11.18.08
Tuesday Headlines: Kansas City Moves Forward on Sewer Overflow Plan
After months of delays, Kansas City’s largest publicly financed project, an effort to improve its sewer system, moves forward this week. Yesterday city officials announced the latest version of a $2.4 billion plan to reduce sewer overflows into local streams during heavy rains–improvements that are required by the federal government.
Headlines
It’s called the Big Pipe project, and when it is completed in 2011 it is expected to reduce Portland, Oregon’s sewer overflows to three or four a year instead of every time it rains. The 20-year project will cost $1.4 billion and has been financed with sewer rate increases in recent years. It is the biggest construction project in the city’s history.
A water main break in Kalamazoo, Michigan has closed two schools for the day.
The University of Maryland experienced its second water main break in as many days after a 16-inch main broke near a campus parking lot. Age is believed to be the biggest factor in causing the break.
Basements of about approximately a half-dozen homes in Bellevue, Washington were flooded when a water main broke Monday morning.
Sewer Rate News
Ontario, California
Sandy Township, Pennsylvania
Waterford, Connecticut
11.11.08
Tuesday Headlines: Fort Wayne Looks for Ways to Pay for Sewer Improvements
A $240 million plan to keep raw sewage out of Fort Wayne, Indiana’s rivers would triple local sewer rates unless a new source of funding is created, and has led to a discussion of a half-cent increase in the local sales tax to pay for almost the entire project.
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As winter approaches, Mid-Michigan’s infrastructure is crumbling but financial help will be tough to come by. “There’s no question that there’s a lot of work that needs to be done in communities across the state,” said Michigan DEQ spokesman Robert McCann.
In Pennsylvania, Meyersdale borough officials are beginning to dig into a pile of state-ordered sewer projects that cost about $1.4 million. “This is something just about every community is going through,” borough President Bud Edmunds said. “We are not unique.”
It looks like it will cost the City of Middletown, New York more to borrow money to repair its massive Sterling Street sewer problems. The city had hoped to secure an interest free loan but does not have sufficient points to qualify and may have to borrow money at a 4-4.5 percent interest rate to finance construction of the project.
Sewer Rate News
DuBois, Pennsylvania
Ottumwa, Iowa
Shelton, Washington
Wrightstown, Wisconsin
10.22.08
Wednesday Headlines: Illinois City Works on Wastewater Plant Plans
The wastewater treatment facilities in South Beloit, Illinois are working beyond their intended capacities and commissioners say a new plant is a necessity. The system was designed to handle 3 million gallons but is currently processing 3.5 million gallons a day. This summer, the city ran more than 8 million gallons per day as the Rock River waters rose and ground levels increased because of land saturation.
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A water main break in Fenton, Michigan Saturday afternoon caused some flooding and the loss of nearly a million gallons of water. The city lost between 800,000 and 900,000 gallons of water before the main could be shut down.
The water is back on in downtown San Luis Obispo, California after city employees worked tirelessly to fix a water main break. A surge in the system caused a main to rupture and led to ruptures on several other adjacent streets.
Officials in Cape Charles, Virginia are simultaneously pursuing solutions to growing water and wastewater needs to meet future demand and a state-imposed deadline for a new treatment plant that lessens the impact to the Chesapeake Bay.
Representatives of rural water systems including a regional water project for north-central Montana stopped in the city of Havre to tell local elected officials and state legislative candidates about the need to increase funding for those projects.
Sewer Rate News
Missoula, Montana
Wenatchee, Washington
10.14.08
Tuesday Headlines: As Funding Decreases Tennessee’s Needs Grow
There is a growing gap between badly needed improvements to Tennessee’s water and wastewater infrastructure and the funding to complete those projects, according to a recent study conducted by the Tennessee Infrastructure Alliance.
According to the Tennessee Advisory Committee on Intergovernmental Relations, the cost of 1,773 needed water system improvement projects increased by $349 million between 2004 and 2005 to a total of $3.3 billion. The report also points out, available funding for such projects is dropping. State revolving funds have dropped by 33 percent between 2004 and 2006 and federal funding has dropped by nearly 79 percent since 1980.
Headlines
Some Jersey City residents are advised to boil their water after a break in a 30-inch water main early Tuesday morning. Residents in the affected area can expect lower than normal water pressure or even no water in high rise buildings. Repairs are expected to take most of the day.
A water main break in Robbins, Illinois forced three schools to close Tuesday morning. Robbins police say the water main erupted Monday night. They expect to have water restored Tuesday afternoon.
It is unclear if a Rite Aid in Yakima, Washington will reopen today after a water main ruptured twice outside the store on Monday. Officials noted that between 25,000 and 30,000 gallons of water was lost during the first break.
A broken water main under Grand Avenue in Wausau, Wisconsin forced the closure of the northbound lane this morning.
Sewer Rate News
Ambridge, Pennsylvania
DuBois, Pennsylvania
Oakwood, Illinois
Prichard, Alabama
Woodstock, Ohio
10.03.08
Friday Headlines: Water Main Break Closes Major Street in Sioux City
A section of a busy street Sioux City, Iowa could be closed until the middle of next week after a water main break Thursday afternoon. It didn’t take long to fix the break, and restore service, but city workers say it could be until next Wednesday before they can fill the hole and repair the street.
Headlines
The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency will provide a $1.9 million low-interest loan to city of Willoughby for sewer improvements in exchange for the city’s agreement to purchase wetlands in Summit County. Willoughby will benefit from the loan with better sewers and Summit will get protection for wetlands along the Tuscarawas River.
The Department of Energy is preparing to build Hanford, Washington’s largest water treatment system to clean up one of Hanford’s most problematic underground plumes of contaminated water. DOE is planning to build Hanford’s largest pump and treat station at a cost of $174 million to attack the contaminants and clean the water.
