August 11, 2010
Wednesday’s Water News: Honolulu to Spend $3.5 Billion on Sewer System Improvements
Honolulu has reached a consent decree agreement with the EPA requiring it to make more than $3.5 billion in improvements to its sewage treatment system by 2020, and also pay a $1.6 million fine to be split between the federal government and the state to resolve violations of the federal Clean Water Act and Hawaii’s water pollution law.
Headlines
The city of Chattanooga, Tennessee’s sewer system has released 510 million gallons of untreated sewage into the Tennessee River over the past five years. Now a nonprofit group is threatening to sue the city to enforce environmental compliance.
In West Virginia, Wellsburg’s City Council is down to three members after five council members quit in a dispute over a proposed sewer rate hike. All five had opposed a plan to raise the city’s sewer rate by 30 percent.
Downpours over the past two nights have overwhelmed Des Moines sewers and sent millions of gallons of untreated sewage into the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers. The city’s taxed sewer network has caused wastewater backups in basements throughout the city, with the heaviest concentrations on the south and east sides.
Stimulus spotlight
In Montana, improvements to Pondera County Canal and Reservoir’s infrastructure has boosted efficiency and improved the water quality of the lower Birch Creek watershed. The project was financed with $527,000 in federal stimulus money and a $366,000 local match to upgrade irrigation infrastructure originally dug by hand and mule in the 1800s.
The city of Cape Girardeau, Missouri received $144,540 from the economic stimulus for engineering reports on the city water and wastewater systems. The funding will enable the city to hire an engineer to study their water system and advise them on how to achieve or maintain compliance with drinking water rules and regulations.
Sewer Rate News
Berryville, Virginia
Granville, Ohio
Warrenton, Virginia
Williamsport, Pennsylvania
August 10, 2010
Tuesday’s Water News: Water Service Restored to 10,000 Homes in Suburban Baltimore
Water service was restored this morning for up to 10,0000 homes and businesses after a water main break in Essex, Maryland. The 12-inch main which broke is 80 years old and has had multiple breaks over the past year.
Headlines
Chattanooga (Tenn.) and the Moccasin Bend Sewage Treatment Plant are facing state sanctions for the spill Thursday and Friday of more than 100,000 gallons of raw sewage that swamped a marina and killed 3,600 fish.
Monday environmental, business, and civic leaders urged Congress to fund solutions for the sewage crisis in the Great Lakes region. Every year billions of gallons of untreated sewage is dumped into the Great Lakes.
Stimulus Spotlight
The Ohio Water Development Authority plans to sell $423 million in Build America Bonds tomorrow in the agency’s largest offering of the taxable debt. Proceeds from this week’s sale will reimburse the authority for about $148 million already loaned for environmental infrastructure in the state and fund further lending. Build America Bonds were created as part of the economic stimulus.
Many government agencies are close to wrapping up their federal stimulus initiatives, but a large number of communities are still waiting in line for funding or struggling to pay for costly water and sewer projects, according to United States Department of Agriculture officials.
Sewer Rate News
DeSoto County, Mississippi
Hamilton, New Jersey
Oswego, New York
Polk City, Florida
August 5, 2010
Thursday’s Water News: Heavy Rains in Omaha, Nebraska Cause Sewage Spills
After heavy rains hit Omaha, Nebraska, sewage poured into homes across the city. This has been a recurring problem in the city. Officials claim that the cost of making the sewer lines good enough to stop these spills is an estimated $1.6 billion dollars.
Headlines
A broken sewer line in Baltimore, Maryland has caused 10,000 gallons of sewage to pour into nearby Herring Run Stream, which is a tributary to many Baltimore rivers. Officials have warned all residents to avoid contact with any streams or rivers in the area until further notice.
A malfunction in Thompsons Station, Tennessee is causing sewage leaks in the town. The spill is estimated at 800 gallons minute and has yet to be repaired.
Stimulus Spotlight
Thanks to the stimulus package, the town of Glenburnie, Maryland will be getting a new stormwater and sewage system, as well as some road repairs. The $24 million dollar project is being funded by low interest stimulus loans.
