This past weekend The Washington Post had a front page story asking if it was safe to swim in the Potomac River. Here in D.C., where most of this office lives, swimming in the river is banned. If you go upstream a little ways though, they think it is safe, most of the time. The article does mention the raw sewage that gets dumped into the Potomac when it rains, but the focus is on people not knowing it is unsafe. Just another example of why we need the Raw Sewage Overflow Community Right-to-Know Act.

Now the Spills of the Week:

Spill-Side: A blocked sewer line is being blamed for a 9,000 gallon sewage spill in Riverside, CA. The spill occurred Monday night near the Martha Mclean-Anza Narrows Park. According to the Public Works Department Waste Water Systems Manager, signs have been posted around the spills perimeter and the liquid and contaminated soil has been removed.-July 17, 2007: The Press Enterprise – Riverside, CA

Brown-River: Rain hampered the cleanup process after sewage leaked into the White River in Elkins, AR. The clean up crew said the leak started long before they heard about it. A car backed into a sewer pipe causing sludge to cover a half acre next to the river. “There's raw sewage, so there is a real hazard as far as direct contact with this," said Kevin Caler of Elkins Water and Sewer. They won’t know how much sewage spilled until a report is completed by the Department of Environmental Quality, but in the mean time they “sure don't want people out here in it until we get it cleaned up," Caler said.-July 13, 2007: KHSB/KHOG-TV – Fort Smith, AR

Stinky Branch: A cross connection in a sewer was behind a 200 gallon discharge of untreated sewage in Oxford, NC. The spill reached a tributary of the Foundry Branch. That’s the quick and dirty of it; sorry the link requires a free registration. -July 17, 2007: The Herald-Sun – Durham, NC

San Poo-Dro Update: To update you on a 10,000 gallon spill that I reported last week, the swimming areas at Cabrillo Beach and Long Beach are back open. At least the beach goers were warned by signs, no word on the boaters.-July 13, 2007: The North County Times – Escondido, CA-July 12, 2007: The Press Telegram – Long Beach, CA

Deli Suprise: A Safeway grocery store in Bremerton, WA stayed open after sewage backed up into the store. “Facilities stayed open when they probably should have been closed,” said Jerry Deeter, director of environmental health for the Kitsap County Health District; ya think? In addition it also appears that store employees who cleaned up the spill didn’t have the proper protective equipment or training.-July 17, 2007: The Kitsap Sun – Bremerton, WA