A water main broke on West Michigan Avenue in Battle Creek, Michigan Friday morning closed part of the road and may affect Battle Creek Central High School’s Homecoming Parade, which is scheduled for today.
In Massachusetts, both branches of the state legislature approved the Nantucket Sewer Act this week, which if signed by Governor Deval Patrick will give the town a broader ability to manage and expand the municipal sewer system.
Sewer Rate News
Grant, Nebraska
Rome, Georgia
09.10.08
Wednesday Headlines: Ellwood City, Penn. Deals with Huge Sinkhole
Engineers will meet with Ellwood City, Pennsylvania officials this week to determine how to deal with an enormous sinkhole. The sinkhole, approximately 10 feet wide by 70 feet long, occurred less than two weeks ago along a stormwater drainage line.
Water leaked out of the 100-foot-long pipe, which carries water out of the borough’s storm system down to Connoquenessing Creek, and eroded the ground, creating the sinkhole.
Headlines
In Pennsylvania, Elizabeth Township board of commissioners and the Elizabeth Township Sanitary Authority have approved their end of a consent agreement with the Allegheny County Health Department to remedy sewage overflow problems at a sewage treatment plant.
A second grease buildup for Greenville, North Carolina in as many days sent more sewage into the Tar River on Monday night. “Grease is the major cause of problems we find in sewer lines,” said Troy Perkins, the city’s water/sewer systems superintendent. “The best way to prevent sewer spills is to never pour grease down the drain.”
All classes at Tarrant County College’s Northeast Campus in Hurst, Texas have been cancelled for today after a major water main break near campus.
The break of a 20-inch water main in Arlington, Virginia affected service to 100 homes, disrupted traffic and rerouted a local bus.
Some south Snohomish County, Washington residents were advised to boil their tap water after a water main broke early Tuesday. When water outages occur, certain bacteria may contaminate water systems, posing a health risk to young children and people with weakened immune systems, hence the need to boil water.
Sewer Rate News
Beaumont, Texas
Bedford, Indiana
Milford, Massachusetts
Tuscola, Illinois
09.04.08
Thursday Headlines: Water Main Break Causes Legionnaires’ Outbreak
A water main break in Elmira, New York is believed to be responsible for an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease at an apartment building for low-income seniors. Said Legionella expert Tim Keane, “A lot of outbreaks I’ve been involved in have been directly related to water main breaks. In this case, it was definitely also the root cause of the outbreak.”
Headlines
In San Diego, a 400,000-gallon sewage spill near the U.S.-Mexico line prompted an ocean pollution alert Wednesday along the coast of Border Field State Park and Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge. A similar equipment failure in the same area last week sent roughly 342,000 gallons of sewage into the ocean and prompted a pollution warning along a mile of beaches.
Sewage overflowed from a manhole cover in Kettleman City, California late last week, soaking a small land area on the outskirts of town. The mishap occurred when grease blockage in a sewer line caused 1,000 to 2,000 gallons of sewage into ground next to a cotton field.
In Michigan, water service has been restored in Macomb Township, Lenox Township and the Village of New Haven after a broken water main caused problems yesterday. Work crews are working to repair the break and have diverted the water supply from the broken 36-inch main.
Sewer Rate News
Petaluma, California
Port Angeles, Washington
Riverside, California
08.26.08
Tuesday Headlines: Water Main Failure Has 282 Apartments Without Water
282 apartments in DeKalb County, Georgia are still without water after a water main break disrupted service to residents on Saturday night, the latest in a series of water-related problems in the county. Residents can’t shower or draw drinking water from their taps after the failure of a 48-inch water main that served the complex.
Headlines
In Alabama, sewage spills blamed on rains in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Fay were reported Monday in both Baldwin and Mobile counties.
A sewer line blockage in the Lula, Georgia Sunday afternoon caused more than 3,200 gallons of raw sewage to spill into a tributary of Hagen Creek, which feeds into the Chattahoochee River.
Some homes in Cameron Park, California were flooded early Tuesday when an underground water main broke. Water could be seen gushing up from the road before the Irrigation District could shut off the main.
Slowed by the summer rain, commuters in Juanita, Washington also had to contend with a water main break that shut down part of major road.
Sewer Rate News
Branson, Missouri
Brockton, Massachusetts
Ottumwa, Iowa
Tarpon Springs, Florida
08.21.08
Thursday Headlines: Fort Wayne to Address Sewer Overflows
Fort Wayne, Indiana will make two more fixes at sites where sewage flows into the rivers during periods of heavy rains as it continues to resolve past violations of the federal Clean Water Act. The cost of the two projects is estimated to be $97,000.
Headlines
In Silverdale, Washington a big sewage spill has the Kitsap County Health District warning people not to go near the northern half of Dyes Inlet through Saturday. On Monday, a sewer main ruptured under a road spilling 20,000 gallons of raw sewage into Strawberry Creek. It then flowed directly into Dyes Inlet.
A recent water main break in Owosso, Michigan has put the spotlight on the age of its water infrastructure and the cost to replace it. Owosso Utilities Director estimates the cost of replacing the problematic mains in the city to be $350,000 per year. To date, out of an approximate 90 miles of pipe running under the city only 2 percent has been replaced.
Residents and businesses in Strasburg, Pennsylvania must boil their water until further notice, thanks to a water main break Wednesday night. The break occurred in a section of the system installed in 1957. Borough officials were concerned that the break had occurred in an older section that dates back 110 years.
Water customers in Holden, Massachusetts should brace themselves for another rate increase - the third in three years - to pay for repairs and maintenance projects that have been put off for years.
Sewer Rate News
Plattsmouth, Nebraska
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
