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(Attention dial-up users: The videos listed below begin to play as soon as you click on the site. This may slow your connection.)Sewers of Mexico City National Geographic/You Tube 04:04
A wade through the sewers of San Francisco YouTube 04:44
Sewer robot YouTube 02:24
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Raw sewage in Africa's Lake Victoria: BBC News_ 6/26/07
Wastewater News
Abu Dhabi to build 25-mile sewage tunnel
The Abu Dhabi Sewerage Services Company (ADSSC) is stepping up efforts to implement the Strategic Tunnel Enhancement Programme (STEP) during the next six years to establish a tunnel that will cater to the immediate, short and long-term needs of Abu Dhabi's wastewater and drainage issues. The STEP project comprises 40 kilometres of deep sewerage tunnel and two new large pumping stations. Omur Akay, Senior Vice President of CH2M Hill Company, said in an interview for Khaleej Times that the company is keen to support Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority (ADWEA) and ADSSC. Business Intelligence Middle East_ 6/30/08
Indiana reviewing wastewater release from Pfizer
State and federal officials are working to assess environmental impacts related to a release of water and the possible release of sediments containing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from a wastewater lagoon at the Pfizer facility in Terre Haute. Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) staff began investigating the potential release of PCB-contaminated sediments on June 7, when Pfizer personnel reported a dam break at the Pfizer lagoon during heavy rains and flooding. No immediate public health risk has been identified related to the release of wastewater and possible release of sediments from the lagoon. In 1977, the manufacture of PCBs was stopped in the United States due to studies showing a number of serious health effects related to exposure to PCBs. News Release/Inside INdiana Business_ 6/30/08
Cocaine, meth, heroin: City sewers reveal a community's illegal drug choice
Environmental scientists are beginning to use an unsavory new tool -- raw sewage -- to paint an accurate portrait of drug abuse in communities. Like one big, citywide urinalysis, tests at municipal sewage plants in many areas of the United States and Europe, have detected illicit drugs such as cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and marijuana. Law enforcement officials have long sought a way to come up with reliable and verifiable calculations of narcotics use, to identify new trends and formulate policies. Surveys, the backbone of drug-use estimates, are only as reliable as the people who answer them. But sewage does not lie. Since people excrete chemicals in urine and flush it down toilets, measuring raw sewage for street drugs can provide quick, fairly precise snapshots of drug use in communities, even on a particular day. Los Angeles Times_ 6/24/08 (logon required)
In Iowa, raw sewage flowed into flooded rivers
Dozens of sewage treatment plants across Iowa -- including Cedar Rapids’ -- have either overflowed or been shut down, sending raw sewage into rivers, a state spokesman said. Kevin Baskins of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources said the Cedar Rapids plant is under water and will be closed down for at least two months. In addition, every sewage treatment plant in the Cedar, Wapsipinicon and Maquoketa river basins in northeast Iowa is under water and shut down. The number of plants that have sent untreated sewage into rivers could reach hundreds before the floods crest statewide, Baskins added. Residents who have to come into contact with river water should ask their doctor for advice on shots, and should bathe as soon as possible after leaving the floodwaters. The contaminants can cause severe intestinal illness and skin, eye and ear infections. Des Moines Register_ 6/13/08
St. Paul, Minnesota, asks residents to limit wastewater
People in St. Paul are being told to limit their wastewater after a part of the city's sewage system collapses. The city said a group of pipes intersect below a manhole. and the tank they lead into collapsed. It happened around 8:00 Monday night. Officials said too much groundwater made the land around the tank too soft. The city says it will take at least a couple days to pump out all the excess water in the area. Once that is done it will take a couple more days to repair the pipes. KHAS_ 6/10/08
WaterWebster Staff
June 4, 2008
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The award for developing the world's largest groundwater recharge purification plant will be presented to executives from the Orange County Water District and the Orange County Sanitation District on Aug. 21 during the 2008 World Water Week in Stockholm. According to a news release announcing the award, the GWR System diverts highly treated sewer water that is currently discharged into the ocean and purifies it through a series of advanced techniques: microfiltration, reverse osmosis, ultraviolet disinfection and hydrogen peroxide. The cleaned water is returned to the groundwater basin to increase both water supply and quality. The GWR system has established a blueprint for large-scale wastewater purification that is already being emulated in dry regions and nations, such as Singapore. The Stockholm Industry Water Award honours and encourages business sector contributions to sustainable development in the water sector.
Draining the basin that's Mexico City
The enormous expanse of concrete and asphalt known as Mexico City was once a lake. And each year, starting about this time, it seems hell-bent on becoming one again. The rainy season, which begins in earnest soon, offers an annual reminder to the 20 million residents of the metropolitan area that they inhabit a big tub with no natural drain. In low-lying neighborhoods, residents are so accustomed to seeing a fetid sea of sewage rise in the streets that they have built miniature dikes in front of their homes. Since the days of the Aztecs, inhabitants have labored to manage the waters of the basin cradling modern-day Mexico City. Now they're trying again, with a much-touted, $1.3-billion government effort to revamp the massive but overwhelmed sewer system. The project involves a series of newly installed pump stations, a planned new 30-mile drainage tunnel, and repairs to parts of the 7,400-mile system of aging pipes and tunnels that carries rainwater and human waste from the city. Los Angeles Times_ 4/28/08 (logon required)
ConocoPhillips, GE unit to work on Qatar wastewater cleaning issues
ConocoPhillips, the third-biggest U.S. oil company, and a unit of General Electric Co. said they will work together to develop water solutions in Qatar primarily for the petroleum and petrochemical industries. The water sustainability center, situated in the Qatar Science and Technology Park, is expected to open in late 2008, the companies said today in a statement. Financial terms weren't provided. Fairfield, Conn.-based GE and Houston-based ConocoPhillips will develop cost-effective treatments to remove petrochemical residue from wastewater. About three barrels of water are produced for every barrel of oil produced on average. Bloomberg/Houston Chronicle_ 4/21/08
El Paso, Texas, Holocaust Museum flooded by sewage water
Just six weeks after the El Paso Holocaust Museum & Study Center celebrated its grand re-opening, the museum has been struck by another setback. Museum employees arrived early Friday to find the museum had been flooded overnight by sewage water. Leslie Novick, the museum's executive director, said none of the museum's Holocaust artifacts were destroyed. "Thankfully, our artifacts are high enough off the ground. The only things that are ruined are things that can be replaced: carpeting, computers and furniture," Novick said. "The offices are what took the brunt of the damage." The cause of the flood is still under investigation, and El Paso Water Utilities crews were on site trying to fix the problem, Novick said. El Paso Times_ 3/14/08
Siemens to supply Georgia Tech with water treatment system
The Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) has selected Siemens Water
Technologies to provide multi-million dollar wastewater and ultrapure water
treatment systems for a new, 55 million euros ($80 million) nanotechnology
research centre, located in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. The wastewater treatment
system will treat acid/or alkaline waste streams, and the ultrapure water treatment
system is designed to meet very tight water quality specifications required by the
Centre’s research programs. Construction on the new centre is slated to be
complete in October, 2008. The new nanotechnology centre will be the most advanced nanotechnology facility in the Southeast, the first of its kind in the region, and will be one of the most sophisticated in the country. Mechanical contractor on both the wastewater and ultrapure water systems is Mann Mechanical, Avondale Estates, GA. Georgia Tech and MW Zander/Whiting-Turner, are the Project engineers. News Release_ 2/25/08
University of Missouri-Rolla students tackle sanitation projects for Engineers Without Borders
Last summer, the 15 Rolla engineering students traveled to the Bolivian villages of Inka Katurapi and Rio Colorado, both outside the capital of La Paz. In Inka Katurapi, they taught the roughly 80 families living in mud brick homes how to build, operate and maintain composting latrines for each family. In Rio Colorado, another group of students mixed mortar and laid bricks to build new showers for a school and installed plumbing to handle the increased water flow. Last year, they replaced the school’s shallow, bacteria-filled wells with deeper ones. “I know that when I graduate I’m going to use my degree to do this kind of work,” said Tom Scroggin, a 21-year-old Rolla senior from Kansas City, who worked on the Rio Colorado project. “It’s powerful knowing the scope of how much you can affect the world." Established in 2002, Engineers Without Borders-USA has about 200 chapters around the country and 8,000 members. Sixty percent of the chapters are made up of college students. AP/Park Hills Daily Journal_ 2/8/08
The $568,230 in sewage facilities enforcement grants announced today will help 188 municipalities enforce on-lot sewage system requirements. The grants reimburse local governments for costs associated with permitting these systems. Another $1 million in sewage facilities planning grants was awarded to municipalities, counties and authorities to reimburse the costs associated with preparing and revising official plans that ensure the adequate operation and maintenance of sewage facilities. The Pennsylvania Sewage Facilities Act, known as Act 537, requires municipalities--either individually or as members of multi-municipal sewage agencies--to enforce on-lot sewage system requirements. Requirements include evaluating and permitting new systems, properly repairing malfunctioning systems, and investigating complaints in a timely manner. News Release_ 1/23/08
California store owners sue over sewage water in their taps; Candy store closes
