06.30.09
Tuesday’s Water News: GAO Releases Study on Clean Water Trust Fund
Yesterday, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a study titled Clean Water Infrastructure: A Variety of Issues Need to be Considered When Designing a Clean Water Trust Fund.
GAO was asked to (1) obtain stakeholders’ views on the issues that would need to be addressed in designing and establishing a clean water trust fund and (2) identify and describe potential options that could generate about $10 billion in revenue to support a clean water trust fund.
In designing and establishing a clean water trust fund, stakeholders identified three main issues that would need to be addressed: (1) how a trust fund should be administered and used; 2) what type of financial assistance should be provided; and 3) what activities should be eligible to receive funding from a trust fund. Click here for for a summary of the study.
Headlines
On Thursday of last week, the Senate Appropriations Committe approved $2.1 billion for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF), $1.39 billion for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) and $150 million for targeted water and sewer projects as part of the FY 2010 Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations bill. And on Friday, before the Independence Day District Work Period, the House of Representatives passed the FY 2010 Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations bill by a vote of 254-173, which includes $2.3 billion for the CWSRF, $1.44 billion for the DWSRF and $160 million for targeted water and sewer projects.
A water main break in Oklahoma City poored thousands of gallons of water onto the streets and into the buildings near downtown including a church charity. The water flowed unabated outside causing a sinkhole, which nearly swallowed the charity’s minivan.
Stimulus Spotlight
The city of Valdosta, Georgia is receiving $10 million in federal economic stimulus funds as part of an expansion of a wastewater treatment plant.
Sewer Rate News
Dyersburg, Tennessee
Holly, Michigan
Warren County, Ohio
05.06.09
Wednesday Headlines: Fort Wayne Rates May Double to Fund Sewer Projects
Under a funding proposal from Fort Wayne, Indiana’s Utilities Department, monthly sewer rates would nearly double in the next five years to construct the array of projects mandated to reduce combined-sewer overflows under the city’s consent decree with the EPA.
Headlines
Sewers are among the most popular projects among mayors for stimulus money. Of more than 18,000 projects on a wish-list compiled from more than 700 communities by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, more than 4,000 involved water or wastewater repairs or construction — second only to road projects.
Coquille, Oregon issued a notice Monday that 10,000 gallons of raw sewage mixed rainwater spilled into the Coquille River on Friday night and into Saturday after 0.45 inches of rain fell sending a surge of stormwater into the Coquille Waste Water Plant.
Stimulus Spotlight
In Kentucky, $4 million in federal stimulus money will help cover the cost of a $20.5 million project to increase the water supply to a fast-growing area in eastern Jefferson County. According to estimates, the project will create more than 160 construction jobs.
Work has started on a $30 million upgrade of Arlington, Washington’s wastewater treatment plant, the first project in Snohomish County to be paid for in part by federal stimulus money.
Sewer Rate News
Columbus, Indiana
Goodlettsville, Tennessee
Statesboro, Georgia
Warren, Ohio
03.16.09
Monday Headlines: Water Main Break Disrupts NYC Subway Service
Service to part of the New York City subway system was disrupted this afternoon when a 12-inch water-main installed in 1870 burst near the entrance to the Holland Tunnel flooding the Canal Street subway station. The water from the break caused sidewalks to buckle and closed two lanes of traffic on a nearby street.
Headlines
All the beaches in Long Beach, California were closed on Saturday because of a 22,000-gallon sewage spill. The spill may have been caused by a grease plug in the line.
Some streets in Detroit were more than two feet under water on Saturday after a water main break flooded part of the city’s west side. The water entered several homes and flooded at least one basement.
A New York state legislator wants to use money from the recently passed economic stimulus legislation to safeguard the water supplies of several Saratoga County communities.
At least one public waterway in Monteagle, Tennessee was polluted on Sunday when a primary treatment basin failed at the city’s wastewater treatment plant causing almost a 100-thousand gallons of effluent went into Juanita Creek.
Sewer Rate News
Clarkdale, Arizona
Joplin, Missouri
Lake Worth, Florida
02.20.09
Friday Headlines: Interstate Closed After Leaking Drainpipe Causes Sinkhole
Work to repair a sinkhole and drainpipe beneath Interstate 215 in Murrieta , California will take until next week. The sinkhole was caused when the leaking drainpipe and rainwater eroded the soil around the pipe. I-215 has been closed and in both directions in the area around the sinkhole and will not completely reopen until Tuesday.
