August 4, 2010
Wednesday’s Water News: Heavy Rains Cause 1,200 Gallons of Sewage a Minute to Spill in Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Heavy rains in Sioux Falls, South Dakota have caused 1,200 gallons of sewage per minute to pour into local Big Sioux River. Officials are scrambling to fix the leak and clean up the mess simultaneously. The problem arose after an overtaxed sewage system gave out.
Headlines
Residents in Kansas City, Missouri are complaining about a sinkhole that has opened up at the intersection of 40th Street and Warwick Boulevard. The sinkhole is oozing with sewage and is giving off a pungent odor that bothers citizens.
The town council of Kingston, New York has agreed to pay $293,000 dollars to residents who were affected by a sewer main break in their town. The main broke and flooded the townspeople’s backyards and basements, causing damages.
Stimulus Spotlight
Thanks to the stimulus package, the town of Southport, New York is getting sewage service extended to other parts of town. The $1.25 million dollar grant is being funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Sewer Rate News
Tulare County, California
Los Altos, California
Steamboat City, Georgia
Dibol, Texas
Monette City, Arkansas
June 3, 2010
Thursday’s Water News: Congress Moves Ahead on Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Legislation
There were a couple of legislative items from last week of importance to the water and wastewater infrastructure.
First, the House has passed H.R. 4213, a legislative package of tax extensions which contains a provision that would exempt bonds that finance water and sewer furnishing facilities from state private-activity bond volume caps. The next step for the legislation is the Senate which may take up the legislation went it returns on June 7.
Second, the House Energy and Commerce Committee has passed the Assistance, Quality, and Affordability Act (H.R. 5320) which would reauthorize and increase funding for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. The next step for the bill is House consideration of the legislation.
Headlines
Chicago Mayor Richard Daley has responded to a federal request to clean up the Chicago River by telling federal officials to “Go swim in the Potomac.” Daley said the federal government could help clean up the river by helping pay for the completion of the Deep Tunnel project designed to hold water during heavy rains so waste doesn’t pour into the body of water.
A pre-dawn break of a 79 year-old water main in Northeast Washington, D.C. on Wednesday created a hellish traffic mess throughout the day on a street that has heavy traffic even on the best of days.
A water main break yesterday in Tuscon, Arizona disrupted service to 500 area customers.
Stimulus Spotlight
With help from the stimulus package, residents in Elk Point, South Dakota have seen the construction of a new water main and sanitary sewer in their town. With some of the system being 100 years old, residents are grateful that this is being done.
Sewer Rate News
Huron, Ohio
Wichita, Kansas
Manchester, Connecticut
Charleston, West Virginia
May 21, 2010
Friday’s Water News: Sioux City (Iowa) Wants More Time for Treatment Plant
Leaders in Sioux City, Iowa and major industrial users are asking the state’s Department of Natural Resources (DVR) for more time to get a wastewater treatment plant in compliance with state regulations. In 2006, the Iowa DNR gave Sioux City five years to get its new wastewater treatment plant up and running. It spent more than $70 million on a new treatment process but wants more time to evaluate the plants capacity.
Headlines
The City of Poughkeepsie, New York will use $325,000 in federal funds to repair a century-old sewer line. Funding for the project will come from a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG). The city receives approximately $1 million each year in CDBG funding.
Clarksville, Virginia is seeking a grant from USDA for the construction of a sewer upgrade project. Like many larger communities, the town experiences sewer overflows during periods of heavy rains.
A private consultant has told the Town Council in Front Royal, Virginia that it could cost more than $1.7 million for a complete upgrade to the town’s sanitary sewer manholes.
Water crews in Albuquerque, New Mexico were still working this morning to fix a water main break. The break flooded a street and has led to water outages. One motel guest affected by the break said he woke up with no water and couldn’t take a shower.
A broken 16-inch water main caused a sinkhole in San Diego early today, shutting down an intersection for what could be the rest of the day.
Sewer Rate News
Brandon, South Dakota
South Pittsburg, Tennessee
Ventnor City, New Jersey
April 27, 2010
Tuesday’s Water News: Topeka Water Main Break Causes Headaches for Motorists
A major water main break over the weekend in Topeka, Kansas has narrowed a portion of a street to two lanes of traffic, and city officials say it may take at least two weeks before the roadway is back to normal. Though the 12-inch water main has been repaired, it will take about two weeks before pavement can be placed over it.