Store owners at an Eastlake California business park who discovered that recycled sewage water was flowing through their taps have sued the Otay Water District, Chula Vista and their landlord. The owners of Candy Bouquet, a gift store that closed in November, filed their lawsuit Wednesday. Attorney Anthony Dain, who represents the store, said other business owners were filing similar suits this week. In August, owners of the 17 stores at the Fenton Business Center discovered they had been getting treated sewage water in their pipes for two years because a recycled-water pipe had been connected to a meter for drinking water. The problem was corrected, but store owners at the park said their businesses suffered. Another store, Dream Dinners, also closed. The lawsuits allege that Otay failed to assure the waterlines were correctly connected and that Chula Vista improperly approved the flawed plans. Otay General Manager Mark Watton said he could not comment because he has not seen the lawsuits. He said Otay has settled 60 claims in connection with the incident. SignOnSanDiego.com_1/4/08
Orange County sewage will soon be drinking water
As a hedge against water shortages and population growth, Orange County, California has begun operating the world's largest, most modern reclamation plant -- a facility that can turn 70 million gallons of treated sewage into drinking water every day. The new purification system at the Orange County Water District headquarters in Fountain Valley cost about $490 million and comprises a labyrinth of pipes, filters, holding tanks and pumps across 20 acres. Almost four years after construction began, the facility is now purifying effluent from a neighboring sewage treatment plant run by the Orange County Sanitation District, a partner in the venture. The finished product will be injected into the county's vast groundwater basin to combat saltwater intrusion and supplement drinking water supplies for 2.3 million people in coastal, central and northern Orange County. But before that can be done, state health officials must certify that the reclaimed water meets drinking water standards. Officials expect the approval to be granted before opening ceremonies Jan. 25. Los Angeles Times_1/2/08
Deluge of sewage left in wake of Washington state storm
The deluge that submerged Western Washington early this week also pushed hundreds of thousands of gallons of raw sewage into Seattle-area lakes, streams and homes. Three days after the heaviest rains abated, King County public utilities managers were still trying to determine how much sewage was released. Annie Kolb-Nelson, spokeswoman for King County's wastewater-treatment division, sewer operators around the county were forced to divert runoff and sewage into waterways to stop it from backing up into people's homes. Preliminary reports show that untreated human waste was released from county-operated sewers at nine locations, Kolb-Nelson said. In addition to the sanitary sewer overflows, the county and the city of Seattle also released runoff mixed with a small amount of sewage at dozens of other locations as part of an emergency overflow system. One of the most severe releases occurred at Medina, where 250,000 to 500,000 gallons of raw sewage flowed into Lake Washington, said Larry Altose, a Department of Ecology spokesman. SeattlePost-Intelligencer_ 12/6/07
Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District selects Veolia Water to manage regional wastewater system; 10-year, $400 million contract launches largest U.S. wastewater partnership
The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) has selected Veolia Water North America – Central LLC (Veolia Water) to manage a regional wastewater system serving the greater Milwaukee area under a 10-year contract valued at approximately $400 million. Approved by MMSD commissioners, the public-private partnership represents the nation’s largest wastewater contract and is expected to save approximately $35 million over the contract term compared to MMSD’s estimate to manage the system through public operations. Veolia Water’s proposal includes comprehensive programs to enhance operations and maintenance of the system. MMSD officials considered multiple factors in the competitive procurement including technical approaches, experience, corporate resources, transition plans, employee relations, community involvement and activities to bolster Small/Women/Minority Business Enterprise activity. MMSD is a state-chartered, governmental agency providing wastewater services for 28 municipalities with a population of 1.1 million. As one of the nation’s largest and most sophisticated wastewater systems, MMSD operations include a 411-square-mile service area with a 3,000-mile system of collection sewers and a 310-mile system of interceptor and main sewers, conveying wastewater to two treatment facilities that typically treat more than 200 million gallons of wastewater each day, with a combined peak capacity of 630 million gallons. The contract also includes operation of a 26.5-mile long deep tunnel system to help control wet-weather overflows, and production management of Milorganite®, the district’s nationally branded and marketed biosolids fertilizer product created at MMSD’s Jones Island wastewater facility. Press Release_12/4/07
San Diego City Council overrides mayor veto of recycled sewage for drinking water
The City Council voted 5-3 Monday to override Mayor Jerry Sanders' veto of a pilot program to use recycled sewage to supplement San Diego's drinking water supply. The council voted in October to initiate a one-year reclaimed water demonstration project by next July. The project would essentially be a small-scale test of how the technology would work and serve to determine the cost of its use. The results would be used to determine whether the city ultimately initiates a potable water reuse program. Sanders wants increased conservation and the exploration of new sources of water, like desalination and the exploitation of groundwater. San Diego imports about 90 percent of its water, primarily from Northern California and the Colorado River. Fox6_ 12/4/07
New legislation promotes latest water saving technology
In an effort to save badly neededwater from going down the drain, Governor Schwarzenegger recently signedlegislation, AB 715, requiring the installation of high efficiency toilets,both dual flush and single flush models. The law makes California the firststate in the nation to mandate high efficiency toilets (HETs), and is expectedto save about 8 billion gallons of water annually. Phase-in of the rulingbegins January 2010 and requires that 100 percent of all toilets installed orsold by January 2014 be the high efficiency type. Reuters_11/28/07
On Nov. 30, for millions of people in Orange County, pulling the lever will be the start of a long, intense process to purify the sewage into drinking water — after a hard scrubbing with filters, screens, chemicals and ultraviolet light and the passage of time underground. On that Friday, the Orange County Water District will turn on what industry experts say is the world’s largest plant devoted to purifying sewer water to increase drinking water supplies. They and others hope the $481 million Groundwater Replemishment System serves as a model for authorities worldwide facing persistent drought, predicted water shortages and projected growth. The process, called by proponents “indirect potable water reuse” and “toilet to tap” by the wary, is getting a close look in several cities including San Diego., San Jose, South Florida and Texas. The finished product, which district managers say exceeds drinking water standards, will not flow directly into kitchen and bathroom taps; state regulations forbid that. Instead it will be injected underground, with half of it helping to form a barrier against seawater intruding on groundwater sources and the other half gradually filtering into aquifers that supply 2.3 million people, about three-quarters of the county. The recycling project will produce much more potable water and at a higher quality than did the mid-1970s-era plant it replaces. New York Times_ 11/27/07 (logon required)
UN calls for spending $10 billion a year to improve the world's clean water and sanitation
The United Nations proposed Wednesday that nations invest $10 billion (€6.75 billion) a year in supplying clean water and sanitation for the third of the planet's population who lacks them. "The international community has failed to deliver on this basic right. Today, more than 2 billion people around the world lack access to basic sanitation services," U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in naming 2008 the U.N.'s International Year of Sanitation to highlight the problem. Some 90 percent of the human sewage in developing countries goes untreated and is allowed to pollute the public's water supplies, for lack of sewage treatment plants, according to U.N. figures. "An estimated 42,000 people die every week from diseases related to low water quality and an absence of adequate sanitation. And this situation is unacceptable," Ban said. At the current pace of development, it could take another 100 years to improve sanitation in sub-Saharan countries "which means that an additional 133 million African children will die if nothing changes," said Dutch Crown Prince Willem Alexander, who heads Ban's advisory board on water and sanitation issues. Ban said investing $10 billion (€6.75 billion) a year globally could provide basic toilet facilities by 2015 for as many as half of the 2.6 billion people who currently lack them. The money would come from the U.N.'s 192 member nations, international finance organizations, and partnerships with businesses. International Herald Tribune_11/21/07
Reuters Interview: Toilets, a life or death issue for world's poor
Going to the toilet is a matter of life and death in the world's poorest countries where lack of sanitation and poor hygiene kill hundreds of thousands, especially children, every year. "One in four people in the world don't have a safe place to go to the toilet," said Barbara Frost, chief executive of UK-based charity WaterAid which marked World Toilet Day on Monday by launching an international campaign for more hygiene awareness and investment in sanitation. Speaking from Mali in West Africa, Frost said the absence of clean toilet facilities, access to safe water and efficient sanitation was directly related to the spread of diseases, most preventable, that killed 1.8 million children a year. Reuters_ 11/19/07
A sanitation crisis that's no joke
According to the World Health Organization, 40 percent of the globe, or 2.6 billion people, have no access to hygienic toilets. They must use latrines, outhouses or buckets — or simply the bushes or rivers nearby. The World Toilet Summit, which just took place in New Delhi, is an attempt to improve that situation by drawing attention to the problem and pushing for better sanitation technologies. It is the brainchild of Jack Sim, a Singapore real estate mogul who grew up in poverty and remembers seeing children in his neighborhood shedding worms as they ran around diaperless. In 2001, he founded the World Toilet Organization, which has a blue toilet seat for its logo. Despite the silly name, he means serious business. Toilets get too little respect, Mr. Sim argues, openly wishing that someone with more celebrity than he has would take up the cause, because lack of adequate toilets threatens more children than, for example, global warming does. New York Times_ 11/4/07 (logon required)
Kentucky/ Ohio water fight: Is new wastewater plant too close to Cincinnati water intake?
