11.25.08
Tuesday Headlines: Tulsa on Pace for Sewage Spill Record
This year three sewage spills in Tulsa County, Oklahoma has accounted for about half of the 53 million gallons leaked this year and has put the county on pace to record its largest amount of spilled sewage since the state has tracked unpermitted discharges. During those three incidents, an estimated 25 million spilled from sanitary sewer systems in Tulsa County.
Headlines
For the second time in November, work crews in eastern North Carolina are cleaning up a sewage spill after 60,000 gallons spilled on Monday. Only 10,000 gallons of sewage contacted state waters—which occured when the sewage flowed into some roadside ditches.
A pump station failure has caused a large discharge of raw sewage in Waldorf, Maryland. Officials estimate that over 10,000 gallons of raw sewage spilled into a stream near the pumping station, and they are advising the public to avoid contact with the water in that stream.
In Del Mar, California, an area around the San Dieguito River outlet is unsafe for recreation after a 8,090-gallon sewage spill Monday.
Gravel and debris combined to block a portion of Cary North Carolina’s sanitary sewer system resulting in a spill discovered on Sunday. An estimated 3,499 gallons of untreated waste escaped from a manhole and reached an unknown tributary of Crabtree Creek.
Sewer Rate News
Dubuque, Iowa
Lacey Township, New Jersey
Leominster, Massachusetts
Salem, Oregon
That’s it until Monday. Have a happy Thanksgiving.
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
11.05.08
Wednesday Headlines: Ballot Initiatives for Water Infrastructure Pass in 3 States
Measures were on the ballot in three states yesterday to increase investments in water and wastewater infrastructure.
In the Keystone state, Pennsylvanians voted overwhelmingly to adopt the only statewide measure on the ballot yesterday, allowing state leaders to borrow $400 million for water and sewer improvements. An estimated 2,200 drinking water systems and 1,060 wastewater systems in the state must spend an estimated $20 billion to meet federal and state clean water standards.
In the third referendum question on Maine’s ballot Tuesday, voters authorized a $3.4 million bond issue for drinking water programs and construction of wastewater treatment facilities.
And in Arkansas, voters approved a measure that will allow up to $300 million in bonds to be issued for water projects around the state.
10.24.08
Friday Headlines: Water Main Break Traps Residents in Apartment Complex
Part of 33rd Street in Tulsa, Oklahoma will be closed for about a week after a water main break flooded a portion of the city Thursday morning. The water trapped people who live at a local apartment complex. City Public Works officials said recent rains caused the ground to shift, which broke the water line.
Headlines
A water main break may leave several hundred homes and businesses in part of Scranton, Pennsylvania without water service. People may have low water pressure, cloudy water or no water service at all.
In Atlantic, Iowa, the city council is considering an expansion of its wastewater treatment facility at a cost of $16 million. Should the city decide to proceed with the option to build a new $16 million facility, rates would increase to $42.55 for the first 3,000 gallons and $2.25 for each 1,000 gallons after that. An average bill would cost just under $50 a month.
With Election Day less than two weeks away, the media is focusing more on a ballot question in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania: Should the state borrow $400 million to pay for water and sewer improvements? Half the $400 million would go toward grants, and the rest would be issued as low-interest loans.
The village of Middleport has received a $140,169 low-interest loan from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency to help plan long-term control of combined sewer overflows. Such overflows are a major cause of water pollution and can have adverse effect on human health.
Sewer Rate News
Blacklake, Georgia
Cape Elizabeth, Maine
Richmond, Missouri
10.01.08
Wednesday Headlines: In Arkansas, Election to Decide Water Bond Program
Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe said he expects voters to approve a $300 million bond issue for water projects in November, provided they understand it will not raise their taxes. The measure would extend a $300 billion bond program approved by voters 10 years ago, and would renew bonding authority for the state’s grant and loan program for water, sewer and waste disposal projects.
Headlines
A water main break today in downtown Norwich, Connecticut has closed Courthouse Square to all vehicular traffic. It is believed that it will take anywhere from four to eight hours to complete repairs. Also, the basements of two businesses sustained water damaged and were pumped out.
Crews in Lawrence, Kansas worked yesterday to fix an 8-inch water main that broke Tuesday morning. Repairs to the waterline were completed yesterday with patching of the road stretching into today.
An 8-inch water main also broke yesterday in Bernards Township, New Jersey leaving 250 residents on 18 streets without water. Residents have been told to boil their tap water for five minutes before drinking it.
