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
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 27, 2010
Tuesday’s Water News: Sewage floods into South Philadelphia Homes
A sewer main break in south Philadelphia has caused raw wastewater to flow into resident’s homes and onto the streets. The source of the break is still unknown and officials have warned citizens to not drink any water and to turn off any appliances that use water until further notice.
Headlines
Beaches in Chicago are shut down after contaminated stormwater flowed into Lake Michigan. This wastewater release was forced because the sewage system was overtaxed and would have flooded streets otherwise.
The village of Adirondack, New York has been fined $10,000 dollars after a sewage spill leaks into nearby Lake Colby. The State Department of Environmental Protection issued the fine after they discovered a wastewater pump failure caused the spill.
More than 100 residents in Greenfield Township, Pennsylvania are being evicted from their homes due to sub-standard wastewater infrastructure in the town. The order was issued by an Erie County judge after health officials found puddles of sewage and a shoddy wastewater system in place.
Stimulus Spotlight
Thanks to the stimulus package, the city of Batavia, New York is having it’s sewer and water pipes replaced on Bank Street. The project is being funded by a $411,000 dollar grant provided by the stimulus package.
Sewer Rate News
Coachella Valley, California
Indianapolis, Indiana
Jesup, Iowa
Ovilla, Texas
July 21, 2010
Wednesday’s Water News: Officials in Shreveport Struggle to Clean up Champion Lake
After a 9 million gallons of sewage spilled into Champion Lake due to a burst wastewater line, officials in Shreveport, Louisiana, went straight to work two weeks ago to clean up the mess. However, cleanup is taking longer than expected and officials are struggling to get the lake’s bacteria levels back to a safe point.
Headlines
Heavy rains caused sewage overflows in La Joya, Texas. The mayor warned citizens that the wastewater system could not hold against the heavy rains to come, but many did not listen. Thousands of dollars in damage was done to homes and property after sewage seeped into houses following the rain.
The wastewater treatment plant in Centerville, Iowa had to be shut down after heavy rains pounded the town. Officials are worried that some of the water went untreated, and that there could be contaminated drinking water going into people’s homes.
In Los Angeles, at least part of a busy hospital in east Hollywood was temporarily without water today due to a water main break. Traffic was also affected by the break and affected the afternoon commute.
Stimulus Spotlight
Thanks to the stimulus package, the town of Joliet, Illinois will be building a new sewage line to ease pressure on their wastewater treatment plant. The plan costs an estimated $15 million dollars and is being paid for by low-interest loans provided by the stimulus package.
Sewer Rate News
Kiowa, Kansas
Newbern, Tennessee
Traver, California
San Ramon, California
Stayton, Oregon
July 19, 2010
Monday’s Water News: Cincinnati Area Needs $3.5 Billion to Fix Sewers
The cost to fix the sewer system Hamilton County, Ohio’s sewer system is estimated at $3.5 billion. The series of projects – which range from treatment plant upgrades to rain gardens – will take 20 years or more to finish. Fixing the problems in the 3,000-mile network of sewer pipes buried deep beneath the city of Cincinnati and its suburbs will by far be the most expensive infrastructure project in the region’s history.
Headlines
In San Antonio, Texas, a water main that supplies Rolling Oaks Mall and a nearby neighborhood broke early Sunday, spewing a fountain of water into the street.
Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania is taking action on a measure that should alleviate some of the pressure on the overburdened sewer lines in the area by beginning construction on a sewer bypass system.
Stimulus Spotlight
The new sewer plant project in La Salle, Illinois is now underway. The $15 million project is being funded through federal stimulus funds and grants; the plant will process over half a million gallons of water per day and offer the ability to increase this amount with the addition of more tanks.
Halifax County, Virginia is receiving nearly $16 million in stimulus funds for its multi-million dollar upgrade. The project received nearly $11 million in federal grants and a $5 million federal loan. Construction will last until 2013.
Sewer Rate News
East Moline, Iowa
Kinnelon, New Jersey
Ukiah, California
July 16, 2010
Friday’s Water News: City of Macon (Ga.) to Issue $50M in Bonds for Water, Sewer Upgrades
In Georgia, the Macon Water Authority has approved the refinancing of $14.2 million in bonds and the eventual sale of $50 million more. The new bonds will pay for a long list of improvements to the authority’s water distribution system, sewers, replacement of a sewer line that collapsed under the Macon levee last year, and more.
Headlines
California state water quality have fined the Sonoma Valley County Sanitation District $350,000 for a series of spills that have poured 930,077 gallons of raw sewage into waterways in the past three years.
Sewer overflows may affect beachgoers in Milwaukee this weekend. At 9 AM this morning, the main tunnels, which hold a remarkable 432 million gallons, were more than 98 percent full.