Sewer Rate News
Sacramento, California
Sandusky, Ohio
Talladega, Alabama
Fox Lake, Wisconsin
Orroville, California
August 3, 2010
Tuesday’s Water News: EPA Fines Five Pennslvania Sewage Plants
The Environmental Protection Agency has issued five separate fines for violations by Pennsylvania sewage treatment facilities across the state. The fines have reportedly been issued because these plants are failing to test water issued by industrial plants.
Headlines
The citizens of Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin are furious with the town council after recent sewage backups soaked 700 homes. Residents claim the flooding happened because of the town’s poor sewage system, as these floods are a regular occurrence.
An electrical malfunction caused raw sewage to pour into West Fork Stones River in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The problem was spotted after dead fish began floating on the river’s surface.
Heavy rains in Duluth, Minnesota caused a 49,000 gallon mixture of sewage and rainwater to flow into Lake Superior.
Stimulus Spotlight
Thanks to the stimulus package, a combination of federal grants and low interest loans amounting to $668,000 dollars is going to help the town of Haledon, New Jersey reline 10,000 feet of sewage pipes.
Sewer Rate News
East Moline, Illinois
Mount Airy, North Carolina
North Ridgeville, Ohio
Poplarville, Mississippi
July 21, 2010
Wednesday’s Water News: Officials in Shreveport Struggle to Clean up Champion Lake
After a 9 million gallons of sewage spilled into Champion Lake due to a burst wastewater line, officials in Shreveport, Louisiana, went straight to work two weeks ago to clean up the mess. However, cleanup is taking longer than expected and officials are struggling to get the lake’s bacteria levels back to a safe point.
Headlines
Heavy rains caused sewage overflows in La Joya, Texas. The mayor warned citizens that the wastewater system could not hold against the heavy rains to come, but many did not listen. Thousands of dollars in damage was done to homes and property after sewage seeped into houses following the rain.
The wastewater treatment plant in Centerville, Iowa had to be shut down after heavy rains pounded the town. Officials are worried that some of the water went untreated, and that there could be contaminated drinking water going into people’s homes.
In Los Angeles, at least part of a busy hospital in east Hollywood was temporarily without water today due to a water main break. Traffic was also affected by the break and affected the afternoon commute.
Stimulus Spotlight
Thanks to the stimulus package, the town of Joliet, Illinois will be building a new sewage line to ease pressure on their wastewater treatment plant. The plan costs an estimated $15 million dollars and is being paid for by low-interest loans provided by the stimulus package.
Sewer Rate News
Kiowa, Kansas
Newbern, Tennessee
Traver, California
San Ramon, California
Stayton, Oregon
July 14, 2010
Wednesday’s Water News: 42,000 Gallons of Sewage Spills in Oakland, West Virginia
A pump station failure in Oakland, West Virginia caused 42,000 gallons of sewage leaks near local Deep Creek Lake. The cause of the failure is unknown and officials have blocked off any area that could have possibly been contaminated until further notice. Deep Creek Lake is currently being tested for contamination as well.
Headlines
Heavy rains cause a raw sewage overflow into Lake Erie near Cleveland, Ohio. Officials have warned that citizens should not swim at nearby Edgewater Beach until further notice. The overflow occurred because Cleveland’s wastewater system was overtaxed during the rains.
A Children’s Center in Oklahoma, City, Oklahoma is facing costs estimated at $100,000 dollars after heavy rains in the city caused sewage overflows. The wastewater system could not handle the rain, and sewage spewed into the center, causing damage.
A sewer main break in Indian Harbour Beach, Florida has caused officials to warn residents to avoid using the water in the area, even for drinking, until the problem is fixed.
Stimulus Spotlight
Thanks to the economic stimulus package, the island of Kauai in Hawaii is doubling the capacity of its wastewater plant. The $7.4 million dollar project will help the island deal with its wastewater problems.
Sewer Rate News
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Lawrence, Kansas
St. Mary’s Georgia
Warrenton, Oregon
June 25, 2010
Friday’s Water News: Sewer Upgades for Florida Keys Need More Funding
Despite Florida Gov. Charlie Crist’s (I) authorization this month of as much as $200 million for a long-term effort to provide upgraded sewer systems for the Florida Keys, the prospects are poor for funding in total the estimated $937-million project.
