07.02.09
Thursday’s Water News: Water Main Break Floods University in St. Louis
A water main break caused the flooding on the campus of Harris-Stowe University in St. Louis, including flooding in the school library. The campus was shut down after being enveloped in 4-5 feet of water.
Headlines
A colony of prehistoric creatures has taken over the concrete pipes below Raleigh North Carolina’s Cameron Village. Living in a 6-inch sewer main, the clusters of organisms feed through tentacles on whatever floats past.
The Town of Merryville, Louisiana is the recipient of a $1 million grant by the Clean Water State Revolving Fund program. Mayor Charles Hudson said the money will be used to upgrade the town’s aging sewer plant.
Three wastewater utility companies in Louisiana have been fined a total of $374,470 for federal environmental regulations. The companies are all owned by Jeff Pruett who faces 17 counts of federal charges for his companies.
Stimulus Spotlight
California will be getting $132 million in federal economic stimulus funds for water recycling projects. The money will be shared by 26 different projects including two in San Diego County.
The state of New York distributed $11 million in stimulus funding to go towards 17 projects and create an estimated 435 jobs. The projects will work to update the State’s aging infrastructure.
Sewer Rate News
Plainwell, Michigan
We’ll be back on Monday, July 6. Have a great 4th of July weekend.
05.26.09
Tuesday’s Water News: Momentum Grows to Stop Sewer Overflows into Saginaw River
In Michigan, momentum is growing to stop sewage overflows into the Saginaw River although many cities are operating within their federal discharge permits.
Headlines
The Indiana Department of Environmental Managementhas issued a construction permit to the city of Muncie for improvements to a local life station.
County Health officials say rain pushed more than 30,000 gallonsof raw sewage into the streets of Bayou la Batre, Louisiana over the Memorial Day weekend.
On Friday, a water main break in Sandy, Utah sent water and rocks flying through the air.
Stimulus Spotlight
Water and sewer projects in Vermont will tap into $40 million in federal stimulus funding this year for needed system upgrades. The money, awarded as low-interest loans, will jump-start about 80 shovel-ready projects statewide.
Sewer Rate News
Long Beach, California
Marion, Ohio
Mason, West Virginia
Santa Clarita, California
05.11.09
Monday Headlines: Saginaw River Reaches Dubious Milestone
More than 1 billion gallons of partially treated sewage has been dumped into the Saginaw River so far this year according to the Bay City Times. The city of Saginaw has been the largest contributor of CSOs to the river with approximately 904 million gallons.
Headlines
16 Thomas County, Georgia families have until the end of this month to move their mobile homes because a 30-year-old sewer plant that violates health regulations needs to be closed for repairs. But the families who live there say they can’t afford to move.
A crack in a 24 inch main created a canal along a busy street in downtown Syracuse, flooding basements of some buildings and creating a headache for city work crews.
The Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans says that a large portion of Eastern New Orleans will be experiencing low water pressure until further notice due to a break in a 50-inch water main.
Stimulus Spotlight
In Alabama, the cities of Birmingham and Montevallo are among a list of cities and communities set to receive a portion of $60 million in federal stimulus money for water and sewer projects.
Sewer Rate News
Marion, Ohio
Rewdwood City, California
04.20.09
Monday Headlines: Texas Reaching Decision on Stimulus Projects
The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) is in the process of reviewing approximately 1,000 applications for the state’s $340 million in economic stimulus funds for drinking water and sewer projects. The TWDB is focusing on shovel ready projects that make an immediate impact on the economy.
Headlines
Three Pennsylania communities in the Johnstown Regional System will receive nearly $12 million in loan-interest loans through PENNVEST to meet state mandates to reduce sewer oveflows.
A day before the Bosotn Marathon, some businesses had a mess on their hands on Sunday after a massive water main break flooded the streets.
A massive water main break in Bensalem, Pennsylvania on Sunday afternoon caused the road to buckle and left nearly 300 homes without water.
Officials in Niagra Falls presented their plan on Monday for helping a group of residents recover from a ruptured water main that caused extensive damage to homes last month.
Sewer Rate News
Marion, Ohio
Monroe, Louisiana
Williamston, South Carolina
03.18.09
Wednesday Headlines: West Virginia City Receives Grant to Correct Overflows
Shinnston, West Virginia has received a $866,000 federal grant to help finance upgrades that should prevent sewage overflows into the West Fork River. The town plans to spend $4.5 million to upgrade its collection and treatment system.
Headlines
The state of California’s Central Valley Water Board has issued more than $225,000 worth of fines to local districts for violations at their wastewater treatment plants.
The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality has extended its deadline for pre-applications for municipalities that wish to get onto the fund’s project priority list as part of the federal stimulus package. To be eligible for this funding, applications must be received by March 25.
City commissioners in Enid, Oklahoma were presented options for borrowing money through the Oklahoma Water Resources Board for a new wastewater treatment plant, installation of a new automated water reading system and construction of two water towers.
Sewer Rate News
Allentown, Pennsylvania
Arkadelphia, Arkansas
Huntington, West Virginia
Mission Springs, California
11.13.08
Thursday Headlines: State of Michigan Forces City to Upgrade Sewer System
The city of Marysville, Michigan is poised to spend about $25 million to correct problems with its water and sewer systems. The plan would increase the capacity at the wastewater treatment plant from 2.4 million gallons a day to 3.4 million gallons a day, build an underground sanitary-sewer storage tank to reduce overflows, rehabilitate aging or damaged sewer lines and make general improvements to the water and wastewater treatment plants.
Headlines
A water main break in New Orleans has collapsed a large section of a woman’s front yard, including parts of her driveway, sidewalk and flower bed.