Northern Kentucky is spending $75 million to build a new waste water treatment plant that Cincinnati Water Works contends is too close to its drinking water intake pipes for health and safety reasons. At issue is what kind of water will be discharged into the Brush Creek in Alexandria and then flow into the Ohio River, and how that will affect the water Cincinnati takes from the Ohio and uses for drinking water. Sanitation District Number 1 is just weeks away from operating its new plant. But Cincinnati Water Works says this plant could spill a laundry list of potential hazards into the Ohio River – and into Cincinnati's drinking water. But the general manager of Northern Kentucky's Sanitation District 1, which is building the new waste water treatment plant, says his plant exceeds federal and state regulations on waste water. 9NEWS_ 9/13/07
Chicago River's link to illness studied
Most of the water in the Chicago River is treated sewage loaded with bacteria, but officials contend they shouldn't be forced to clean up the waterway unless a newly commissioned study finds people are getting sick from the murky flow. Under pressure from Mayor Richard Daley and others to turn the stagnant canals into civic amenities, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District asked researchers to survey folks who dip a canoe or kayak into the river during the next year. The goal is to compare their rates of illness to the rates for people who swim in Lake Michigan or have no contact with either body of water. Until the district commissioned the study, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency had been on track to move forward with standards that for the first time would limit the amount of bacteria allowed in the river. Environmental groups grumble that the study could delay or scuttle those efforts. District officials are drawing up plans to disinfect the region's treated sewage, something most other large cities already do. But they also argue that it might not be worth it to clean up the river. Chicago Tribune_ 9/14/07
Chula Vista, California business park gets treated sewage instead of drinking water--for two years
The 17 stores at Fenton Business Center in Eastlake were ordered Friday not to drink or wash their hands with tap water after tests from a private lab showed they were getting recycled water, or treated sewage, instead of drinkable water. Otay Water District officials are investigating, but it appears a mis-marked pipe was the cause. Two food-related businesses – the Candy Bouquet, which creates candy baskets, and Dream Dinners, a meal-preparation store – were shut down by the county. Some business owners are concerned a former Otay inspector who pleaded guilty to a bribery charge could be at fault. In 2005, Otay inspector William Cooper pleaded guilty to taking $5,000 in exchange for overlooking deficiencies in underground water and sewer lines on two Chula Vista residential developments. Mark Watton, Otay's general manager, confirmed Cooper was one of the inspectors on the Fenton Business Park project. He said he has not determined whether that is related to the bad connection. Lea Brooks, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Public Health, said recycled water is treated but can contain bacteria and viruses that cause diarrhea and other illnesses. San Diego Union-Tribune_ 8/23/07
Coca Cola buys bottled water for some residents of Paw Paw, Michigan after tainting groundwater
For 23 years, the Coke-owned Minute Maid plant sprayed waste water into the soil. Some companies still get rid of waste water that way but people are finding it can contaminate wells. "We believe in being responsible and this is part of being that," said a representative from the plant. A handful of people living about a half mile from the Coca Cola plant in Paw Paw received letters stating their well water contained too many metals. To combat this Coke had to shell out big money. "In conjunction with the MDEQ, we decided to build a state of the art wastewater treatment plant. We spent seven million dollars to process our waste and deliver it back cleaner to the environment," said the plant representative. NewsChannel3_ 8/27/07
The state board said the financial assistance to the Harris County Water Control and Improvement District No. 89 came from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. Located near downtown Houston, District No. 89's wastewater treatment plant is nearing capacity and is in need of expansion. It currently serves a population of about 4,300 people living in about 1,300 homes and about five commercial entities including a 240-unit apartment complex.
Houston Business Journal_ 8/27/07
Wastewater allows drug testing of whole cities
Researchers have figured out how to give an entire community a drug test using just a teaspoon of wastewater from a city's sewer plant. The test wouldn't be used to finger any single person as a drug user. But it would help federal law enforcement and other agencies track the spread of dangerous drugs, like methamphetamine, across the country. Oregon State University scientists tested 10 unnamed American cities for remnants of drugs, both legal and illegal, from wastewater streams. They were able to show that they could get a good snapshot of what people are taking. One of the early results of the new study showed big differences in methamphetamine use city to city. One urban area with a gambling industry had meth levels more than five times higher than other cities. Yet methamphetamine levels were virtually nonexistent in some smaller Midwestern locales, said Jennifer Field, the lead researcher and a professor of environmental toxicology at Oregon State. The ingredient Americans consume and excrete the most was caffeine, Field said. AP/WCVB_ 8/22/07
Singapore converts sewer water to bottled, but image is still a problem
NEWater looks and tastes like any other bottled water, and is the brand name of sewage-turned-drinking water produced by Singapore's public utilities agency. More specifically, NEWater is treated wastewater from domestic households. Since 2002, the reclaimed wastewater has been purified using dual-membrane and ultraviolet technologies, in addition to conventional water treatment processes. However, a number of Singaporeans still think of NEWater as "toilet water", and they dare not drink it. "I'm not brave enough to drink it," said Singaporean resident Hassan. "NEWater is crystal-clear drinking water and is cleaner than water from the seas, rivers or swimming pools," said Tan Ban Thong, manager of Water Hub, Singapore's premier center for research and development in cutting-edge water technologies. However, bottles of NEWater are not currently sold in the market. One of the reasons is that Singapore is one of the few countries in the world where tap water is safe to drink. In Singapore, bottled water makes up only about 0.03 percent of the total domestic water consumption. Compared to many countries like France, Indonesia and Italy, Singapore ranks among the lowest in per capita bottled water consumption. Today, NEWater is sold only to industries and commercial buildings. Since 2003, NEWater has been used for water fabrication processes, non-potable applications in manufacturing, as well as air-conditioned cooling towers in commercial buildings. In these ways, NEWater frees up potable water for domestic consumption. Jakarta Post_ 8/22/07
Criticized by some New Albany City Council members for entering into a $507,000 no-bid contract, the city's three-member Storm Water Board resigned yesterday at the end of its regular monthly meeting. Tim Deatrick, who was appointed head of the board by Mayor James Garner after it was set up by the council last year, said a main factor in the unanimous decision to resign was the council's 6-2 vote last week to override a veto by Garner. The mayor had tried to block a council resolution that authorized filing a lawsuit to determine if two no-bid contracts, including the one involving the Storm Water Board, were valid. Both of the contracts awarded last month are with Environmental Management Corp., the company that has run the city's sewer system since 2001. First the Sewer Board, over the objections of some council members, voted 5-0 to extend its agreement with Environmental Management, but for $3.3 million annually. That is $300,000 less than under the current agreement. A few weeks later, the Storm Water Board voted 2-1, with Asberry opposed, to enter into a contract with Environmental Management to run the storm-water operations for $507,000 annually. The agreements were awarded without competitive bidding. Lawyers for both boards have contended that bids are not required under state law because the contracts are for professional services, not for specific construction or other projects. But the agreements prompted immediate council criticism, resulting in adoption of the resolution authorizing Jerry Ulrich, the council's lawyer, to ask Floyd Circuit Court if the contracts are valid. Ulrich has said he believes state law required bids for both contracts. Louisville Courier-Journal_ 8/18/07
Florida considering punishment for water treatment plant
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection is reviewing enforcement options against the Golden Gate Waste Water Treatment Plant in Golden Gate City. According to the DEP, the Collier County plant is operating above capacity and is in need of expansion. The plant is operated by the Florida Governmental Utility Authority and officials have promised in the past, under the parameters of a permit, to expand. But ABC7 has learned that the deadline for those parameters has passed and now the DEP is trying to figure out why FGUA didn't meet the proper requirements. DEP says it cannot close the plant down or punish FGUA for operating over capacity because the product it puts out is within environmental guidelines. ABC7_ 8/14/07
Black & Veatch to host Kansas City youth for rain garden and water engineering learn-in
The company also will award $500 scholarships to visiting students. The “Learn-in Day” for the Kansas City Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) crew on June 19 includes interactive sessions on rain gardens and water engineering. The company will award $500 scholarships to each of the six 16- to 18-year-olds taking part in the “Learn-in Day” who complete the YCC program this summer. The YCC program is co-sponsored by the Missouri Department of Conservation and the Full Employment Council. It provides summer projects for inner-city and minority youth that stress the importance of environmental conservation and research. One focus for the inaugural program this summer is to build four rain gardens throughout the Kansas City area. Rain gardens are sunken areas planted with native perennials that are specially designed to collect stormwater runoff and return it to the ground naturally and safely. According to recent research, properly designed rain gardens can effectively trap and retain a high percentage of common pollutants in urban storm runoff, which is designed to improve water quality. News Release_ 6/12/07
Gray water's red tape
Homeowners who want to recycle water jump through governmental hoops first.
