10.06.08
Monday Headlines: 150,000 Gallon Sewer Overflow in Florence, S.C.
Work crews in Florence, South Carolina are cleaning the site of a 150,000-gallon sewer overflow that ran into Jeffries Creek. Crews removed the blockage that caused the overflow and then cleaned visible solids at the discharge site using lime to disinfect the affected area.
Headlines
In San Diego, more than 3 million gallons of water spilled from a pipeline that failed yesterdayin a remote section of Mission Trails Regional Park. Emergency repairs on the 72-inch concrete pipeline has already started. Constructed in 1977, the pipeline delivers untreated water to the city’s Alvarado and Otay water treatment plants and the Sweetwater Authority’s Perdue Treatment Plant.
On Friday, city officials in Portland, Oregon urged people to avoid going into the Willamette River after rains caused the city’s sewer system to overflow.
A water main break Saturday night in Troy, New York had crews working overtime to repair not only the water main, but the pavement which buckled. The Department of Transportation said the road reopened at 3:30 p.m. Monday with no delays.
State route 10 in Cheshire, Connecticut should be opened in both directions this afternoon after a broken water main is fixed and road patched up. A 12-inch water main underneath Route 10 broke Sunday evening, sending water gushing through and leaving a sinkhole in the road. Route 10 was shut down overnight but one lane opened in the morning.
Sewer Rate News
Antrim Township, Pennsylvania
Buhl, Idaho
Lowell, Massachusetts
Northwood, Ohio
09.12.08
Friday Headlines: Despite Volunteer Efforts White River Still Polluted
Despite volunteer efforts this weekend to cleanup the White River, Indiana State environmental officials say water tests continue to indicate that raw sewage washes into the river during heavy rains, a problem Indianapolis is spending hundreds of millions of dollars to address.
Headlines
In New York , the Pleasantville Cottage School has been charged with two misdemeanors for allowing raw sewage to flow from its property into a village park and lake, An investigation revealed sewage was coming from a clogged line on the campus, flowing through the woods and across a paved path used by children and others to get to a nearby park.
A new report from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control faults Alpine Utilities for failing to maintain equipment, causing it to break down and allowing partly treated sewage to spill into the lower Saluda River in July.
Police have closed a section of State Route 5 in Wallingford, Connecticut because of a large water main break.
Workers with the South Carolina Department of Transportation have completed repairs to Huger Street in Downtown Columbia, after a sinkhole from a collapsed storm drain appeared in the northbound lanes a few weeks ago. The repair will be made in time for this Saturday’s game between the South Carolina Gamecocks and Georgia Bulldogs.
Sewer Rate News
Fernandina Beach, Florida
Laurie, Missouri
09.09.08
Tuesday Headlines: Hanna Causes Sewer Overflows in N.C. Community
Tropical Storm Hanna’s heavy rains, measured at 6.08 inches in Dunn, North Carolina, caused wastewater to overflow in three places, spilling the untreated water into waterways. Sewage spills has long been an issue in Dunn with the town ranking in the state’s top 10 for the problem.
Headlines
The decision of the City Council in Holyoke, Massachusetts not to raise sewer rates will likely result in taxpayers footing the bill for any additional related sewer costs. The increase is needed to help pay off $6 million in debt for a sewage treatment plant and $3 million for a combined sewer overflow abatement project.
The South Carolina Department of Transportation after originally saying repairs to a major street in Columbia, South Carolina would be finished by Saturday are still working on the repairs. Authorities blame a collapsed storm drain as the cause of the sinkhole.
The state of Michigan has threatened Harrisburg Township with penalties for not meeting limits on phosphorus and other substances in the discharge. The improvements required by the state will cost millions of dollars and is forcing the township to increase its sewer rates.
A water main break flooded a residential street in Castaic, California this morning, causing the street to buckle and leaving residents in some 60 homes without access to the roadway.
Sewer Rate News
Branson, Missouri
Riviera, Alabama
08.22.08
Friday Headlines: Battle Creek, Mich. Revises Sewer Overflow Estimate
In Battle Creek, Michigan, an investigation into a July 2nd sewage overflow at the city’s wastewater treatment plant has led officials to sharply increase their estimate of how much sewage actually spilled. State officials have filed a new report listing a 160,000-gallon spill, some of which went into the Kalamazoo River. The initial report estimated an overflow of only 500 gallons.
Headlines
By spilling 23 billion gallons of raw and partially treated sewage into surface waters during 2007, Detroit, Michigan has earned the dubious distinction of earning the 2007 “Crappie Award” for combined sewer overflows. The awards created by Muskegon Chronicle writer Jeff Alexander is given to the municipality in Michigan with the largest volume of sanitary sewer overflows and combined sewer overflows.
In Oceanport, New Jersey, the state has levied a $140,000 penalty against the New Jersey’s Sports and Exposition Authority for a sewer overflow from Monmouth Park into Branchport Creek. The same authority was fined $35,000 last year by the state for the same offense.
Public works crews were busy yesterday in Walnut Creek, California following a water main break that caused a street to buckle. Commenting on the cause of the break the city Public Services Director said, “It just appears to be a break from wear and tear.”
The Town of Owasco, New York will continue to pay thousands of dollars in state fines until it upgrades its wastewater infrastructure. Owasco officials are set to sign a consent order, ordering it to have a new wastewater collection system in place by October 2010 and proof that it is functioning properly by June 2011.
Sewer Rate News
Anderson County, South Carolina
Hamilton, New Jersey
08.18.08
Monday Headlines: Gov, New Group Tackle New York’s Water Infrastructure
New York Governor David Patterson has announced the the formation of an environmental and government collaborative to help tackle a looming water infrastructure crisis facing New York State. The new initiative is focused on pressuring the federal government to help fix the water and sewer systems it helped build decades ago.
