August 31, 2010
Tuesday’s Water News: New Jersey Appropriates $821 Million for Wastewater, Drking Water Projects
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has signed legislation to appropriate $821 million in no-cost and low-cost loans for crucial water and sewer infrastructure projects across the state. The financing, administered through the New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Financing Program, will make available approximately $549 million for clean water project loans and $272 million for drinking water project loans, with the federal government picking up at least half of the cost.
Headlines
The city of Austin, Texas is cleaning up a wastewater spill in a heavily wooded area of eastern Travis County. City officials estimate at least 100,000 gallons of sewage spilled into the creek and said that residents and their pets should avoid the water there until crews can clean up the spill.
A water main break on 16th Street in Omaha is fixed, but road restrictions remained in effect this morning. Traffic has been reduced to one lane in each direction on 16th Street as repairs are being made.
Stimulus Spotlight
Today in Louisiana, the Iberia Parish government and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had a ceremonial groundbreaking for the construction of an Iberia Parish wastewater treatment facility near the Acadiana Regional Airport. The federal portion of this project is funding through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act.
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack will be in Berlin, Maryland this week to see firsthand the construction progress of the town’s wastewater treatment plant, a project funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Sewer Rate News
Fluvanna County, Virginia
Marshall, Missouri
Parkersburg, Pennsylvania
Petoskey, Michigan
August 19, 2010
Thursday’s Water News: Massive Water Main Break Disrupts Service to Half of Waco, Texas
A massive break in a 48-inch water main has left Waco, Texas scrambling to save its water supply. Officials are asking residents to stop watering lawns and stop washing cars in order to save precious water. The massive pipe is critical to providing water service to half of the city’s residents.
Headlines
Work will be completed soon on a $6.5 million sewer project in Noblesville, Indiana. Prior to this project, the existing sewer was a combined sanitary and storm sewer that was constructed of brick over 100 years ago. Over the past year, crews installed large-diameter storm sewers and backup sewers.
A large water main break in Center Point, Alabama this morning damaged a busy road, and caused other property damage. Water also was spraying into the air, and damaged the road and blew out a window in a car.
Stimulus Spotlight
In Montana, though the entire project is years away from completion, the Rocky Boy’s/North Central Regional Water System’s first customers can drink the water pouring out of their faucets. Once a treatment plant is built at Lake Elwell and a waterline is installed, the project will deliver clean water to a territory the size of Delaware. Last summer, $20 million in federal stimulus money more than doubled the funding the project has received since it was authorized in 2002.
The drafting of an application seeking federal stimulus funds for Strasburg, Virginia’s planned $25 million upgrade to its wastewater treatment plant has come to a standstill as an environmental review document has become outdated during the process.
Sewer Rate News
Bar Harbor, Maine
Bradenton, Florida
Jackson, Mississippi
The blog is taking its summer vacation. We’ll return with all new material on Monday, August 30.
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
July 28, 2010
Wednesday’s Water News: Pair of Water Main Breaks for Richmond, California
A pair of water main breaks this morning in Richmond, California flooded streets at both a residential neighborhood and business district. The flooding was caused by pressure buildup that causes weak points in the pipe system to break.
Headlines
A sewage spill in the northern district of Savannah, Georgia resulted from a grease blockage in the sanitary sewer collection system. Over 20,000 gallons flowed into the Ogeechee River, making the spill large enough to be classified as a large spill according to the EPA.
In Berea, Virginia, a sinkhole opened dangerously close to Route 17. The sinkhole measured over 10 feet in all directions; it resulted from a drainage pipe failure.
A broken water main buckled the pavement and released over 100,000 gallons of water on Tuesday afternoon in St. Louis, Missouri. Initially, officials feared a 36-inch steel pipe had ruptured, but they have verified that it was actually just an 8 inch main. Repairs will last until Friday.
In Lothian, Maryland, 5,000 gallons of untreated wastewater spilled into the Patuxent River. Officials advise residents to refrain from swimming in the area until at next Tuesday.
