People who use the Spokane River and Latah Creek for swimming, fishing, and other aquatic activities will be better protected under a settlement agreement unanimously approved last month by the Spokane City Council.

Reports quietly released by the Canadian federal government and uncovered by the Vancouver Sun, state that sewage treatment facilities will fail more frequently in the future due to climate change. According to the report, released discretely on a Canadian Engineering website last month, increased rain in the Vancouver area "will frequently overwhelm portions of the region's sewage system and accelerate the spill of raw sewage" into local waterways. Sound familiar?
- July 31, 2008. The Vancouver Sun - Vancouver, BC, Canada

And Now the Spills of the Week...

Multiple accounts of raw sewage flowing into the Rio Grande Stream, a stream draining into the Waskill River, which in turn is a tributary of the Hudson, in Goshen, New York, has prompted the Riverkeeper to urge both village and town officials to issue a moratorium on new sewage hookups, at least until repairs and improvements can be made. This work is already on the table, according to Town Supervisor Douglas Bloomfield.

Well, it looks like a vote will be on the California November ballot to rename a San Francisco sewage plant after President Bush. Personal opinions aside, I would simply like to comment on the number of articles I have come across about this subject. Over a hundred articles came up when I did a simple news search, and my sewage news alert has been flooded with them for weeks. Frankly, I'm a little tired of it. Appropriate or not, it grates on my nerves when there are more articles about a sewage joke than a sewage spill. It seems that we need to have our priorities readjusted, and quickly.

And now, the Spills of the Week...