Headlines
The small community in Woodloch, Texas is facing the unenviable task of repairing its crumbling infrastructure without raising tax or water rates. Faced with cracking water mains, pipes made of asbestos concrete and a rusting storage tank, the town is in no position to lower rates, officials say.
A water main break in Boiling Springs, South Carolina shut down large portions of a road and flooded a nearby church last night.
In Lafayette, Indiana, Riehle Plaza will be closed for about two months beginning today as contractors prepare for construction of an underground combined sewer overflow system.
Sewer Rate News
Arlington, Texas
Lawrence, Kansas
Mill Valley, California
Vernon, Connecticut
08.07.08
Thursday Headlines: Water Main Break Floods a Staten Island Development
In Staten Island, a massive water main break last night flooded streets and caused thousands of dollars in damage, leaving homeowners trying to pick up the pieces. Garages were awash with water and living spaces destroyed after a 12-inch pipe ruptured and sent torrents of water coursing into Aspen Knolls Estates development for more than three hours.
Headlines
Plans for Elkins, West Virginia’s $26 million water treatment plant and distribution system upgrade are on hold until funding is secured. The money will most likely come from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Utility Service.
Two schools in Tonopah, Arizona were closed a day after classes started because of a water main break.
Nearly half of Furman University’s Campus is without water after the rupture of a 30-inch water line.
In Massachusetts, residents in the towns of Hingham, Hull, and Cohasset have joined forces and hired a consultant to help them fight a pending 21 percent water rate increase.
Sewer Rate News
Aberdeen, South Dakota
Allegan, Michigan
New Albany, Indiana
08.06.08
Wednesday Headlines: Lanes Closed on Dan Ryan Exp. Following Sewer Backup
In Chicago, a backed up sewer caused flooding and the closure of lanes on the Dan Ryan Expressway, prompting some motorists to seek refuge by standing on top of their vehicles. The incident occurred around 1 a.m. Tuesday morning and caused state police to close all southbound lanes, and one northbound lane of the Ryan. (picture courtesy of WLS-TV)
Headlines
The city of Peoria, Illinois will host open houses today and Thursday to explain options to reduce sewer overflow. Depending on which plan is followed, it could cost the city as much as $262 million.
Here is a follow-up to a story from last week. In Columbia, South Carolina, tests were made public yesterday that showed contamination from last week’s sewage spill into the lower Saluda River initially was up to 230 times the limit considered safe.
A water main break this morning in Hoboken, New Jersey caused a street to collapse leaving a twelve-foot wide crater in the middle of a road. Click on the link to see pictures of the damage.
Sewer Rate News
Alpha, Illinois
Fayetteville, Georgia
Norristown, Pennsylvania
Sequim, Washington
08.05.08
Tuesday Headlines: 140,000 Gallons of Raw Sewage Spills Into Michigan Lake
The water in Lake Bella Vista is murky after an estimated 140,000 gallons of raw sewage spilled into the private lake. The spill in Cannon Township, Michigan was caused by a break in a pipe that carries sewage from northern Kent County to the Grand Rapids Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Headlines
More than 150,000 gallons of treated sewage flowed into Scottsdale, Arizona desert last week after a filter became clogged at a water treatment plant. The affected portion of the water plant treats about 20 million gallons of water a day.
In Los Angeles, Department of Water and Power crews worked well into the night to fix an 8-inch water main that broke next to an apartment building near downtown on Monday.
A water main break Monday morning in Conway, Pennsylvania has the borough under a boil notice.
Two water main breaks in Salt Lake City have left utility workers with a lot of work to do.
Sewer Rate News
Ansonia, Connecticut
Mira Loma, California
Pendleton, South Carolina
Saint Joseph, Missouri
07.31.08
Thursday Headlines: Sewage Spill Contaminates River in S.C.
In Columbia, South Carolina, a sewage spill is contaminating the rapids on the lower Saluda River, one of the area’s most popular spots to wade and swim. State health officials have warned people to stay out of a five-mile stretch of the river until the pollution is dispersed, as swallowing water or getting it into cuts could lead to illness.
Headlines
A blockage in a private sewer line caused a 162-gallon sewage spill into the San Diego Bay.
The number of water main breaks in the city of Harrisonburg, Virginia nearly doubled over the past fiscal year. In fiscal 2007, Harrisonburg’s water system sustained 29 breaks. For fiscal 2008, which ended June 30, the number jumped to 47.
A water main break has left 1,800 residents in Greenfield, Illinois under a boil order until further notice.
Sewer Rate News
Champaign, Illinois
Clifton, New Jersey
Marthasville, Missouri
Today mark’s the 100th post. Here’s to 100 more.
07.29.08
Tuesday Headlines: Report Says Beach Closures Rose in 2007
This morning, the “Today Show” took a look at the increase in beach closures from stormwater and raw sewage. A new report released today shows that 2007 had the second highest number of beach closings and advisories in the nation’s history. USA Today did a story today on the same topic this morning.
Headlines
In Holyoke, Massachusetts, heavy rain storms have resulted in sewage being discharged into the Connecticut River without being treated on four occasions in the past five weeks. Yet, this is a vast improvement compared to what took place before an $18 million treatment plant to process overflow water was installed in October of last year.
The small community of Indian Heights, Indiana (near Kokomo), is in the process of overhauling its sewer system. Between the new lift station, the force main, and the repairs to the sewers, the city is expected to make an investment of more than $700,000.
A broken water main flooded the intersection of a Charleston, South Carolina street Monday night, causing a drop in water pressure for some residents.
In Ohio, a judge has ruled Holmes County has until September 22 to draft a plan that will bring it out of contempt of a 1998 consent agreement with the Ohio EPA.
Sewer Rate News
Baxter, Tennessee
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