After years of talk, the City Council in West Liberty, Iowa has finally agreed to move forward on the expansion of its wastewater treatment facility.
Sewer Rate News
Delta, Missouri
Waurika, Oklahoma
09.02.08
Tuesday Headlines: Water Main Break Floods Buildings at SUNY-Binghamton
The water main break responsible for flooding Science Buildings II and IV at SUNY-Binghamton, and temporarily cutting off water supply for students on campus Sunday night, was due to an old pipe, according to a university official.
Headlines
Violations associated with recent bypasses of the Broken Arrow, Oklohoma sanitary sewer system will cost the city $142,000 in penalties. The state’s consent order requires the city to upgrade its publicly owned treatment works to eliminate unpermitted discharges from the wastewater collection system.
In Oak Harbor, Ohio, the installation of the village’s new sewer system will mean months of traffic headaches. The combined storm overflow elimination project was mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency and it will cost about $3 million.
Traffic was backed up along Interstate 8 Tuesday morning after a water main break in Lakeside, California ruptured, causing significant flooding and a 12 foot sinkhole.
The John Ball Park Zoo in Grand Rapids, Michigan was closed all day yesterday after a six-inch water main burst Sunday night, leaving walkways flooded and the zoo without water.
Sewer Rate News
Carpentersville, Illinois
Mary Esther, Florida
Prescott Valley, Arizona
Rusk, Texas
06.09.08
Monday Headlines: 100,000 Gallons of Sewage Spill into Lake Macatawa
The Ottawa County, Michigan Health Department has issued a surface water advisory for Lake Macatawa due to a sewage overflow. There had been a Sanitary Sewer Overflow late Sunday morning, after it’s expected that 100,000 gallons of sewage spilled into the lake.
Headlines
In Oklahoma, only five bodies of water out of the thousands of lakes and streams monitored were found to be clear of harmful levels of pollution, according to a draft government report released last week by the state Department of Environmental Quality. The rest of the waters watched by the state either weren’t tested or are polluted beyond federal standards.
Crews in Santa Maria, California cleaned up a dry creek bed Friday after at least 75,000 gallons of sewage spilled the night before.
The entire sanitary sewer system is overloaded in Grand Island, Nebraska.
A state of emergency has been declared in Mason City, Iowa after rising floodwaters inundated the town, causing a breach in a levee and prompting officials to shut down the water treatment plant.
Sewer Rate News
Agwam, Massachusetts
Huntington, Massachusetts
Modesto, California
06.06.08
Friday Headlines: Pittsburgh Suburb Suffers Second Water Main Break
It could be sometime this weekend before full water service is restored to about 750 customers in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania. A water main break occurred Thursday in Manor, not long after crews worked through the night to complete repairs on a 12-inch line that broke a day earlier near the township municipal building,
Headlines
In Oakland, California, a water main break on Thursday spewed thousands of gallons into the street and left 10 customers without water for much of the day.
Staying in California, a sewage spill in Orcutt kept crews on-scene until well into the night. Roots from some nearby willow trees compromised the sewer lines and caused them to back up.
A sinkhole is blocking traffic on a major thoroughfare in Greensboro, North Carolina. It is not expected to be repaired until late tonight. City crews said a broken water line caused part of the road to fall in.
Sewer Rate News
Elk Ridge, Utah
Louisville, Kentucky
Tulsa, Oklahoma
05.27.08
Tuesday Headlines: Pittsburgh Cleans Up After Water Main Break
Sorry for the lack of posts last week. I was busy with last week with NUCA’s Washington Summit. But now it is back to normal and a week chock full of information.
Life is also getting back to normal in one Pittsburgh neighborhood after a water main break sent thousands of gallons of water gushing into the street and into some homes. Click on the link for streaming video from KDKA.
Headlines
In New York City, people were finally let back into their Greenwich Village homes Sunday morning after being forced out all night by a large water main break. workers say the water main that broke was more than 150 years old and that its age was the probable cause of the rupture. Click the link for video coverage from WCBS.
After collecting more than 500 bacteriological samples during 2007 testing for no less than 13 regulated substances, the final analysis yields a clean bill of health for the water supply in The Colony, Texas.
In Akron, Mayor Don Plusquellic is pushing ahead with his plan to lease the city’s sewer system to finance scholarships for Akron’s public high school graduates.
Sewer Rate News
College Park, Georgia
Hays, Kansas
Midwest City, Oklahoma
Prescott, Arizona
