Photo by SASHere is some righteous good news from the UK. "Surfzombies" rose from the sea Wednesday to lobby local civic leaders in the States of Guernsey to invest in a new permanent full sewage treatment facility. The zombie surfers came within three votes of success but were defeated by proponents of the status quo pump and dump treatment strategy. Currently, the island community dumps raw sewage from nearly 60,000 residents directly into the sea. With one of the richest per capita populations in the West, Guernsey has a waste disposal methods on par with those found in the developing world nations. The Surfzombie activists plan to influence the leaders of Guernsey to clean up their act by raising awareness of this disgusting problem particular with respect to its impacts on tourism and more political will.

Now the Spills of the Week:

Spilliamson Creek: According to the Austin water utility, about 50,000 (wow) gallons of wastewater spilled into Williamson Creek in southwestern Travis County Texas after a sewage line ruptured Monday. The break, near William Cannon Drive and U.S. 290, was discovered shortly after noon and was repaired by Monday evening. The spill affected a 1,000 foot area around the break down to the creek and roughly a half-mile stretch of water in the creek that flows into Williamson Creek.
- October 30, 2007: Austin American-Statesman - Austin, TX

Hellish High Water: The Oldtown Road Sanitary District reported a sewer leak Sunday afternoon that resulted in 50,000 gallons of sewage leaking into Evitts Creek. A temporary repair was completed at 2 a.m. Monday. Employees of the Allegany County Utilities Division were repairing the connection to the county's force main and cleaning up the area Monday. The county will take samples on a weekly basis until the stream returns to normal E-coli levels. Check out the change in the gauge!!!
- October 30, 2007: Cumberland Times News - Cumberland, MD

HUGE spill in MN: A massive sewage spill occurred Tuesday afternoon between Esko and Scanlon when a valve failed to close in the sewage collection system. An estimated 100-thousand gallons of sewage spilled into a swampy area near the intersection of Maki Road and Old Highway 61. Flow from the City of Cloquet and Sappi Fine Papers, Inc. was diverted to a surge pond. Sappi was instructed to shut down mill operations temporarily. Work crews were able to close the valve and restore service. Pumper trucks on the scene were working to recover the flow.
- Oct 30, 2007: Pine Journal - Cloquet, MN

Ticking Time Bomb in WV: Hundreds of people in Wetzel County were asked to conserve water after a sewage problem on Tuesday. The difficulties began after a pump failed at the Pine Grove Sewage Plant affecting the entire town. All residents were asked to limit all water use. Officials said until the pump is fixed, everything that goes down the drains will come right back up. "The more water that's used, the more water will go through the system that will have to be dealt with," said Dana Indermuhle. If the problem is not fixed soon, sewage will start backing up into homes and business.
-October 30, 2007: WTOV News 9 - Steubenville, OH &Wheeling, WV

Excuse Me! I leaked, again!: One of the Nacogdoches five sewage lift stations scheduled to be shut down and replaced with a new one later this month malfunctioned Tuesday, leaking 800 gallons of sewage beside Appleby Sand Road, just inside the city limits. Perhaps the mishap was the pump station's mechanical revenge for being taken offline. Russell Grubbs, the city's water utilities manager, lamented over the week's worth of sewage problems: "We had a contractor that was making a road bore that busted a line that overflowed the man hole. And we've had an electrical failure," A required water quality non-compliance form to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to notify the regulatory agency of the issue. TCEQ spokeswoman Andrea Morrow said the "unauthorized discharge" doesn't warrant further examination because the city has taken corrective measures.
-November 1, 2007: The Daily Sentinel - Nacogdoches, TX

OOPS! Nasties in NC:!Piedmont Utility Management, reported a 2,000-gallon wastewater spill to the North Carolina Department of Water Quality. Piedmont Utility Management experienced an accidental force main cut by an unrelated irrigation contractor, resulting in the spill on Medinah Drive in Meadowlands. The untreated wastewater spilled into an unnamed tributary that leads to Brushy Fork Creek in the Yadkin River Basin. The Department of Water Quality was notified of the event and is reviewing the matter.
- November 1, 2007: The Dispatch - Lexington, NC