The Western red bud trees, ceanothus, island snapdragon and other native flora have been planted with care and precision in front of a new Santa Monica house. Good thing they're not thirsty plants, because not one drop of water has flowed from a special irrigation system installed last June. Homeowner Steve Glenn is frustrated. He's still waiting for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health to sign off in order to turn on the underground drip system, which will recycle water from his bathroom sinks, showers, laundry sink and clothes washer. Using so-called gray water during what may be a record dry year seems like a no-brainer, but Glenn is finding otherwise. Residents who want to conserve a precious natural resource encounter road blocks, often in the form of red tape. California authorized the use of gray water statewide for single-family homes in 1992. The state Department of Water Resources developed standards and provided a Graywater Guide for homeowners and others. But particulars such as permit and inspection requirements were left to local jurisdictions. In Santa Monica and Los Angeles, for example, the building and safety departments oversee gray-water construction. Both cities also require approval from the L.A. County health department. The agencies often have different requirements, which can ratchet up a homeowner's cost to install a gray-water system. Los Angeles Times_3/29/07
Three die in Gaza sewage flood
An earth embankment around a cesspool suddenly collapsed Tuesday, spewing a river of sewage and mud that killed three people and forced residents to flee from the village of Umm Naser in northern Gaza, officials said. A local official blamed shoddy infrastructure in Umm Naser, a town of 3,000, for the disaster. A 70-year-old woman, 4-year-old boy and a man died in the sudden flood, and 25 people were injured, said Dr. Muawiya Hassanin of the Palestinian Health Ministry. At least 25 houses were completely submerged. Several major sewage treatment projects funded by foreign donors, including one in Umm Naser, were frozen after Hamas won elections last year. The U.S. and EU consider Hamas a terrorist group. AP/CNN_ 3/27/07
Officials from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the American Pharmacists Association signed a formal agreement today outlining how they will work cooperatively to build consumer awareness of the hazards posed by the improper disposal of unused and expired medications into the nation's waterways. As part of the effort - dubbed "SMARxT DISPOSAL" - they will publicize the potential environmental and health impacts of unused medications when they are flushed into our nation's sewer systems. Three small steps can make a huge difference:
1. DO NOT FLUSH unused medications. Consumers were once advised to flush their expired or unused medications; however, recent environmental impact studies report that this could be having an adverse impact on the environment. While the rule of thumb is not to flush, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has determined that certain medications should be flushed due to their abuse potential. Read the instructions on your medication and talk to your pharmacist.
2. When tossing unused medications, protect children and pets from the potentially negative effects. The pharmacists association recommends that consumers:
- Crush solid medications or dissolve them in water (this applies for liquid medications as well) and mix with kitty litter or sawdust (or any material that absorbs the dissolved medication and makes it less appealing for pets or children to eat), then place in a sealed plastic bag BEFORE tossing in the trash.
- Remove and destroy ALL identifying personal information (prescription label) from the medication container.
- Check for approved state and local collection programs or with area hazardous waste facilities. In certain states, you may be able to take your unused medications to your community pharmacy.
3. Talk To Your Pharmacist. Research shows that pharmacists are one of the most accessible healthcare professionals. As the medication experts on the healthcare team, pharmacists are available to guide you on how to properly dispose of your unused medications. News Release_ 3/20/07
Newsday Special Report part 1: Sewage no longer a dirty word in New York's Suffolk County
A growing number of local officials are starting to see their sewer plants as their greatest asset. It is the kind of talk all but unheard since the Southwest Sewer District corruption scandal of the late 1970s outraged taxpayers, killed political careers and left one of America's most populous counties reliant on backyard septic systems to handle the waste from more than two thirds of its homes. For 30 years, the word "sewer" has been taboo, and the absence of sewers has been a prime engine driving suburban sprawl and shaping the built landscape in powerful but scarcely noticed ways. But lately, a rising public demand for affordable housing, clean waterways and vibrant downtowns has compelled a rethinking. "Sewers have come out of the closet!" says Smithtown's planning director, Frank DeRubeis. How they got into the closet in the first place is a cautionary tale of the importance of getting big public works projects right. Forty years ago, Long Island planners were busy planning a sewer systems project that became a mess that reached its crescendo in 1979 when the county official in charge of the project was stabbed in the back with a fishing knife by his lover and killed, just as he was preparing to spill the beans to investigators. Newsday_ 3/11/07
Newsday Special Report: 2nd of two parts. Septic tanks foul New York waterway
Researchers and health officials think nitrogen pollution from nearby cesspools bears much of the blame for the dismal state of the Forge River, which was designated an impaired waterway last year by New York State. Nationally nearly one in four households relies on cesspools or septic systems to dispose of sewage, according the federal Environmental Protection Agency. In Suffolk, that statistic gets turned on its head: Here about three out of four households use on-site wastewater treatment. The systems discharge sewage into the soil, and eventually to the groundwater, with minimal processing. Given Suffolk's unusual reliance on septic tanks and cesspools, environmentalists say the Forge River's decline serves as a warning for the future health of other bays, streams and the aquifers that supply Long Island's drinking water. Increasingly, county regulators agree. Newsday_ 3/12/07
U.S. aid freeze hits waste water projects in West Bank
Projects meant to make sweeping changes in the Palestinians' quality of life — like the sewage treatment plant that was to have been built in Yata village near Hebron — have been put on hold by U.S. sanctions following the rise to power of the militant Islamic Hamas group. Palestinians had hoped a power-sharing deal between Hamas and the moderate Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, would revive the aid, and a $250 million package of waste and wastewater programs the U.S. had planned for the West Bank and Gaza Strip. But U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice indicated in a recent visit to the region that this won't happen unless Hamas moderates its refusal to recognize Israel's existence. Other major donors have continued their smaller-scale infrastructure projects. More than 80 percent of communities in the West Bank aren't hooked up to a sewer network, and much of their waste ends up in riverbeds, some of it running into Israel, water experts said. AP/Houston Chronicle_ 3/4/07
February, 2007
Australia's New South Wales Premier Morrie Iemma refuses to tap into recycled water
Iemma today stepped up his attack against the Opposition's water recycling plans even though opinion polls show a big majority of Sydneysiders are willing to drink water reclaimed from treated sewage. Speaking on ABC Radio Mr Iemma said Labor's plan of reserving recycled water for industrial purposes only was the right way to go and he would not set up a water policy based on "the yo-yos of opinion polls". Sydney Morning Herald_ 2/19/07
New weather, old pipes challenge U.S. water supply
The difficult separation of drinking water and sewage may face more challenges than its aging infrastructure can withstand as unpredictable weather conditions produce floods that beset the nation, a Michigan State University water expert says. The nation needs better ways to monitor the safety of drinking water, Joan Rose, MSU's Nowlin Chair in water research, told the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting Friday. Her talk, "Drinking Water and Health: Forecasting Pathogen Risks in the Great Lakes," focused on ways to identify health threats before an outbreak. Rose's Great Lakes work is part of a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration effort to develop forecasts of water quality problems for lakes, rivers and streams. She said much of her Great Lakes work is focused on a water resources system that puts its faith more in water treatment than watershed protection for providing safe water. Focusing solely on treatment, she says, puts the water systems in peril from both overwhelming weather events and contaminants that resist conventional treatment. The recipe for disaster is there, including intake points for drinking water are not consistently shielded from the sewage that periodically spills into surface waters; there is inadequate monitoring of the rivers, lakes and streams that provide drinking water and the quality of the treated drinking water; and there are signs that the water and sewer pipes are getting old. Much of the United States -- particularly in the Great Lakes and the Northeast -- has combined sewer systems, in which sewage is carried to treatment facilities, but can overflow into rivers and lakes during storms. ScienceDaily_ 2/18/07
Recycled storm water and an underground lake give hope for easing water crisis in Sydney, Australia
Thousands of litres will be pumped out of the lake, running through disused rail tunnels from St James station to Macquarie St, as a showpiece for stormwater harvesting and recycling across Sydney. The supply, known as St James Lake - about 1km long, 10m wide and 5m deep, is expected to save more than 17 million litres of water a year. Under the plan, announced by Premier Morris Iemma yesterday, water will be piped from the roofs of Parliament House, Sydney Hospital and the State Library into the lake. It will then be treated and pumped back up to the surface for use in Parliament House for air conditioning, toilet flushing and garden watering. Mr Iemma said the $110,000 project was the latest of 72 stormwater harvesting, groundwater and recycling projects costing $40 million. Mr Iemma said the 72 projects would together save 10 billion litres of water a year - only enough to supply more than 40,000 homes. Mr Iemma promised to consult more extensively with residents affected by the desalination pipeline disruption. The Government was facing mass protests over plans to dig up streets for the pipeline. Daily Telegraph_ 2/5/07
January, 2007
Who's polluting Israel's 190 kilometer Mediterranean coast?
