07.09.09
Thursday’s Water News: Seattle Main Break Releases 860,000 Gallons of Water
A water-pipe break on Harbor Island in Seattle Wednesday evening released 860,000 gallons of water, flooding railroad tracks and a freight-storage building.
Headlines
A $4 million sewer line project proposed for the Rattlesnake area of Missoula, Montana will go to the Missoula City Council next week. The sewer line would convert more than 300 residential properties from septic to a sewer main.
About 11,000 residents in Fredonia, New York are being advised to boil their water today because of a water main break there Wednesday night.
Stimulus Spotlight
Officials in Smyrna, Delaware have approved contracts funded by $3.7 million in federal stimulus dollars to upgrade the town’s drinking water system. In the first phase, George and Lynch Inc. will replace six valves in a 10-inch water main from a water tower. Then Sprig Construction will replace a two-inch water main in the town.
The city of Fort Wayne, Indiana has received a $1.5 million stimulus grant and a $3.5 million low-interest loan, which will be used to finance three sewer separation projects.
Sewer Rate News
Bethlehem, West Virginia
Corsicana, Texas
Des Plaines, Illinois
06.23.09
Tuesday’s Water News: Senate Appropriations Subcommitte Approves Infrastructure Funding
The Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee unanimously approved legislation this morning that would cut environmental agencies’ spending by $200 million from what the House appropriations approved. The measure includes $3.6 for water and waster infrastructure.
Headlines
Beaches that have been closed in Greenwich, Connecticut due to heavy rainfall and sewage overflows have now been reopened. Byram Beach still remains closed to swimmers, however, because the rainfall in the shallow cove caused more concern.
A plugged valve caused an estimated 10,000 gallons of sewage to spill into a creek in Grass Valley, California. Valley officials are investigating why an alarm system didn’t sound when it happened. Signs have been posted warning people of the bacteria within the creek and contact with the water should be avoided.
Stimulus Spotlight
The Utah Water Quality Board meets Wednesday to consider requests involving the Ogdan River Restoration Project and 12 other similar projects around the state. The Ogdan River could be restored to a natural wider river channel that could accommodate higher flows, and reduce urban encroachment for $7.25 million. Ogden officials are hoping up to $4 million will come from federal stimulus money.
Sewer Rate News
Detroit, Michigan
Monroe, Pennsylvania
Spokane County, Washington
06.22.09
Monday’s Water News: Oversight Board Proposed for Jefferson County (Ala.) Sewer System
In Alabama, Jefferson County officials have proposed an oversight board for the sewer system in an effort to get support from state lawmakers and creditors to solve its lingering sewer debt crisis. The county said the proposal is likely the last hope of reaching a solution that involves concessions to creditors.
Headlines
Amtrak halted all train service between Baltimore and Washington on Saturday because of a major water main break north of BWI that covered the tracks with mud.
City officials in Wichita, Kansas took bottled water to residents and businesses in a neighborhood that was without water after a ruptured water main.
The Muncie (Ind.) Sanitary District plans to borrow $9 million to clean up sewage overflow in northwest Jakes Creek and along the White River.
Stimulus Spotlight
The construction of a new wastewater treatment plant in the city of Prairie Grove is one of seven Arkansas clean water projects on a short list to get federal stimulus funding.
Sewer Rate News
Mesquite, Nevada
Milton-Freewater, Washington
06.01.09
Monday’s Water News: Detroit Cancels CSO Control Project
The giant Upper Rouge Tunnel combined sewer overflow control project was canceled Friday by Detroit city officials worried about residents’ ability to pay increased sewer fees to build the $1.2 billion project.
Headlines
In Washington, a major sewage pipe that ruptured Saturday on Bainbridge Island continued to spill tens of thousands of gallons of raw waste into Eagle Harbor today, and an official said the line can’t be fixed until Tuesday morning.
Many residents in Graniteville, South Carolina are hopeful that Aiken County officials will be able to secure federal funding for an overhaul of the town’s sewer system.
Stimulus Spotlight
Bidders who want a piece of the $270 million the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has set aside for water projects from the economic stimulus have until June 15 to submit their projects for consideration.
Maryland will receive nearly $122 million in federal stimulus funds to help boost the state water infrastructure projects and improve the Chesapeake Bay.