Headlines
A grant and loan from the USDA will allow Woodstock Academy in Woodstock, Connecticut to connect to the town’s sewer line. The school is currently using a septic system.
A follow-up to a story from yesterday, the Jefferson County Commission has agreed to file a lawsuit against an engineering firm over its design of a 60 million gallon wastewater treatment plant which can only treat about half of that amount.
Residents in Vandergrift, Pennsylvania may be stuck paying $16 million to separate its stormwater and sanitary sewers after failing to secure of federal grant to help fund the project.
Stimulus Spotlight
Plymouth, California has received a $2.8 million grant from the economic stimulus for a series of wastewater infrastructure projects. The projects include sewer main replacement, lining and repairs to the existing sewer system and storm drainage improvements.
In South Dakota, two Brookings-area communities will be included for water-project funding under the economic stimulus program. Kingbrook Rural Water System will receive a total of $7.89 million and the City of Estelline will receive a $1.9 million.
Sewer Rate News
Fairfax County, Virginia
Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania
Marion, Ohio
New Albany, Indiana
March 8, 2010
Monday’s Water News: 100,000 in Baltimore County Without Water After Main Break
A water main break on Saturday morning which cut off service to 100,000 residents in Baltimore County can pick up water today at a local sports complex. The break in the 54-year-old main has closed 11 schools today as approximately 40,000 residents are still without water as of this morning.
Headlines
An electrical malfunction at a Fulton, Missouri lift station resulted in the release of an estimated 1.2 million gallons of untreated sewage on Friday.
The troubled Ogden Interceptor in Wilmington, North Carolina had another sewer spill on Saturday when about 2,625 gallons of sewage spilled into the wetlands of Smith Creek.
Stimulus Spotlight
A $550 million water project for 15 cities and five rural water districts in South Dakota, Iowa and southwestern Minnesota that’s more than 20 years in the making is beginning to take shape. The project is being supplemented by $56.5 million in funding from the economic stimulus.
A generator for a water treatment plant in Berwick, Maine installed last summer, and funded in part from the economic stimulus, allowed the plant to filter water last week despite losing power from the main grid due to gusting winds and heavy rain that tore through the area.
Sewer Rate News
Bath, New York
Montague, California
Pima County, Arizona
Riverbank, California
February 12, 2010
Friday’s Water News: Snow Leads to Wastewater Spill in North Carolina
The City of Lexington, North Carolina reported 187,500 gallons of untreated wastewater spilled on Monday. The spill happened after a sewer line was crushed under the combined weight of soil and snow.
Headlines
An estimated 100,000 gallons of sewage entered an intersection in Palos Verdes Estates, California shut down access to Lunada Bay on Monday.
Officials in Steamboat Springs, Colorado say a subdivision’s water is safe to drink and that repairs have been completed after a major break in a water line Monday evening.
Stimulus Spotlight
The Montana Department of Environmental Quality has awarded the Black Eagle Water and Sewer District $225,000 in economic stimulus funding to replace water mains, valves and hydrants in areas with a history of water main breaks.
Several Central Ohio projects are among the beneficiaries of the latest round of stimulus funding for water-quality improvement projects.
Sewer Rate News
Brandon, South Dakota
Great Falls, Montana
Keokuk, Iowa
New Albany, Indiana
February 3, 2010
Wednesday’s Water News: State of Iowa Awards $2.5M for Wastewater Project
Iowa Governor Chet Culver has announced that the Town of Clinton will be receiving $2.5 million from the state to help construct a new wastewater treatment plant and pump station. The award–which was made possible by a statewide construction program called I-JOBS–has spent $55 million in water infrastructure improvements across the state.
Headlines
A 16-inch main broke this morning in a residential area of Northridge, California, prompting a water-service interruption that affected nearby apartment residents. Water from the broken main flooded the street several inches deep and surrounded three parked vehicles.
The city of Mt. Vernon, Illinois has applied for a $1.1 million low-interest loan from the state’s EPA to extend sewer lines into areas opened for development by a new overpass and interchange. The loan is expected to cover the entire cost of the project.