Some local marine environmentalist groups such as Zalul, a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting Israel's seas and rivers, point to Gush Dan Region's sewage management company Shafdan, headquartered in Rishon Lezion, as the country's greatest marine polluter. Gal Shoham, spokesperson and tour guide for Shafdan retorts, "It is not true. What we send to the sea is sludge - not raw sewage." And, he adds, the bacteria that end up pumped into the sea as sludge in a protected area of Palmahim beach are benign, and in fact a good source of food for fish. "The problem we do have at Shafdan is with the heavy metals still inside the bodies of the bacteria, such as cadmium and mercury." When the sludge gets pumped five kilometers from the coast at a depth of 38 meters, Shoham assures, there is not much to worry about. "We are working according to the law. If people want to argue with the law, they should speak to their municipalities." Professor Eilon Adar, head of the Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research at Ben-Gurion University, a hydrologist who works in the area of water desalination, is worried about how raw sewage from the Gaza Strip (currently untreated and dumped straight in the sea) will affect the sensitive membranes used in Israeli desalination plants. Israelis dump sludge and on some occasions also pump raw sewage into the sea. Jerusalem Post_ 1/31/07
American Water receives approval for “Green” water recycling project
American Water’s Applied Water Management Group has received New York City Department of Health certification for a state-of-the-art system that recycles wastewater at Tribeca Green, a 24-story apartment building in Battery Park City at the southern tip of Manhattan. The company also has four other “green” water recycling projects in Battery Park City, including a fully operational system at the Solaire apartment building that is generating 25,000 gallons of useable water daily. The Solaire project is the first of its kind in the nation to receive a Gold LEED rating from the U.S. Green Building Council. Other projects include a similar system close to completion at nearby Millennium Towers, another under construction for the River House tower and a fourth in the planning stages for the planned Battery Park City Site 3. Together these projects will capture about half of the wastewater produced by the buildings and return it as clean water suitable for use in toilets, gardens and air conditioning systems.
The new Tribeca Green wastewater system reduces the demand for potable water in the building by nearly half, providing a sustainable long term environmental advantage. Recycling equipment located in the basement treats and reclaims water for toilet flushing and air conditioning, plus irrigation of an adjacent park. An additional unit collects and processes storm water for reuse in the building’s roof gardens. Press Release_1/31/07
Recycled sewage to restock West Australia's aquifers
The state's Water Corporation yesterday launched a $38 million four-year trial under which 1.5 gigalitres of treated sewage and waste water would be pumped below ground annually to boost water levels on the Gnangara mound - a series of underground aquifers that feed Perth's water supply. But to offset public anxiety about using waste water for drinking, Water Corporation chairman Jim Gill said that water from the Beenyup Waste Water Treatment Plant would not be reused for a number of years, perhaps even decades. The existence of a pine plantation in the area and overuse by irrigators, market gardeners and the corporation itself had caused underground water levels on the Gnangara mound to drop by 6m over 25 years. With Perth's 10 dams at a fraction of their storage capacity, the corporation wants to focus public attention on waste water recycling, desalination and demand management. Water in metropolitan dams dropped to 27.7 per cent last year, below the 2005 level of 35per cent and the corporation predicts further reductions in rainfall will push storage levels even further down towards the 2002 level of 17 per cent. The Australian_ 1/3/06
The massive spill earlier this year sent more than 800,000 gallons of sewage into the Pacific Ocean and coastal groundwater supplies. The agency's agreement with the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board and Santa Monica Baykeeper avoids what was expected to be a prolonged legal fight over the spill, which was the largest into the Santa Monica Bay in a decade. The Jan. 15 spill resulted in 65,000 gallons of untreated wastewater flowing into the ocean, and an additional 780,000 gallons reaching groundwater supplies beneath Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach. The exact cause of the spill has not been made known. It closed beaches for several days. But a preliminary county investigation found that all four safeguards designed to prevent a major sewage spill failed at the pumping station. Los Angeles Times_ 12/29/06
A poll in The Australian newspaper has shown 70 per cent of people surveyed would drink recycled water, as long as it had been treated to the same quality as existing water supplies. State Water Utilities Minister David Campbell says there will be no need for recycled waste water to help boost the state's drinking water, as the State Government has other measures in place. Jeff Angel from the Total Environment Centre says the Government is not listening. The Australian/ABC.net.au_ 12/26/06
Federal judge OKs Los Angeles sludge transfer to Kern County, California
Los Angeles appeared to win a round Monday in its legal battle to keep dumping 250,000 tons of sewage sludge every year on farmland near Bakersfield. U.S. District Judge Gary Feess said he planned to issue a written ruling within a few days granting a preliminary injunction in favor of the city and its co-plaintiffs, including the sanitation districts for Los Angeles and Orange counties. The judge's comments came in a case brought by the city of Los Angeles challenging a ban overwhelmingly approved in June by Kern County voters that would halt the dumping. The law, known as Measure E, was spurred by concerns that the processed human waste could contaminate underground water reserves, damaging agriculture and leading to serious public health problems. Los Angeles Times_ 11/14/06 (logon required)
Florida's Broward County may replenish underground water supply with treated sewage
Under pressure to accommodate growth without drawing water from the Everglades, Broward County is considering a plan to replenish underground sources of drinking water by discharging treated sewage into canals. The county's environmental staff has drafted a proposal to lower water-quality standards for canals so they could accept highly treated sewage without exceeding legal pollution levels. But County Commissioner Kristin Jacobs and a group of environmentalists are protesting the plan, saying it would pollute canals with nitrogen and phosphorus, ruin wildlife habitat and destroy fishing spots. They say the county should pay to better clean the sewage so it could be discharged into the canals without impairing water quality. Sun-Sentinel_ 11/3/06
October, 2006
Texas water planners pin future hopes on wastewater reuse
When the toilet flushes, water goes down the drain and out of the minds of most people. But now that state water planners are banking on the reuse of wastewater to help provide for a growing population, just exactly where that “used” water goes is gaining importance. In its 2007 Water for Texas report, the Texas Water Development Board predicted the population of Texas will literally double over the next 50 years. According to the recommendations of more than 450 water planning group members from across the state, “If Texas does not implement the state water plan, about 85 percent of the state’s projected population will not have enough water by 2060." Part of the Texas Water Development Board’s strategy to deal with more users and less water focuses specifically on the reuse of wastewater. Weatherford Democrat_ 10/25/06
Used grease will help power Millbrae, California wastewater treatment plant
Fast food may not be good for you, but the grease it produces will soon replace fossil fuels at Millbrae's wastewater treatment plant. By the end of the month, leftover cooking grease collected from Bay Area restaurants will allow the plant to provide 80 percent of its own power, saving taxpayers money and cutting down on fossil fuel emissions. The $5.5 million upgrade to the plant will create a receiving dock for trucks to unload 3,000 gallons of grease a day. Microorganisms in the facility's existing solid-waste digester will eat their way through the grease, significantly boosting the amount of methane the plant uses to power its generators.