The City of Greensboro, North Carolina had 1.45 million gallons of untreated wastewater spilled into South Buffalo Creek on Wednesday. According to the city, the discharge lasted over 6 hours due to a power and generator failure that was complicated by extreme flows caused by heavy rain.
Stimulus Spotlight
The Town of Pittsford, Vermont is hoping to receive economic stimulus funding available through the USDA that would cover 45 percent of a $1.9 million sewer project.
Sewer Rate News
Keokuk, Iowa
Monroe, Pennsylvania
July 6, 2010
Tuesday’s Water News: Thompson’s Lake in Albany, New York Closed After Sewage Spill
Popular swimming spot Thompson’s Lake in Albany, New York has been closed until further notice due to a nearby sewage spill. The lake may be contaminated due to the nearby campground pump failure. This happened Sunday night, so tourists who came to the lake to vacation could not swim in the blistering heat on Monday and are expected to not be able to swim until the water is tested on Thursday.
Headlines
A sewage spill closes Little Corona Beach in Orange County, California. It seems that a sewer main break at nearby Newport Coast Drive poured 18,000 gallons of wastewater into Buck Gulch, which flows directly in to Little Corona. Officials are still investigating the cause of the problem.
Heavy rains cause wastewater overflows in Eddyville, Iowa. After a storm, citizens in the town are now dealing with sewage in their houses. The wastewater system could not handle the rain and has caused Eddyville officials to ask for help from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to ease the pressure on the sewage system.
Raw sewage continues to flow into the Ohio River from about 1,000 homes and businesses in Weirton, West Virginia. This has been an ongoing problem for fifty years, and officials are struggling to fix it. he main problem has been with funding. The city has allocated 130,000 dollars in loans to fix the leaks, but the cost of fixing the spills has been estimated to be between 2-4 million dollars.
Stimulus Spotlight
Thanks to the stimulus package, and specifically Build America Bonds, the sewage system in Lansing, Michigan is getting a complete overhaul. The town issued these low interest bonds totaling 20 million dollars to fix problems in sewage as well as mending roadways.
A combination of federal grants and low interest loans is helping the town of Dana, Indiana complete a 6.7 million dollar project for a new wastwater treatment plant, as well as new sewers and lift stations. The lack of a good sewer system has caused a decline in the town’s economy in recent years, and officials are sure that this will strengthen the town’s businesses.
Sewer Rate News
San Mateo, California
Porterdale, Georgia
American Fork, Utah
Garner, North Carolina
July 2, 2010
Friday’s Water News: Corpus Christi, Texas Deals with Perrenial Sewage Overflows
The sewage system in Corpus Christi, Texas has been overrun with heavy rains. This has led to a flooding of city houses and streets. This is not unusual for residents, however, as the sewage system has not been enough to hold back the overflows for a long time. Every year, during expected heavy rains, the system is overloaded and spews out wastewater for the townspeople to deal with.
Headlines
After years of polluting, the Chesapeake Bay has become impaired according to EPA officials. They have devised a plan to reduce the amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus in the water by building new wastewater treatment facilities and new drainage systems to limit the amount of sewage put into the bay.
Homes in Steubenville, Ohio have been discharging raw sewage on to the street. The Ohio EPA has been informed by law and are looking in to the situation. The problem may have arisen due to a lack of a proper connection between the homes and the main sewer line.
Stimulus Spotlight
Thanks to the stimulus package, residents of Hinsdale, New Hampshire will be getting a new wastewater treatment facility. 687 thousand dollars will be provided in grants from the stimulus package, and the rest will come from loans from the state.
100 thousand dollars of stimulus money is going to help the residents of Stanley, Virginia keep storm water out of their sewage pipes. This water often led to sewage spills in the town and will now be fixed.
Sewer Rate News
Terre Haute, Indiana
North Andover, Massachusetts
Indianola, Iowa
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Allegan, Michigan
June 23, 2010
Wednesday’s Water News: Storms Lead to Water Main Breaks, Flooding on Indian Reservation
After nearly five inches of rainfall in the past few days, an Indian reservation in Great Falls, Montana is faced with severe flooding. Ten different water mains ruptured and broke from the massive quantity of rainwater, leaving widespread flooding and water damage and no drinking water for the tribe’s natives.
Headlines
Kentucky state Rep. Larry Clark is among a bipartisan group of state lawmakers pushing for a Louisville-area pilot program on regionalization of wastewater treatment
Officials in Carroll County, Maryland are asking citizens to watch what they flush after an accumulation of plastics, towels, rubber gloves, and grease backed up sewer lines and resulted in 70,000 gallons of spilled raw sewage. The sewage managed to flow into two separate streams during the overflow.
Sewer Rate News
Astoria, Oregon
Charleston, West Virginia
Fernley, Nevada
Issaquah, Washington