Stimulus Spotlight
The Town of Roslyn, South Dakota is making improvements to its water and sewer system with assistance from the American Recovery Reinvestment Act through a USDA Rural Development Water and Waste Direct Loan in the amount of $415,000 and a Grant of $873,000.
Farmington, New Mexico has awarded a bid for its first stimulus infrastructure project to a local construction company claiming it could create as many as five jobs. The city will pay more than $2.1 million to install pipes carrying drinking water in the downtown area.
Sewer Rate News
Columbia, South Carolina
Falkville, Tennessee
Moundsville, West Virginia
Sedona, Arizona
December 17, 2009
Thursday’s Water News: Broken Water Main Causes Sinkhole in Pittsburgh
A broken water main in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania collapsed part of Smallman Street causing a major sinkhole. The street collapse caused a wooden utility pole to drop about six feet into the hole. Traffic was detoured around the work site and four businesses were without water service.
Headlines
Water service was interrupted this morning for dozens of customers in the Los Angeles area after two separate water mains ruptured. A 6-inch and a 12-inch main broke affecting 45 residents and businesses.
In Cincinnati, Ohio a water main break this morning spilled water onto the road that turned to ice and created a mess on the roadway.
Stimulus Spotlight
West Virginia officials say they are optimistic about receiving economic stimulus funds for an ambitious regional water project that could serve more than 8,000 citizens in McDowell and Wyoming counties.
By next summer, a large new water tower emblazoned with a Corn Palace logo could stand next to Interstate 90 in Mitchell, South Dakota. The project will be funded through the state’s SRF program and because of the economic stimulus will include 15 percent principal forgiveness.
Sewer Rate News
Cherokee, Iowa
Erie, Pennsylvania
Holland, Missouri
Muskegon Heights, Michigan
November 20, 2009
Friday’s Water News: Water Main Break Floods Parking Lot in Sacramento
Residents of a South Sacramento apartment complex are waking up to a flooded parking lot after an overnight water main break. Water was high enough to in the apartment parking lot to flood the interiors of some cars and several cars stalled out in the two-feet deep water and had to be pushed out of the water.
Headlines
School ended early Thursday in Morristown, New York after a water-main break near the lobby flooded hallways. District Superintendent David J. Glover said the main broke due to age, forcing officials to send students home around 9:30 a.m.
Two water main breaks today in Columbia, Missouri has disrupted water service and, in some areas, diverted traffic. Bystanders were taking pictures of the flood as it flowed high under cars parked along the side of the street. One car was towed to allow access to the break.
Stimulus Spotlight
Competition has emerged for utilities looking for loans to extend water pipes. Waterline extensions are almost always paid for with borrowed money. The Obama Administration’s economic stimulus program includes an offer to have the federal government pay 45 percent of the cost of interest payments for public works projects’ financing through revenue bonds.
In Florida the Haines City Commission on Thursday approved two water projects totaling $2.3 million that will be financed almost entirely by federal stimulus money.
Vermont’s congressional delegation announced that the village of Barton will receive $2.8 million for water system improvements funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Sewer Rate News
Colusa, California
Harrisburg, South Dakota
London, Ohio
Sayre, Pennsylvania
October 19, 2009
Monday’s Water News: Lansing CSO Project Showing Improvements
Lansing, Michigan’s rivers are benefiting from a combined sewer overflow (CSO) project that started almost two decades ago and has cost $278 million so far. Statistics show that, while it took years of CSO work to see large diversion numbers, real progress didn’t become evident until after 2000. Lansing’s residents are paying for the project through higher sewer rates.
Headlines
A new project is proposed for St. Joseph, Missouri that would upgrade a water treatment facility with an extra ultra-violet treatment tank and pumping station to keep up with industry standards on water quality.
Hoping to stem the tide of sanitary sewer overflows into Darby Creek, Haverford, Pennsylvania plans to install a 1.5 million gallon emergency overflow tank.
Several downtown Boston office buildings were closed and a section of Cambridge Street was down to one lane of traffic after a water main break early this morning.
Stimulus Spotlight
In California, the Calaveras County Water District has received $1,7 million in stimulus funds for a new water storage tank which will double its capacity.
American Indian tribes in the Dakotas are getting about $42 million in federal stimulus money for water project.
Sewer Rate News
Berlin, Maryland
Madison County, Missouri
Rome, Georgia
Tyngsboro, Massachusetts