Mercury News_ 10/13/06
Using DNA to sniff out the source of the 'Malibu Smell'
Malibu's coastline is considered the Riviera of California, but the celebrity-studded city's famed beaches are often among the most dangerously fouled in the state. Officials suspect some of the septic tanks that handle the household sewage of Malibu's multimillion-dollar canyon homes are spilling pollutants into the oak-shaded creeks that tumble down to Santa Monica Bay, tainting Surfrider and other famous beaches. Los Angeles County plans soon to begin using DNA testing of sea water off Escondido and Ramirez canyons. The goal will first be to discern whether the waste is human or animal. Officials say they then plan to follow the trail wherever it leads, even if that means to the backyards and horse stables of well-heeled beachside and canyon residents. Owners of suspect systems will be required to upgrade them or face fines as high as $10,000 a day. In May, Malibu suffered a black eye in the annual California beach survey released by Santa Monica-based Heal the Bay. Escondido Beach "was the most polluted beach in the history of our report card," said Mark Gold, Heal the Bay's executive director. Los Angeles Times_ 10/5/06 (logon required)
September, 2006
New Frankford, Maryland water plant idle for more than two and a half years
Work is 95 percent complete on the $2.1 million project, yet it hasn't pumped a single ounce of water to the town's customers. Originally, a by-product of the water filtration process known as decant was meant to be disposed of through a county sewer hook-up -- something the county does not allow. Now the mistake may end up costing $500,000 in state grants.
Daily Times_ 9/24/06
Somerset, Rhode Island to recycle waste water through power plant
Officials from the town and the Brayton Point Power Station last night signed an innovative agreement to let the power plant tap up to 1.28 million gallons per day of treated sewer water from the town that would otherwise be dumped into the Taunton River. The effluent, also known as "gray water" or "reclaimed water," will be used to help operate Brayton Point's sulfur-scrubbing system, set to begin operations in October 2007. Because the power plant would otherwise have to use town drinking water, the agreement means less strain on the town's water supply and gives Brayton a less-expensive source of mostly clean water. Providence Journal_ 9/8/06
August, 2006
Following Philadelphia's 'green' formula for storm water runoff
Big pipes to drain off storm water aren't necessarily your friend. They may even be the reason the stream or river near your home isn't fit for swimming. The green revolutionaries of Philadelphia's Office of Watersheds are expounding a new philosophy of sustainable water management — to adapt city parks, roadways, school sites, lawns and yards so that they absorb and slowly filter out as much rainfall and storm water as feasible. Why? First, to stop storm water from flooding drainage systems and sending untreated sewage into local rivers and streams. Second, to minimize the fast, storm-induced runoff by pollutants that gather on a city's concrete and asphalt surfaces. Finally, heavy storms choke off streams and pollute the waterways with sediment from scraped-off land, construction sites and improperly protected farm fields. Houston Chronicle_ 8/13/06
New South Wales, Australia, councils consider recycled sewage water if drought get worse
One in three regional councils in NSW would consider using recycled waste water for domestic consumption if the state's water crisis was to worsen. A survey by The Sunday Telegraph found 35 out of 110 councils would be prepared to recycle sewage water for everyday use if drought conditions continued to dry up supply. This is despite NSW Premier Morris Iemma ruling out a referendum on the issue. The Age_ 8/5/06
July, 2006
Southeast Queensland, Australia to vote on drinking recycled wastewater
Queensland Premier Peter Beattie announced the referendum following Saturday's convincing 'no' vote in the drought-stricken city of Toowoomba over drinking water recycled from sewage effluent. Residents from Gympie south to the Gold Coast and west to Toowoomba will express their support for drinking their own waste water in the referendum to be held on March 29, to coincide with the Brisbane City Council government election. Mr Beattie said the controversial process would only be implemented to further bolster the government's strategies to address south-east Queensland's dire water shortage if residents approved. The Age_ 7/30/06
'Toilet to tap' proposal calls for recycled water for San Diego
Treated sewage would be used to augment reservoirs used to supply drinking water to San Diego's increasingly growing population in a plan presented to a City Council committee today. The proposal, dubbed "toilet to tap," is one of six strategies outlined in a nearly $1 million Water Department plan to increase the amount of recycled water used in San Diego. The council rejected a similar proposal in 1999. Without endorsing the plan, the Natural Resources and Culture Committee voted to forward it to the full City Council for consideration. The year-long study was compiled by a 67-member Assembly on Water Reuse, composed of representatives from the offices of elected officials, community groups, business organizations and environmentalists. North County Times_ 7/27/06
June, 2006
Canadian and American water utility associations and John Blatherwick, chief medical health officer for Vancouver Coastal Health, have all complained about the campaign and asked Brita to withdraw the TV commercial that provoked their anger. Brita has refused. The Canadian Water and Wastewater Association has filed a complaint with the Advertising Standards Council. The offending commercial shows a woman in a kitchen with a glass of water on the table. She leaves the room and you hear the sound of a toilet flushing. In time with the sound, the water in the glass drains away, then fills again like a toilet tank would. An announcer says the toilet water is the same as the tap water, and asks, "Don't you deserve a better quality to drink?" Vancouver Sun_ 6/10/06
May, 2006
Pacific Northwest lab mercury sponge technology now available for commercial use
A material designed to capture and remove mercury and other toxic substances from industrial waste streams is now available for commercial use. Battelle has licensed the SAMMS™ technology developed at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to Steward Environmental Solutions of Chattanooga, Tenn. Battelle operates the laboratory for the Department of Energy and transfers lab-developed technologies to the marketplace through licenses and other means. SAMMS™, or Self-Assembled Monolayers on Mesoporous Supports, is a technology that can be tailored to selectively remove metal contaminants without creating hazardous waste or by-products. Steward intends to initially market use of the SAMMS™ for treating stack emissions from coal fired power plants, process industry and municipal facilities. In tests conducted at PNNL, 99.9 percent of mercury in simulated waste water was successfully removed. That reduction places the mercury levels well below the Environmental Protection Agency’s discharge limits. This could equate to significant savings in disposal charges for users with mercury or other toxic metals in their facility waste streams, said Rick Skaggs, PNNL commercialization lead. Azonano.com_5/25/06
Threat seen from antibacterial soap chemicals that end up in sewage sludge and water
Tons of chemicals in antibacterial soaps used in the bathrooms and kitchens of virtually every home are being released into the environment, yet no government agency is monitoring or regulating them in water supplies or food. About 75% of a potent bacteria-killing chemical that people flush down their drains survives treatment at sewage plants, and most of that ends up in sludge spread on farm fields, according to Johns Hopkins University research. Every year, it says, an estimated 200 tons of two compounds — triclocarban and triclosan — are applied to agricultural lands nationwide. The findings, in a study published last week in Environmental Science & Technology, add to the growing concerns of many scientists that the Environmental Protection Agency needs to address thousands of pharmaceuticals and consumer product chemicals that wind up in the environment when they are flushed into sewers. Los Angeles Times_ 5/10/06 (logon required)
Cost of cleaner water in New Hampshire: $40million
Upgrading the Pierce Island sewer plant to comply with a recent federal ruling will probably cost ratepayers about $40 million, but not anytime soon, Portsmouth, N.H., officials said last week. The US Environmental Protection Agency sent a letter to the city last month saying it would not renew a longstanding waiver that had allowed the plant to operate outside Clean Water Act standards. Making the necessary improvements would mean several years' worth of scheduling, negotiations, design, and engineering before construction starts or rates go up, said City Manager John Bohenko. The Pierce Island plant, which is a primary treatment facility, dumps 4.5 million gallons of partially treated wastewater into the mouth of the Piscataqua River each day. The EPA has said that it will require the plant to add another level of cleansing, called secondary treatment, as required under the Clean Water Act, which would lead to a 25 percent cleaner discharge into the river. Options for meeting the EPA's demands include diverting some of the waste water now treated at Pierce Island to one of the city's other treatment facilities. Another option is building a new plant on the mainland and dismantling the Pierce Island plant altogether. Boston Globe_ 5/7/7