Headlines
According to federal officials, as part of the stimulus plan, the state of Tennessee will receive an estimated $77.7 million in federal dollars to work on sewage treatment plants, water quality and drinking water systems.
Sixty mayors from across the country met with President Obama this morning to discuss the recently passed economic stimulus package. Among the Mayors in attendance was Bill Gluba–the Mayor of Davenport, Iowa–who pitched a long wish list of city projects, most notably a sewer diversion tunnel.
A water main break on in Spotsylvania County, Virginia is causing major traffic delays today. Water service will be disrupted for some residents while repairs are being made.
The state of Virginia will receive about $102 million from the recently approved federal stimulus legislation for improved sewage treatment plants, water quality and drinking water systems.
Sewer Rate News
Morristown, Indiana
North Ridgeville, Ohio
Norwood, Massachusetts
South Zanesville, Ohio
02.18.09
Wednesday Headlines: Communities Ask for Stimulus Funds for Water Projects
In Maryland, a state official has urged Somerset County Commissioners to use their influence to convince the county’s Sanitary Commission to apply for federal economic stimulus funds before a February 28 deadline.
Headlines
A water main break on Penn State’s University Park campus broke Wednesday morning, causing several buildings to lose water service.
Framingham, Massachusetts officials have given the state a list of more than 65 projects that will supposedly be “shovel-ready” within 180 days of approval, including a $43 million request for the construction of a water treatment plant.
In California, a southern Marin County sanitation district under federal orders to replace aging infrastructure will have spilled 300,000 gallons of bacteria-laden sewage into San Francisco Bay by noon today after a rupture in a sewage treatment plant pipeline.
Harnett County, North Carolina officials will apply for federal stimulus grant money for water and wastewater projects in the county. Among the projects submitted include expansion of a water treatment plant to meet regional service requirements to Fort Bragg.
Sewer Rate News
Jefferson, Ohio
Nashville, Tennessee
Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
Tuscon, Arizona
02.13.09
Friday Headlines: Congress Passes Stimulus, Awaits President’s Signature
Today, the House passed the economic stimulus conference report that contains billions of dollars in investment for water and wastewater infrastructure by a vote of 264-183. The Senate is expected to pass the conference report late this evening. Once passed, President Obama is expected to sign the bill into law.
Headlines
In Burlington, Vermont, combined sewer overflows are believed to be the cause of a variety of man-made chemicals that have been found in the streams and waterways that discharge into Lake Champlain.
WTVF-TV in Nashville reports on the decay of the city’s sewer system. Mayor Karl Dean has proposed a sewer rate increase to pay for infrastructure upgrades needed to comply with federal mandates.
People in Ogden, Utah have quite a mess to clean up after an 18-inch water main broke last night as the water turned to ice which coated the trees and buildings. At one point water shot as high as 50 feet into the air.
A water main break in Bay Park, California has caused the closure of a school for a fifth time. The frequent water main breaks are frustrating school officials which last closed school in December because the same water main broke.
Sewer Rate News
Amherst, Massachusetts
Southington, Connecticut
02.05.09
Thursday Headlines: Indiana Releases Water Projects Eligible for Stimulus
The Indiana Finance Authority this morning released the first group of wastewater and drinking water projects that would be eligible for interest-free loans from the state if a federal stimulus package is approved. The 12 projects on the list would cost a total of $36 million.
Headlines
In Columbus, Ohio, the city has received approval from Ohio EPA to complete a $2.5 billion wet weather management plan to reduce sewer overflows. The Columbus sewer system currently discharges 1.65 billion gallons of sewer overflow in a typical year.
Crews were on the scene this morning working to repair a water main break in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee.
A water main break early this morning in Washington, D.C. closed three lanes of a busy commuter route during rush hour and disrupting water service to 50 homes.
The town of Winthrop, Massachusetts is developing a five-year capital improvement plan for its water and sewer infrastructure that will cost between $500 million and $1 billion annually. It is estimated that at least 50 percent of the mains are 50 years or older.