Sewer Rate News
Joplin, Missouri
Litchfield, Illinois
Mansfield, Massachusetts
Newark, Delaware
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
04.01.09
Wednesday Headlines: Washington State Receives Requests for Stimulus Dollars
In the state of Washington, dozens of cities and towns have applied for a share of the $111 million in federal stimulus money coming to the state for water quality projects. So far, the state has received 119 requests for loans and grants to meet requirements of the federal Clean Water Act.
Headlines
Independence, Missouri has reached an agreement with the EPA and will pay a $255,000 fine to the Justice Department and spend $455,000 on a supplemental environmental project. The city entered into a consent decree with the EPA after numerous violations of the Clean Water Act–including 430 sanitary sewer overflows since 2000.
South Dakota Department of Water and Natural Resources adopted emergency rules Friday in order to start taking applications for nearly $39 million of federal stimulus aid for state water projects.
The Ohio EPA will help the village of McComb with an interest-free loan of $1.3 million to finance construction to eliminate overflows in the sewer system. The interest-free loan will save McComb an estimated $942,000 in interest payments over the next 20 years.
On Monday in Kansas City, an eight-inch water main break under Interstate 29/35 just has prompted Missouri DOT officials to close the left northbound lane. Water started bubbling up through the pavement Monday evening. The emergency closure created significant traffic backups in the city.
Sewer Rate News
Livingston, California
Lodi, California
Mount Washington, Kentucky
03.27.09
Friday Headlines: Sewer Main Collapse in Fort Wayne Keeps Road Closed
Following up on a story from Tuesday, officials in Fort Wayne, Indiana say it will take longer than expected to fix a 30-foot deep sinkhole that’s closed a street near the city’s downtown since the weekend. The sinkhole was caused after a 125 year-old brick sewer main collapsed.
Headlines
Residents in Seabrook, New Hampshire will have to pay about $2.5 million less for their new water treatment plant thanks to the federal stimulus money allocated to the town. Construction of the new plant is expected to begin this summer.
Doheny State Beach, in Dana Point, California reopened today following a sewage spill that forced swimmers, surfers and divers out of the ocean Monday.
The state of Washington has received 347 applications totaling $416 million for the $38 million from the economic stimulus devoted to water projects.
The city of Hesperia, California will pay $6 milion for a new sub-regional wastewater facility with the goal is to make the city’s water supplies stretch further for an ever-growing population.
Sewer Rate News
West Cape May, New Jersey
Wilmington, Delaware
Xenia, Ohio
01.12.09
Monday Headlines: Op-Ed Favors Stimulus, Infrastructure Investment
An op-ed in yesterday’s Pittsburgh Post-Gazette describes what a $1 trillion economic stimulus package could do to revitalize Pittsburgh and some of the nation’s older cities. While the piece addresses overall infrastructure investment, there is this passage from the op-ed.
Water and Wastewater Infrastructure: Older communities have been left with the legacy costs of an antiquated water system. The cost to repair it exceeds the tax base. Funds should be made available to bring systems with combined sewer overflow violations into compliance and promote source water protection and availability. No one wants to live or work in a region with dirty air or dirty water.
12.08.08
Monday Headlines: Water Main Break Causes Hazard on Ohio Turnpike
A 12-inch water main break in Elyria, Ohio on Saturday, gushed icy cold water onto the Ohio Turnpike turning at least one lane into a slippery hazard. These are common problems in this part of the country.
“This happens all the time in the wintertime,” said Assistant Safety Service Director Jim Hutchson. “As everyone knows, the lines are old. So you are going to have more breaks. This kind of weather causes stress on them. They are all outdated, not big enough.”
Headlines
Brian Phelps pens an op-ed for The Tennessean on the need for Nashville to address its overburdened sewer system. Last year, the city signed a consent decree with the EPA, agreeing to a nine-year plan to reduce pollution flowing into the Cumberland River.
A break in an 8-inch water main has left a section of Shelton, Connecticut without water today.
Sarasota County Utilities is on the scene of a 12-inch water main break that has occurred this morning. Officials estimate that water service will be interrupted for at least three hours while repairs are made, causing significant traffic disruption along the road where the break took place.
In Rome, Georgia, low temperatures near 20 degrees caused a water main to break early this morning and ice over the roadway.
Sewer Rate News
Ceres, California
Grandview, Washington
Logan, Utah
Salem, Oregon
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