April, 2006
Ashghal to undertake waste water management project in Qatar
The Qatar Public Works Authority (Ashghal) has embarked upon a major initiative in the waste water management sector. Its projected quantum of treated waste water for the next five year is 150,000 million cubic litre. By 2016 it would be a whopping 345,000 million cubic litre, said Dr Ghazy Abdel Kerim, the Technical Expert with the Ashghal here today. The quality of the treated waste water would be improved according to the requirement of the Supreme Council of Environment and Natural Reserves. The quality of the treated waste water would be on par with the international standards. The treated waste water would be mainly utilised for irrigation and maintaining the public parks. The Ashaghal has also taken up a major initiative to collect the surface water and to re-use it after the treatment. The Peninsula_4/13/06
Oozing sewage pollutes 'green' Costa Rica
Tourists once flocked to the surf and wildlife of Tarcoles on Costa Rica's Pacific coast, but the filth of a sewage-rich river that oozes through Tarcoles has driven them away. The lack of sewage treatment for most its people is typical of much of Latin America and other poor areas of the world, where improper sanitation poses health risks and destroys valuable resources. Almost all the sewage from Costa Rica's urbanized central valley is pumped untreated upstream into the Tarcoles River. Now the Costa Rican government hopes to clean up the river by constructing a waste water treatment plant in the capital of San Jose about 100 km (62 miles) inland. The plant will handle 3,600 cubic meters (127,100 cubic ft) of sewage a day to cover around 65 percent of the central valley's population, or more than 1 million people. Reuters_ 4/10/06
Sewage, rain wash Hawaii vacations down the drain
The glum expression on Colleen Groat's face said it all. The 48-year-old Canadian had spent six months planning her first vacation in Hawaii, and not once during two weeks here did she set foot in the water. Her trips to the beach were met with signs that read: "WARNING. No swimming. No fishing. Sewage contaminated water." The famously blue waters of Oahu remained brown through most of Tuesday, tainted by 48 million gallons of untreated wastewater spilled during one of the rainiest stretches in Hawaii's recent history. Los Angeles Times_ 4/5/06
February, 2006
Michigan's Hamburg Township concerned by high salt levels in wastewater
High levels of salt discovered in test wells at the township's wastewater treatment plant have prompted the officials to take quick action that may include going door-to-door to inspect residents' water softeners. Supervisor Cindy Pine said as many as a quarter of the 2,500 sanitary sewer customers in the township may have their water softeners hooked up to discharge saltwater into the sewer system. The problem was discovered last Tuesday, when tests reveled sodium chloride levels as high as 540 milligrams per liter, and the allowable level is only 120. The tests were made while applying to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality to renew the sewer plant's groundwater discharge permit. Detroit News_ 2/23/06
St. Cloud, Minnesota issues water
alert after E.coli bacteria tests
The city of St. Cloud issued a drinking water warning Monday evening after
tests found a possible contamination of E. coli bacteria, a city official
said. The cause wasn't immediately known. E. coli can make people sick, especially
those with weakened immune systems like children and the elderly. It can cause
diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches or other symptoms. No one had reported
being sick Monday. The presence of fecal coliforms and
E. coli in water indicates the water may be contaminated with human or animal
wastes. AP/West Central Tribune_ 2/21/06
January, 2006
Traces of prescription drugs
from recycled wastewater found in southern California drinking water
aquifers
As new technology enables detection of infinitesimally smaller doses
of chemicals in the environment, Southern California water-quality
officials have learned that an array of hardy pharmaceuticals are defying
even the most sophisticated sewage treatments in use. Wherever there
is sewage, there are traces of whatever pills people have popped: antibiotics
and antipsychotics, birth-control hormones and beta blockers, Viagra
and Valium. "There is no place on Earth exempted from having pharmaceuticals
and steroids in its wastewater," said Shane Snyder, head toxicologist
at Las Vegas' water provider, the Southern Nevada Water Authority, and
one of the nation's leading experts on pharmaceuticals in water. "This
is clearly an issue that is global, and we're going to see more and more
of these chemicals in the environment; no doubt about it." In southern
California, the Whittier Narrows plant, which has operated in El Monte
since 1962, was the nation's first reclamation plant. Since then, nearly
half a trillion gallons of treated sewage from Whittier Narrows and two
other county plants have replenished the Central Basin aquifer beneath
the San Gabriel Valley, which supplies water to 4 million people. Los
Angeles Times_ 1/30/06 (logon required)
Ventura, California fined $700,000 by water board for wastewater discharges into Santa Clara River
The Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board cited the city for 244 violations of the discharge permit for its wastewater treatment plant from February 2000 to July 2005. In announcing the fine, however, the board's executive officer, Jonathan Bishop, said "They have been working diligently to bring themselves into compliance. Since July, they've had one violation, so we've seen great improvement at the plant." A city official said most of the violations, which allowed elevated levels of mercury, zinc, cyanide, lead and coliform to flow into the river's estuary, occurred as Ventura was completing a $14-million seismic upgrade of the facility, near Ventura Harbor. Don Davis, Ventura's utilities manager, said the 48-year-old plant has the capacity to clean 14 million gallons of water daily and handles more than 95% of the city's wastewater needs. Los Angeles Times_ 1/21/06 (logon required)
New look at glass to treat waste water
Trials have indicated that recycled glass could reduce the cost of filtration and is also kinder to the environment than traditional materials. Water companies will hear the results of the trials at a seminar to be held in Leeds, UK next month. They will hear how a series of independent trials funded by WRAP – the Waste & Resources Action Programme – have indicated that recycled glass filtration (RGFM) improves the quality of effluent, compared to traditional sand. Leeds Today_1/19/06
Los Angeles sewage system failures probed; miles of beaches closed
Joe Haworth, spokesman for the Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County, said hundreds of thousands of gallons of raw sewage from Sunday's 2-million-gallon spill may have reached the ocean, but beaches should reopen Wednesday. This morning, sanitation officials still had no explanation for the chain of failures that led to what they are calling the largest sewage spill into Santa Monica Bay in a decade. A power station, which is supposed to pump raw sewage to a treatment station in Carson, has connections to Southern California Edison lines as well as a backup generator, but all of them failed. An alarm system is supposed to warn the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts when the pumping station shuts down, but it also failed. "This is a very severe event for us," said Philip Friess, the head of the sewage agency, which serves 78 cities. Although sewage spills are not uncommon along the Southern California coast, experts said the Manhattan Beach spill was the largest in years. In 1998, a series of powerful winter storms dumped 50 million gallons of sewage into the bay over several months, but Sunday's incident was considered highly significant as a single-day spill. Los Angeles Times_ 1/17/06 (logon required)
Kern County, California voters
seek to block Los Angeles and other cities from trucking treated sewage
to farmland
The ballot measure could go before voters in June, unless it is adopted
into law by the Kern County Board of Supervisors before then. Half a
dozen sanitation agencies from Los Angeles and Orange counties ship 450,000
tons of treated sewage each year to Kern County, more than half of which — 273,000
tons — comes
from the city of Los Angeles. The sludge, also called biosolids, is what
is left over after treatment plants clean and remove water from sewage.