Headlines
John Hosch of Cartersville, Georgia is suing the state of West Virginia for not building proper wastewater facilities to live up to the Clean Water Act. Hosch ran into problems when he sold lots of a residential plan he was developing and was then denied a permit to build a sewage system. This denial was due to a lack of proper wastewater treatment facilities. The buyers of the lots sued him, so he, in turn, has sued the state.
Contaminants like e-coli are believed to be in Wilkinson Creek after sewage leaks in Bradley County, Tennessee. Officials are looking into the problem and will determine the cause and cost of fixing it.
After heavy rains, basements in Chicago, Illinois were flooded with raw sewage. The rains overran the septic system of the city, and residents are being forced to clean up the mess left behind.
Stimulus Spotlight
An upsurge in stimulus water projects will begin this summer. Last year, there were 129 projects provided by the stimulus, this year, that number skyrockets to 2,800. Considering state needs for waste and drinking water infrastructure are above $500 billion, the increase is a necessity for overwhelmed state and local budgets.
States and local governments are slashing spending on infrastructure projects so fast that even federal stimulus money hasn’t filled in the gap. Investment in infrastructure is on pace to drop almost 7% this year to $269 billion, according to a USA TODAY analysis of federal data. That would be the first decline in state and local construction spending since the Census Bureau started tracking in 1993.
Sewer Rate News
Marion Township, Michigan
Rochester, New York
South Bend, Indiana
Taylorsville, North Carolina
Vigo County, Indiana
June 11, 2010
Friday’s Water News: Tens of Millions of Gallons of Sewage Leaks in Kansas City
A clean-up has finally begun in Kansas City, Missouri. It is estimated that three years of sewage spills have accumulated to a staggering amount. Tens of millions of gallons of sewage has been spilling, and neither city nor state officials have attempted to clean up until now.
Headlines
In Lafayette, Indiana, it has taken two years to complete the first phase of a massive underground tunnel, meant to help eliminate combined sewage overflow into the Wabash River. The project is part of a 20-year plan to improve its sewer system.
Five thousand gallons of sewage leaked into the Saluda River in Columbia, South Carolina. A line blockage is believed to have caused the spill. State officials are attempting to stop the leak and clean up the mess.
Residents in Barrington, Illinois are demanding the village do something to address flooding that occurs doing periods of heavy rain. The village recently repaired pipes and relined a sewer in an area affected by flooding, but despite the improvements, flooding has continued.
Stimulus Spotlight
A bond has been issued in Pittsford, Vermont to build a badly needed wastewater treatment plant. The city floated $2 million dollars in low-interest federal bonds and expects a stimulus package grant to cover the rest of the cost at about $1.8 million dollars.
Alcoa, Tennessee will receive a $1 million grant from the economic stimulus for the construction of two new water storage reservoirs. The overall cost of the project is estimated to be $5.8 million.
Sewer Rate News
Fruitland, Idaho
Greensboro, North Carolina
Groton, Connecticut
Hannibal, Missouri
Lynn, Massachusetts
June 9, 2010
Wednesday’s Water News: Main Break Floods County Building, Causes $10M in Damages
After a broken water main in Dallas, Texas flooded the Dallas County Records building on Memorial Day night, the county is still assessing the damage and the cost. The repair costs for the building are currently $10 million and are expected to go higher. Insurance will cover most of the damage but taxpayers are still on the hook for the $1 million deductible.
Headlines
A ten inch rupture in the main sewer line caused 100,000 gallons of sewage to pour into Williamson Creek in Austin, Texas. Officials are warning residents to avoid the pond until it can be cleaned.
Members of the Fall River, Massachusetts City Council had a heated exchange yesterday over stormwater fees and rising sewer rates. Sewer rates have doubled in Fall River to help pay off a $3 million sewer deficit.
Aging and damaged sewers in places like Chattanooga, Tennessee are threatening access to clean water.
In Holyoke, Massachusetts, part of Hampden Street will likely be closed for much of the day due to a water main break. Residents in that immediate area may have temporarily lost their water, the break has also caused a large hole and collapsed pavement on the street.
Stimulus Spotlight
Thanks to the economic stimulus package, the city of Newburyport, Massachusetts is getting a new wastewater treatment facility, replacing an aged and outdated plant.
Sewer Rate News
Albany, New York
Belen, New Mexico
Bossier City, Louisiana
Roanoke, Virginia
Wilsonville, Oregon
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