Nether Providence, Pennsylvania has provided the state Department of Environmental Protection with a detailed response on a sizable overflow that occurred in mid-September. The correspondence includes a plan by the township to prevent future incidents, which would spend more than $330,000 on an assortment of initiatives, including equipment purchases, repairs and monitoring programs.
A combination of recent rains and a plugged sewer line caused a sewage spill in Davenport, Iowa late Tuesday and early Wednesday.
A recent engineering analysis has revealed that a 250-foot section of century-old ceramic sewer pipe owned by the City of Barre Town, Vermont, and located more than a mile from a proposed residential development, will have to be replaced in order to handle the wastewater generated by more than five dozen new single-family homes.
Sewer Rate News
Camp Hill, Pennsylvania
Memphis, Missouri
Portage County, Ohio
07.14.08
Monday Headlines: Continued Sewer Overflows Prompt Another Lawsuit
Some residents of Portsmouth, Ohio are tired of the mix of rainwater and untreated sewage overflowing into their homes, garages and yards when the city’s sewer system is overwhelmed. In 2004, a group of residents filed a lawsuit against the city that is still pending in Scioto County Common Pleas Court. Now another group of neighbors is preparing to file a second lawsuit to try to force the city to fix the problem.
Headlines
Residents in Canyon, Texas are still being urged to conserve water after two water main breaks this weekend.
The Monday morning commute was a bit slower for some motorists in Takoma Park, Maryland after a water main break shut down part of Piney Branch Road.
Four water main breaks early Saturday morning in Worcester, Massachusetts left 20 percent of the city without water or slow-running, murky water for most of the day. The city’s director of water and sewer operations wasn’t sure what caused the breaks, but age may have had something to do with it. One of the broken pipes was 82 years old.
Some Oil City, Louisiana residents worry raw sewage spilled near their homes is impacting the water quality of Caddo Lake and threatening the health and safety of swimmers, anglers and boaters.
Sewer Rate News
Chauncey, Ohio
Hammond, Louisiana
Riverside, California
Wichita, Kansas
07.02.08
Wednesday Headlines: Ohio EPA Forces City to Separate Stormwater, Wastewater Systems
Fremont is one of several cities in the Buckeye State with combined stormwater and sewer water systems. The federal and state EPAs also are requiring Fremont to get rid of its 13 stormwater overflow valves in a project that will cost the city an estimated $67 million over the next 20 years. (Pictured Right, Downtown Fremont, Ohio)
Headlines
Here’s another Ohio story. Last week, storms flooded some Columbus-area residents houses with water and ingredients for salad dressing. Storm water combined with sewage from the T. Marzetti Co., a producer of salad dressings, to overwhelm the Columbus storm-sewer system flooding at least 10 nearby homes.
In York, Maine, a water main break in the basement of Village Elementary School flooded it with more than 2,000 gallons of water. The situation necessitated bringing in the state Department of Environmental Protection, because the water mixed with some oil from the burners in the basement.
Construction has begun in Nashua, New Hampshire to repair a rotted pipe and sinkhole, which will temporarily reroute daytime traffic and take up to two weeks to complete. Heavy rains running in the pipe corroded it, and then material above the pipe washed away, eventually causing the pavement to cave.
Having placed a $500,000 appropriation for Hamilton, Montana’s wastewater treatment plant upgrade into the House Interior Appropriations bill, Congressman Denny Rehberg came to the city Tuesday to visit the plant. Funding for the request would come from the Interior Department’s State and Tribal Assistance Grant program.
Sewer Rate News
Danvers, Massachusetts
Hammond, Louisiana
Ipswich, Massachusetts
Rich Creek, Virginia
Yanceyville, North Carolina
Photo by Flickr user Seth Gaines used under a Creative Commons license
06.24.08
Tuesday Headlines: Sinkhole Swallows Minivan in Rhode Island
A water main break Monday night in West Warwick, Rhode Island is the likely cause of a sinkhole that nearly swallowed up a minivan. (photo courtesy of WJAR-TV)
Headlines
The city of McComb will be receiving a $34 million loan from the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality to construct a wastewater treatment facility.
In Louisiana, Saint Charles Parish’s east bank water system needs more capacity because its 4 million-gallon-per-day workhorse treatment plant is in poor shape and can’t be shut down for an overhaul without causing a severe water shortage.
Rep. Phil English (R-Penn.) is pushing new legislation that would make it easier for state and local governments to get funding for water-related infrastructure projects. H.R. 6194, the Sustainable Water Infrastructure Investment Act, would lift the state cap on what are known as private activity bonds, a type of tax-exempt financing used on public projects.
Sewer Rate News
Hartland Township, Michigan
Hazelton, Pennsylvania
Mokena, Illinois
Sammanish, Washington
03.25.08
Tuesday Headlines: Louisiana City Needs $15 mil for Water Systems
Alexandria, Louisiana officials say $15 million is needed immediately to fix 100-year-old water and wastewater systems. (photo courtesy of The Town Talk) In fact, some of those clay vitrified pipes installed 113 years ago are still in service. Here’s the money quote from the article:
The city of New London, Connecticut has signed a $59-million, 10-year contract agreement with Veolia Water for the operation and management of its water and wastewater systems.
The problem isn’t unique to Alexandria. Many cities and towns throughout the United States are dealing with similar problems and debating whether to invest the resources and time.
Headlines
A drop in the cost of grinder pumps is expected to keep a public sewer project in Letterkenny Township, Pennsylvania within budget constraints
Bonne Terre, Missouri has received a $500,000 state grant for improvements to their wastewater treatment system. The city is beginning a $2.7 million project in state-mandated sewer and stormwater improvements.
For the second time in less than a week, a busy Peoria, Illinois road is being shut down because the street collapsed from a water main break. This comes after last week where a road in Peoria caved-in from a faulty sewer pipe.