It is used to fertilize soil for the farming of produce that is then
fed to cows and other animals. None of the produce is used for human
consumption. Federal and state environmental laws have stopped cities
and counties from dumping the sludge in the ocean and have severely limited
the ability to dispose of the waste in local landfills, according to
John Collins, a Fountain Valley city councilman and former board chairman
for the Orange County Sanitation District. Kern County leaders say the
treated sewage presents a health risk because it contains heavy metals,
industrial waste and other toxic substances. Los Angeles Times_ 1/2/06
(logon required)
December, 2005
Suez wins $260 million wastewater contract in Qatar
French utility Suez said its Degremont unit won a 10-year contract worth $260 million to design, build and operate a waste water management factory near Doha in Qatar. The contract, which includes $180 million for the design and building of the factory, and $80 million for its operation, will be executed through a joint venture between Degremont and Japanese trading firm Marubeni Corp. Reuters_ 12/14/05
Tucson, Arizona looks to 'toilet-to-tap' for water of the future
Released more than a year ago, Tucson Water's draft 50-year water plan concludes that drinking treated wastewater is probably the way to go. The City Council is expected to act on the report in the spring of 2006. Dr. Daniel Okun, environmental engineering professor emeritus at the University of North Carolina, thinks that too many cities may be deciding to use effluent in the future. Okun strongly encourages policy makers to consider other options. "Why should we use drinking water for toilets?" he asks. Even though a number of Western cities, such as Santa Fe, N.M., have drastically cut their water consumption through both voluntary and mandatory regulation, Tucson Water's draft plan includes no increase in conservation. Tucson Weekly_ 12/8/05
November, 2005
Japanese research facility accidentally releases slightly radioactive wastewater into a public drain
In addition, water containing a small amount of radiation leaked on two separate occasions at a nuclear power plant in western Japan, officials said Friday. Researchers at pharmaceutical company Seikagaku Corp. failed to shut off a tap in a laboratory on Wednesday, causing a tank of radioactive wastewater to overflow into a local drainage pipe, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology said. The approximately 10,000 liters (2,600 gallons) of water released into the drainpipe contained only small amounts of radiation and did not pose a health or environmental hazard, the ministry said in a statement. AP/CNN_ 11/25/05
Wastewater conversion plan
once again sparks political controversy in San Diego
A new attempt to convert wastewater into safe drinking water has created
a political storm in San Diego, California. The idea, first proposed
in 1999, works like this: wastewater is cleansed of its contaminants
and then piped to a reservoir where it’s mixed with river water,
then re-treated, and then added to the general water supply. Opponents
believe that the system has potential health concerns. Proponents say
the water is perfectly safe. Opponents say there is a class system
at work: the rich will buy bottled water while the poor will drink
what some call “Frankenwater.” San Diego Union-Tribune_
11/23/05
October, 2005
Georgia wastewater rules: Back to status quo
The state Board of Natural Resources on Wednesday approved a controversial change to the state's wastewater rules, eliminating a requirement that could have forced communities to build expensive, state-of-the-art sewage treatment plants. The change, approved 12 to 3, effectively maintains status quo. State environmental officials said the wastewater rule change would not weaken state enforcement of pollution rules. The change was prompted by last year's Georgia Supreme Court ruling in a case involving Gwinnett County's quest to discharge up to 40 million gallons a day of treated sewage into Lake Lanier. The court, which invalidated the county's permit, strictly interpreted a 1973 requirement that's never been enforced. The requirement said new sewage treatment plants were supposed to sanitize wastewater using the "highest and best practicable" technology. Instead of enforcing the requirement, which is unique to Georgia, the state has been enforcing the weaker federal standard. Atlanta-Journal Constitution_ 10/27/05 (logon required)
Big pipe threatens Canadian drinking water: critics
Drinking water for millions of people could be poisoned and some of the most sensitive ecology in southern Ontario damaged if part of a 100-kilometre sewer system between Lake Simcoe and Lake Ontario is built, critics said Thursday.
But proponents called that fearmongering, saying much of the system has long been in place and the project, involving only a small part of the system, is perfectly safe. As much as 750 million litres of sewage a day would flow from Holland Landing for treatment in Pickering by way of the so-called Big Pipe, which is up to three metres in diameter and buried as deep as 45 metres. National Post_10/20/05
Kissimmee River Basin gets $3M in alternative water supply funds
Water-supply utilities and agricultural operations in the Kissimmee River Basin will share more than $3 million in water supply funds approved by the governing board of the South Florida Water Management District. The basin encompasses an area from Orlando to Lake Okeechobee. In Orange and Osceola counties, a total of $2.89 million will assist in the construction of 12 projects expanding the use of treated wastewater -- or reuse -- for home lawn irrigation. Orange County Utilities, the Toho Water Authority and the cities of Ocoee and St. Cloud received assistance in expanding the network that delivers reuse to neighborhoods, and Toho received an additional $500,000 to help build a system that will use water from Shingle Creek to augment the utility's reuse system. That system is expected to reduce demand on traditional groundwater sources by up to 10 million gallons a day. Orlando Business Journal_10/12/05
EU Report: Tackling wastewater pollution at source cheaper than cleaning up
A 'Polluter pays' approach, based on taxes and levies, reduces volumes of polluted water and offers the most cost effective route to compliance with EU legislation, according to a new report from the European Environment Agency (EEA) based in Copenhagen. The pilot study, 'Effectiveness of Urban Wastewater Treatment Policies in Selected Countries', analyses successes and failures in policy for Denmark, Estonia, France, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain. It explains the relationship between effective wastewater management and the policies behind them. Water pollution caused by 'untreated' wastewater continues despite three decades of efforts to clean up European surface waters. Several EU Member States have not satisfied the requirements of the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (UWWTD), originally adopted in 1991 to cut waste water pollution by 2000. The Dutch model, which is based on high water pollution levies and full costing of sewerage, comes close to satisfying the legislation and is the most cost-effective of the examples in the report. The report suggests that the absence of water pollution taxes in France and Spain will result in these countries failing to reach the 2005 targets cost-effectively. Denmark complies fully with the Directive, with discharges decreasing by 90%. Pollution Online News_10/11/05
Schwarzenegger vetos effort by Palm Springs to sell its wastewater treatment plant
The California city wanted to sell the plant to Desert Water Agency but state law requires two thirds of local voters to approve the sale of a public utility. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said local taxpayers "have invested significant tax dollars in the assets of the utility" and should have the right to vote on its sale. Desert Sun_ 10/8/05
$880 million Clean Water Act agreement announced with Sanitation District No. 1 of Northern Kentucky
The U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the agreement. At a cost of at least $880 million, the District has agreed to make extensive improvements to its sewer systems to eliminate unauthorized overflows of untreated raw sewage and to control overflows of combined sewage and stormwater. Each year, the District has been unlawfully discharging untreated sewage and experiencing overflows of combined sewage into the Ohio River and its tributaries in amounts totaling almost a billion gallons. The settlement is contained in a consent decree filed today in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky in Covington. The decree represents the combined efforts of both the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the United States, which have entered into this settlement as plaintiff and intervening plaintiff, respectively. Press Release/U.S. Newswire_ 10/7/05
Storm water violations to cost
Hawaii $52 million
Federal and state agencies have reached an agreement with the Hawaii
Department of Transportation over storm water violations that will end
up costing the state about $52 million. The violations date to 1999.
The EPA snapped photos of environmental violations at state construction
yards, contaminated runoff at a state auto shop on Kauai and weeds growing
out of a storm drain, which could lead to it getting clogged. The state
Department of Transportation is splitting a $1 million fine between the
EPA and the state Health Department. The state also agreed to spend
$50 million over five years to cut down on storm water runoff. KITV4
News_ 10/6/05
September, 2005
$471 million in Clean Water Act compliance projects unfunded in an Alabama county
The projects were identified by the Jefferson County Commission in a report - marked confidential on its cover - that was prepared for the county by the engineering firm Burk-Kleinpeter. Commissioner Gary White said some of the projects may never get done for lack of money. Work mandated by a 1996 federal court consent decree must be done first, and money left over would go to Clean Water Act projects given priority by the county, according to county officials. The consent decree requires that the county fix leaky sewers and end direct discharges of sewage into streams. Projects on the CWA list include sewer trunks that need to be replaced and improved and some pump stations that need to be upgraded. Jefferson County is sixth in bond debt among the nation's counties, exceeded only by counties in the nation's largest metropolises, including New York, Chicago, Miami and San Francisco. Birmingham News/AL.com_ 9/26/05 (logon required)
UK
firm invests £1
in sewage treatment to remove more phosphorous
Severn Trent Water is investing £1m to improve the purity of water
discharged from Tewkesbury sewage treatment works in Gloucestershire.
Activated sludge plants, which use friendly bacteria to digest biological
waste in sewage, are being modified so more phosphorus can be removed.
The company said rivers in Gloucestershire were now at their cleanest
since the Industrial Revolution, which was largely down to its £2.6bn
investment in sewers and sewage treatment. BBC News_ 9/9/05
August, 2005
Tallahassee provides free water, sewer hookup
After 20 years of septic, Geraldine Harris finally switched over to Tallahassee's sewer system, primarily because the city has a new offer to qualified residents who still depend on septic tanks: The city will foot th