06.22.09
Monday’s Water News: Oversight Board Proposed for Jefferson County (Ala.) Sewer System
In Alabama, Jefferson County officials have proposed an oversight board for the sewer system in an effort to get support from state lawmakers and creditors to solve its lingering sewer debt crisis. The county said the proposal is likely the last hope of reaching a solution that involves concessions to creditors.
Headlines
Amtrak halted all train service between Baltimore and Washington on Saturday because of a major water main break north of BWI that covered the tracks with mud.
City officials in Wichita, Kansas took bottled water to residents and businesses in a neighborhood that was without water after a ruptured water main.
The Muncie (Ind.) Sanitary District plans to borrow $9 million to clean up sewage overflow in northwest Jakes Creek and along the White River.
Stimulus Spotlight
The construction of a new wastewater treatment plant in the city of Prairie Grove is one of seven Arkansas clean water projects on a short list to get federal stimulus funding.
Sewer Rate News
Mesquite, Nevada
Milton-Freewater, Washington
04.13.09
Monday Headlines: Las Vegas Water Main Break Disrupts Service to 2,000
Water was turned back on to homes and businesses in Las Vegas Friday night after a water main break left almost 2,000 people without water for much of the day.
Headlines
In Ohio, a Columbus Department of Public Utilities Report notes several accomplishments made last year including removal of two sanitary sewer overflow discharge locations.
A sewer-replacement project that starts today in Danville, Illinois should prevent water from backing up into residents homes during heavy rains.
The Oregon Department of Agriculture has closed commercial oyster harvesting in Coos Bay following a Thursday morning sewage spill in North Bend that discharged 30,000 gallons of sewage into the bay after debris blocked a pipe causing a backup.
All residents of Ridgefield, New Jersey are being told to boil their water after an early morning main break that caused major disruptions in the community.
Sewer Rate News
Green Valley, West Virginia
Onslow, North Carolina
Westminster, Maryland
02.19.09
Thursday Headlines: Illinois Gets $258 Million for Clean Water from Stimulus
The EPA says that the state of Illinois will receive $258.5 million in stimulus money to go toward clean water projects. The state is to receive $179 million in its clean water fund and $79.5 million in its drinking water fund.
Headlines
After a roundtable discussion Sen. George Voinovich (R-Ohio), the mayor of Wapakoneta says he has a new-found confidence his city’s infrastructure needs will receive some federal assistance. The city needs and estimated $30 million for combined sewer overflow project.
Travel on the main road through Carson City, Nevada was restricted this morning because of a water main break. Nevada Highway Patrol says motorists should avoid the area, and use an alternate route.
The Ohio EPA and 20 Columbus-area communities have signed an agreement intended to reduce sewer overflows. Under the agreement, communities are required to investigate their sewer lines in coming years to determine where excess storm water and groundwater enters their systems.
A water main break dumped gallons of muddy water and debris on to San Francisco streets this morning, and continues to affect water service to some customers. Investigators don’t know yet what caused the rupture but it most likely succumbed to old age.
Sewer Rate News
Cape May, New Jersey
Plano, Texas
Seligman, Missouri
02.09.09
Monday Headlines: Ohio’s Wants $280 Million for Water and Sewer Projects
Mayors of more than two dozen Ohio cities say they can put nearly 100,000 people to work in the next two years but the total cost of the wish lists far outstrips the money likely to be available for job-creating, economy-stimulating projects. the mayors list of 847 projects with a $4.2 billion price tag includes $282.9 million for water and sewer projects.
Headlines
A break of a 30-inch water main yesterday in downtown Baltimore is still affecting area businesses. The State Highway Administration office had about 2 feet of water in the sub-basement and forced 1,100 employees to stay home from work today.
High school students in Grapevine, Texas have an unexpected day off after a water main break caused major flooding in the library, the lecture hall, two gymnasiums and the band and choir rooms.
Nearly one million gallons of water flooded neighborhood streets and the basements of nearby houses in Chicopee, Massachusetts after a break in a 20-inch water main on Sunday.
Work crews were digging in the mud Sunday trying to find the point where a water main ruptured in Frankenmuth, Michigan. Shifting terrain from the sudden change in temperature likely caused the rupture.
Sewer Rate News
Belmont, California
Douglas County, Nevada
Spring Lake, Michigan
Woodstock, Virginia
11.12.08
Wednesday Headlines: Columbus Residents Support Rate Increase
Most speakers at a hearing on proposed water and sewer rate increases for Columbus, Ohio told the city council Tuesday night they supported the higher fees. The increase is to cover the cost of preventing overflow problems that damage creeks and rivers in the area.
Headlines
A one foot section of corroded pipe in Reno, Nevada on Monday caused a water main rupture sending thousands of gallons of water onto the roadway.
In Maryland, residents in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties can sign up for a service that will alert them via e-mail or mobile phone text message if a burst pipe has cut off water service to their home or will snarl traffic.
Aging water infrastructure and a dramatic rise in system repairs forced the city council in Stillwater, Oklahoma to take a look at the situation and find solutions Monday.
Several residents in the Kansas City suburb of Olathe, Kansas recently attended a city council meeting after enduring wastewater backup problems for more than a decade.
Sewer Rate News
Gretna, Pennsylvania
Hollister, Missouri
Portage Township, Michigan
Sugarcreek, Ohio
06.12.08
Thursday Headlines: Sinkhole Shuts Down Street in Charlotte
In Charlotte, North Carolina, a sinkhole caused by a broken water pipe closed a major road while it is under repair (picture courtesy of WSOC-TV).
Headlines
One lane of traffic was shut this morning along Walnut Street in Murphysboro, Illinois so Public Works employees could replace a broken valve.
A water main break in Silver Spring, Maryland shut down a college campus and left nearby residents without water Thursday morning.
Work begins next month in Benton, Arkansas on a new five-million gallons per day expansionof the city’s wastewater treatment plant.
Sewer Rate News
Alamo, Nevada
Canton, Massachusetts
Yonkers, New York
05.05.08
Monday Headlines: Poll Shows Polluted Drinking Water Top Concern
Headlines
A second sewer plant may be on tap for the area southeast of St. Joseph, Missouri.
Leaders from the Florida Keys city of Marathon are trying to persuade federal lawmakers to help pay for an $85 million advanced wastewater installation project.
Hemet, California is seeking federal help in pursuing two ambitious water projects that could open up land for commercial and residential development and help secure long-term water supplies for the city.
In Kentucky, the Princeton Water and Wastewater Commission will use close to a million dollars in state funding to further city water and sewer projects already in progress.
Sewer Rate News
Clark County, Nevada
Glenwood Springs, Colorado
Martinsville, Virginia
Worcester, Massachusetts
03.19.08
Wednesday Headlines: Sewer Line Rupture in Kansas
Headlines
A sewer line rupture in Topeka, Kansas causes a health hazard (pictured right, courtesy of The Topeka-Capital-Journal)
Residents in Grass Valley, Nevada are urged to stay out of two creeks after 500 gallons of raw sewage flowed into the waterways
For communities in Pennsylvania with limited cash flow and a desire not to raise user fees; borough and other small, rural, municipalities are plugging leaks they hope will keep aging water systems from failing
In Newburyport, Massachusetts residents would see their sewer bills rise an average of $125 per year if officials go through with a plan to fix the aging sewage treatment plant