Stimulus Spotlight
Manistique, Michigan is taking on a massive $8 million water and wastewater infrastructure project which will cover more than 40 blocks. The project is being funded through the economic stimulus via a combination of grants and low-interest loans through USDA.
Sewer Rate News
Kalkaska, Michigan
Peabody, Kansas
Prescott, Arizona
San Mateo, California
July 26, 2010
Monday’s Water News: Allegheny County Communities Affected by Water Main Break
This morning was a rough one for many families and businesses in who lost water in several Allegheny County (Penn.) communities. Residents say the water main break is the third in as many days for the area. Once water service was restored some residents discovered they had to let their faucets run for a while.
Headlines
The Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati has finished a sewer system construction project in Green Township, which installed 3,750 feet of new sewer line and eliminated the need for several pump stations.
A water main break in Culpeper, Virginia sent over 300,000 gallons of water rushing down a main road in the residential district. The pipe that burst was only an 8-inch line, but the enormous pressure exacerbated the spill.
Stimulus Spotlight
The city of Chino Valley in Arizona has approved a new city budget on Friday night. The budget includes projects to restore water and other types of infrastructure and depends on up to $42.4 million in stimulus funds to accomplish these goals.
Over $11 million in federal stimulus funds have been granted to the city of Asbury Park, New Jersey. These funds will go to underground electric, sewer, and cable lines to improve services to the city’s residents.
Sewer Rate News
Decatur, Illinois
Irving, Texas
Louisville, Kentucky
Sarasota, Florida
South Bend, Indiana
July 19, 2010
Monday’s Water News: Cincinnati Area Needs $3.5 Billion to Fix Sewers
The cost to fix the sewer system Hamilton County, Ohio’s sewer system is estimated at $3.5 billion. The series of projects – which range from treatment plant upgrades to rain gardens – will take 20 years or more to finish. Fixing the problems in the 3,000-mile network of sewer pipes buried deep beneath the city of Cincinnati and its suburbs will by far be the most expensive infrastructure project in the region’s history.
Headlines
In San Antonio, Texas, a water main that supplies Rolling Oaks Mall and a nearby neighborhood broke early Sunday, spewing a fountain of water into the street.
Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania is taking action on a measure that should alleviate some of the pressure on the overburdened sewer lines in the area by beginning construction on a sewer bypass system.
Stimulus Spotlight
The new sewer plant project in La Salle, Illinois is now underway. The $15 million project is being funded through federal stimulus funds and grants; the plant will process over half a million gallons of water per day and offer the ability to increase this amount with the addition of more tanks.
Halifax County, Virginia is receiving nearly $16 million in stimulus funds for its multi-million dollar upgrade. The project received nearly $11 million in federal grants and a $5 million federal loan. Construction will last until 2013.
Sewer Rate News
East Moline, Iowa
Kinnelon, New Jersey
Ukiah, California
July 13, 2010
Tuesday’s Water News: Sewer Pipe Leak Leads to Effluent Discharge into Sonoma Creek
A leaking sewage pipe is dumping untreated effluent into the Sonoma Creek in Sonoma, California. The leak may have been active for 12 hours before it was discovered; if so, the leak was dumping unimpeded at a rate of more than 100 gallons of sewage per minute into the creek.
Headlines
Officials in Nortonville, Kentucky are trying to figure out how to pay back a nearly three million dollar loan. In 2005, the city built a waste water plant using a loan from the Kentucky Infrastructure Authority. That loan was supposed to be paid back within one year of the plant’s completion, but still $2.8 million is owed.
The second leaking water pipe in a week has been discovered in Rockville, Maryland. It was reported in yesterday’s update that a water main was leaking, but it has finally burst. The 24 inch main is the second to break in a week and will extend the duration of water restrictions for Rockville residents.
A power outage in Shreveport, Louisiana over the weekend led to a hydraulic surge in the sewer line causing serious problems. Sewage is leaking into Lake Champion at a rate of 2,000 gallons a minute. The leak has been going since early Monday morning.
Stimulus Spotlight
A Groundbreaking was held for the Scott County Otter House Water Project in Hiltons, Virginia. The Tri-Cities area was awarded $2.25 million by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to entirely cover the cost of the project.