Sewer Rate News
Calvert County, Maryland
Genesee County, Michigan
Oceanside, California
01.21.09
Wednesday Headlines: Water Main Break Floods Shopping Mall
A broken water main is to blame for flooding the Norwichtown Mall in Norwich, Connecticut on Monday. The entire mall was filled with about six to eight inches of water before the utility company finally turned the water off. The mall remains temporarily closed.
Headlines
Officials in Alexandria, Indiana are considering two options for controlling its combined sewer overflow. Both options would cost approximately $11 million to execute, all Indiana communities are required to develop long-term control plans to limit the amount of overflow into the water by 2015.
Failing pumps at the Airport Wastewater Treatment Plant in Galveston, Texas caused sewage to overflow into ditches near Lake Madeline last week. Although crews were able to contain 300,000 gallons of the 800,000 gallon spill, most of the sewage ended up in the lake.
The city of Cape Coral, Florida wants $1.1 million to repair a major pipe to make sure a large sewer overflow event does not happen. City officials have seen evidence of corrosion on the 42-inch wide, 4,500-foot-long pipe leading into the sewage treatment plant, and if the pipe were to break, the city would have to shut off sewage service to thousands of customers until it was fixed.
A law office in Lansing, Michigan is drying out after a water main break Monday night left the lower level of the office flooded with two feet of water that soaked up offices and paperwork. Employees will be out of the building for about a week.
Sewer Rate News
Chapel Hill, Tennessee
El Dorado, Arkansas
Folkston, Georgia
Redlands, California
01.05.09
Monday Headlines: Op-ed Says Water Infrastructure Investment Needed
The President of the American Rivers wrote an op-ed yesterday discussing the recent water main break in Maryland the need to invest America’s water infrastructure. Below is an excerpt that appeared in yesterday’s Washington Post.
It is time to bring our water infrastructure into the 21st century. The economic stimulus efforts being considered by President-elect Barack Obama and Congress provide an excellent opportunity to make the water infrastructure investments that Montgomery County and other communities around the country so desperately need. Not only will these investments create good jobs that can’t be moved offshore, but they also are necessary to protect public health, safety and national security.
It is essential that we not only invest more but invest more wisely, too. Our first priority must be to provide essential repair and maintenance to our existing water infrastructure. This “fix it first” philosophy will help ensure that disasters such as the River Road water main break don’t happen again and that dams such as the one at Lake Needwood don’t fail. Of course, we should fix only those things that will continue to be useful and most effective for meeting society’s needs.
Headlines
A summary of needs compiled by the New York State Facilities Corp. shows that Westchester County could receive almost $148 million for sewage-treatment upgrades and improvements if the money is included in the federal stimulus package under consideration by Congress.
A medical center building in La Crosse, Wisconsin was flooded by a weekend water main break and will be closed today as cleanup continues.
A water main break yesterday left parts of Meriden, Connecticut without water service. As many as 50 homes were impacted right now and there were also reports of discolored water.
A construction crew replaced a leaky valve in the old water main on Main Street in Castleton, Vermont over the weekend, cutting off water at a local diner, some homes and two other businesses Saturday afternoon for a few hours.
Sewer Rate News
Altoona, Iowa
Arma, Pennsylvania
Binghamton, New York
Lebanon, Tennessee
12.09.08
Tuesday Headlines: Water Main Break in Philadelphia Floods Basements
A 30-inch water main broke early this morning in Philadelphia’s Kensington section spilling tens of thousands of gallons of water into residential basements and leaving a huge sinkhole in the middle of the road. The water flooded the basements of thirteen homes causing major property damage.
Headlines
The Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse has reopened after being closed since last Thursday, due to a water main break. The break disrupted the fire suppression system at the zoo, forcing the zoo to stay closed for safety reasons.
Flooded basements and sewer overflows into the Ottawa River have officials in Lima, Ohio wanting to spend $2.2 million on an analysis providing the condition of the city’s sewer system and the long-term costs of maintaining it.
Work crews from Modesto, California have begun repairing a pipe contributing to last week’s flow of raw sewage into a creek. A sagging city line contributed to a buildup of grease and debris, sending sewage out an uncapped maintenance opening in a private pipe off an alley.
There will be no school for students at Jefferson High School in Alexandria, Minnesota on Wednesday due to a water main break.
Sewer Rate News
Crossville, Tennessee
Waynesboro, Virginia
