall and spilled tens of thousands of gallons of water.
Headlines
680 middle school students in Anchorage, Alaska were sent home Tuesday morning because of a sewage backup caused by a blockage in underground pipes.
In Pennsylvania, Allentown workers are repairing a broken water main in the city’s west end. Public works officials speculated the freeze-and-thaw cycle this time of the year could be a factor. The break interrupted service to 15 properties.
Public Utilities crews in Raleigh, North Carolina spent most of Tuesday fixing a water main broke due to the cold weather. Crews repair an average of two leaks a day, according to city officials, and many of those repairs occur as pipes age.
An op-ed appearing in the Washington Post on Monday argues that Conservatives can and should support increased investment for infrastructure–including water and wastwater infrasturcture–on the grounds of future economic growth and globabl competitiveness.
Sewer Rate News
Clarkston, Idaho
Spring Hope, North Carolina
Traverse City, Michigan
November 10, 2008
Monday Headlines: Atlanta Completes Deep Sewer Tunnel Construction
In Atlanta, Georgia, after three years of digging and pouring concrete, construction crews have completed a deep sewer tunnel that can carry and store up to 177 million gallons of rain and sewage. The $190 million tunnel has been the most controversial piece of the city’s $4 billion overhaul of its water and sewer system. about 10 percent of Atlanta remains hooked to combined sewers.
Headlines
A water main break flooded an east side neighborhood in Columbus, Ohio this morning. Streets in the area were flooded with several inches of water and seventy-five homes were without water service.
Residents in Placerville, California were told Friday they could resume using their tap water without boiling after a possible contamination threat caused by a water main break. About 4,500 customers were affected by the break.
Michigan regulators have taken action to prevent major problems with a wastewater treatment plant in the city of Harbor Beach. The city has signed a consent order with the state Department of Environmental Quality, agreeing to pay a $28,700 fine, reimburse the DEQ for enforcement costs and upgrade the plant’s Industrial Pretreatment Program.
The EPA is requiring the city of Burley, Idaho to improve its wastewater treatment plant, including the reduction of effluent phosphorous and ammonia. The city estimates improvements will cost at least $2 million over the next five years.
Sewer Rate News
Bloomington, Illinois
Columbus, Ohio
Laurel, Mississippi
Modesto, California