Sewer Rate News
Anderson, Indiana
Aurora, Oregon
Belmont, California
Birmingham, Alabama
July 9, 2010
Friday’s Water News: 700,000 Gallons of Sewage Floods Armarillo, Texas
After heavy rains hit Armarillo, Texas, the wastewater system was overwhelmed. This led to 700,000 gallons of raw sewage to spill out in several locations across town. Local residents and businesses are both dealing with wastewater overflows in their own homes, and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is looking into health and safety concerns regarding the spill.
Headlines
The aging sewage treatment plant in Saltsburg, Pennsylvania is on it’s last legs according to officials. The plant is over thirty years old, and will not last much longer. It is now having trouble cleaning wastewater thoroughly, causing health problems. However, the Saltsburg City Council is having trouble coming up with the money to fix it, as it would cost $1.6 million to refurbish the plant and a whopping $2.7 million to replace it.
Residents of Monterey, California will not be able to swim at the local Monterey Municipal Beach due to a 70,000 gallon sewage spill into the nearby stormwater system. The system drains directly into the beach. Citizens will not be allowed to swim in the water until it can be tested for contamination by officials.
Sewage spills out of a manhole in Chico City, California. The leak is believed to have been caused by a system blockage. Some of the sewage spilled directly into the stormwater system, but not enough to cause contamination, according to officials.
Stimulus Spotlight
Thanks to the stimulus package, the town of Plattsmouth, Nebraska is getting a new sewage system. The stimulus package will provide a $1.2 million grant to help fund the $4 million dollar project.
Sewer Rate News
Terre Haute, Indiana
Campbell County, Virginia
New Albany, Indiana
Northport, Alabama
July 2, 2010
Friday’s Water News: Corpus Christi, Texas Deals with Perrenial Sewage Overflows
The sewage system in Corpus Christi, Texas has been overrun with heavy rains. This has led to a flooding of city houses and streets. This is not unusual for residents, however, as the sewage system has not been enough to hold back the overflows for a long time. Every year, during expected heavy rains, the system is overloaded and spews out wastewater for the townspeople to deal with.
Headlines
After years of polluting, the Chesapeake Bay has become impaired according to EPA officials. They have devised a plan to reduce the amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus in the water by building new wastewater treatment facilities and new drainage systems to limit the amount of sewage put into the bay.
Homes in Steubenville, Ohio have been discharging raw sewage on to the street. The Ohio EPA has been informed by law and are looking in to the situation. The problem may have arisen due to a lack of a proper connection between the homes and the main sewer line.
Stimulus Spotlight
Thanks to the stimulus package, residents of Hinsdale, New Hampshire will be getting a new wastewater treatment facility. 687 thousand dollars will be provided in grants from the stimulus package, and the rest will come from loans from the state.
100 thousand dollars of stimulus money is going to help the residents of Stanley, Virginia keep storm water out of their sewage pipes. This water often led to sewage spills in the town and will now be fixed.
Sewer Rate News
Terre Haute, Indiana
North Andover, Massachusetts
Indianola, Iowa
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Allegan, Michigan
July 1, 2010
Thursday’s Water News: Missouri Sewer Overflow Woes Continue
It has been a messy week for Missouri’s waters with more than 25 million gallons of raw sewage reported spilled in Kansas City and St. Louis alone. Five of the six incidents have occurred in Kansas City, but the worst incident occurred in St. Louis when two pumps failed and allowed 4.6 million gallons of sewage to leak into the Mississippi River daily for the past week.
Headlines
A water main break closes streets in Boston, Massachusetts. Crews were working to fix the broken 12 inch pipe. The street was cleared of all traffic while clean-up took place.
In Baytown, Texas, the city council sprang to immediate action on Wednesday after a water line collapse. For now, a temporary bypass has been set up but a replacement line will be installed farther from the creek but within the same right of way. The damaged segment will be abandoned.
Sewer Rate News
Allegan, Michigan
Altavista, Virginia
Antioch, California
Danvers, Massachusetts
Front Royal, Virginia
