Next time you smell the unmistakable stench of raw sewage, take a big wiff, its good for you. According to British researchers, the chemical gas known as Hydrogen Sulfide, the gas associated with the smell of sewage and rotten eggs, actually plays a role in regulating our blood pressure. Researchers say that H2S naturally produced in our bodies relaxes vascular tissues aiding in the smooth flow of blood. So next time you shake and cringe at the smell of sewage, think "hey, it's good for my blood," maybe. Next thing you know, sewer operators will be telling us sewer overflows are good for the public.

And now the Spills of the last two Weeks:

A Little Bleach Can't Hurt!: A blockage in a main line caused about 10,000 gallons of untreated raw sewage to flow from a sewer manhole on Dixie Highway in Bridgeport Township, MI. The overflow drained into a storm sewer manhole about 10 feet away, Carstens said. The flow contaminated about one mile of surface water in the Pribil Drain upstream from the Cass River, he said. Repair crews broke up the blockage and used two gallons of bleach (yup, that should do ‘er) to treat the storm sewer.
- April 28, 2008: Mlive.com, Saginaw News - Saginaw, MI

Surfer Shutout: Swimmers and surfers were warned to stay out of the water along a mile-long stretch of Playa del Rey in Southern California. Los Angeles County public health officials say 8,700 gallons of sewage from a South Centinela Avenue condominium complex spilled into Ballona Creek and flowed to the sea last week. Health department spokeswoman Rachel Tyree said people should stay out of the water from Dockweiler to Venice beaches until bacteria levels reached acceptable levels.
- April 29, 2008: San Francisco Chronicle - San Francisco, CA

Foolproof Filter - A clogged sewer filter caused an estimated 5,400 gallons of raw sewage to spill into a Moorpark street in Ventura, CA last week. The filter in a sewer line along Spring Road was placed by developer Pardee Homes to keep debris from one of its construction projects from draining into the sewer and causing blockages, said Satya Karra, operations manager for the Ventura County Water and Sanitation Department. The filter was last inspected in March. The clog caused sewage to pour out from beneath a manhole cover. A water department crew used a vacuum truck to suck out the blockage and clean up the sewage. Good thing they had a filter.
- April 29, 2008: Ventura County Star - Ventura, CA

Act of Irresponsibility: Eight homes on Syracuse Circle, near Denver, were flooded with the wastewater after tree roots infiltrated and clogged city sewage lines. "You're pulling the stuff and it's dripping all over you as you're trying to carry bundles of stuff," said Kathy Barnes, one homeowner. Louisville said it will pay for $3,500 in clean-up for each home. Homeowners said that doesn't begin to cover their losses. The city said the incident was an "act of God," which is why it can't pay more. Massive infrastructure maintenance failures now being blamed on The Almighty? He/She might take issue with that. "In this case it was just a unique set of circumstances between the sewer system and where the homes were built to allow them to flood at the same time," said Tom Phare of Louisville Public Works. Unique? Not really.
- May 7, 2008: cbs4denver.com - Denver, CO.

Nightmare Revisited: Jivita Sharma's home was inundated with sewage this week. "It was gradual. But then all of a sudden it started just pouring out of the tub. The toilets were overflowing. I kept calling the city," says Sharma. "Literally within 30 minutes, the whole house was covered. The carpets and everything. The kitchen, everything," says Sharma. And now, this six-and-a-half-months-pregnant mother of two is homeless. "You can stand here and smell it. So you go in there, it's awful," says Sharma. Even more frustrating, the problem first surfaced Tuesday night. Sharma called the city, but it wasn't until after the tubs had regurgitated a second time Wednesday morning that the city dispatched equipment to repair the line. "I don't believe that stuff that's in the house that was touched by that sewage water can just be cleaned and put back in the house, especially when we have children here you know?" says Sharma. This same neighborhood had a similar problem in January.
- May 8, 2008: wsoctv.com - Charlotte, NC