Editor's Note: Sorry for the lull in posting. River Action Day 2008 took precedence and was a tremendous success. The Slog will now resume.

A wastewater treatment plant in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada has recently opened an innovative treatment plant that composts human waste, transforming it into fertilizing garden mulch. Part of their 25 year celebration, the company is giving the bags of garden compost, a mix of bio-solids and organic plant matter, away to anyone who wants them. That is if you can get past the idea. For some reason, we're willing to put pig manure anywhere, but as soon as it's our own, hackles rise. Eventually the company is hoping to sell the stuff in gardening stores within the region, but is hoping to raise awareness and comfort with this free campaign.

And now the Spills of the last couple weeks:

Rio Stinko:  An equipment failure caused about 1,500 gallons of raw sewage to leak from a pumping station in Paso Robles, according to wastewater officials. Before the spill was contained, sewage leaked into a dry ravine and soaking into the ground, yummy! Health officials posted signs and yellow caution tape asking people to stay out of the immediate area for about two days. After that it will be dry sewage contaminated land. Great.
- May 10, 2008: SanLuisObispo.com - San Luis Obispo, CA

What can I say, its spring. I'll admit it, it's been way too nice out and the levels on the Potomac have been great paddling lately oh and there's the whole wrapping up my first semester in grad school. Others have been busy as well. Recently, we've been hearing good news from all of the people working on federal Right to Know legislation. Kudos. We've also been hearing good things from people around the country, working through how to upgrade their sewer and storm water management systems. That is tough work and worth the effort. But we still hear not-so-good news from others, like the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality who are considering lowering the water quality standards which will put many people at serious risk of getting sick every year. That's not governing for the people. That's not standing up to the source of pollution. If anything, we should be strictly enforcing the standards on the books, or better yet raising the bar to meet the fishable and swimmable goals of the Clean Water Act. Our water must be clean and clear. Let's go boatin'.

And now the Spills of the Week:
Sewage Spill in Laguna Beach, CA

I don't think we covered this spill in Arcade Creek Sacramento, CA a month or so, but KCRA 3 News film crews caught some pretty dramatic video what a sewer main breach looks like. be

And now the Spills of the Week:

As worldwide demand for energy increases, prices at the pump and at the meter will continue to rise. Similarly, rapid development across the U.S. increases the demand placed on our aging and failing sewage and water infrastructure systems , our water and sewer bills are only going to increase. But recentinterest in alternative fuels and water supplies might produce solutions to both challenges. 

Scientists and students from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA, are working on a project/experiment aimed at producing bio-diesel from our sewage. ODU students are using the nutrient rich sewage to grow algae which conveniently love the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. They use the natural oils that the algae produce to make bio-diesel. Apparently it is more efficient than traditional agriculturally based bio-fuels.

On the other side of the country, Los Angeles is implementing a project to capture, treat and reuse its sewage as a renewable resource and water supply. The new program could process, treat and provide up to 70 million gallons of fresh water to the LA region a day. With so much sewage going around (we all make it) why not reuse it. Increased interest and research into alternative fuels and water supply ideas will help us cope with the very real challenges of running out of these important  resources and global climate change. Great work ODU and LA. 

And Now the Spills of the Week:

Ryan Severn of Seattle takes dedication to a whole new level. Last week while Ryan and his wife, Ann, were cleaning an office building, Ann accidentally dropped her wedding band down in to a sewer. Not just a sewer pipe, but a full on vat of sewage. Ryan, seeing that his wife was very upset at losing their symbol of matrimony, dove into the sewer and starting searching for the ring in the sewage! "I strip down in underwear," he said, "and went in." Unsuccessful, Ryan left and immediately bought a wetsuit, came back and gave it another go with a handmade strainer. Yet again, he was unsuccessful. So, being the committed husband, he hired professionals to drain the cesspool, sift through the slimy mess and sure enough he found the ring!!! That takes a level of commitment that is hard to find. Amazing and impressive.

And now the Spills of the Week:

Nothing ruins Christmas like sewage running through the streets of your home town. Deja vu all over again. Since December 22, sewage has been bubbling up to the surface and covering the streets of Hawthornvale, Scotland. Residents complained continually throughout the week but it wasn't until local media took an interest in the story did anything get down to alleviate the problem. "We were all told by customer services something would be done about it," said angry resident, Jonathon Harris. "At times it can be pretty foul smelling. It's a real mess of toilet paper and what can only be described as feces flowing down the side of the pavement in the gutter. It's absolutely disgusting and when it's wet, you can't see what you're walking in."

The sewer utility, Scottish Waters, finally stopped the leak on Monday (New Years Eve!!) but not soon enough for some. Dr Chris Mackel, 62, said he returned home from a holiday on December 27 to find the sewage still pouring past his front door: "I reported it twice to the council and then to Scottish Water to complain about the problem. So when I came back and saw it worse I contacted the Scottish Environment Protection Agency to see if they could help. ...But it's still bad and I'd say there's probably about three centimeters been gurgling up from the drains. It's an absolute health hazard." Everyone, including the Scots, deserve healthy communities.

Now the Spills of the Week:

Droughts across the U.S. are spurring drinking water authorities to develop creative and practical solutions to addressing the population's water demands. Orange County, California is even going so far as to recycle its own sewage grey water into pure drinking water:
 
From the LA Times:
 

This won't be a Christmas that Robert Shoff, age 77, will soon forget. Trying to unclog a septic line a this home, Shoff, somehow managed to slip into the septic tank and get stuck upside down! Shoff struggled to free himself for about an hour before his wife noticed his legs shaking in the air from a window inside their home. She immediately called the police and they promptly removed him from his smelly perch. Robert Shoff only suffered minor bruising and a damaged eardrum, apparently from screaming for help. I can't think of a worse Christmas, can you?

Now the Spills of the Week:

© XPRESS/Abdel-Krim KalloucheThere's dirty secret that permeates the oil and wealth of Dubai. According to the Xpress News, A Dubai newspaper, sewage tankers are circumventing regulations and long lines at sewage treatment plants by simply dumping loads of raw sewage into the streets and storm drains of the city. So far 50 tankers have been caught red handed and fined. Officials fear that this may only be the tip of the sand dune. Tanker driver's can make up to 2,000 dirhams ($544) per load. Illegally dumping can yield ten times that amount because drivers can get more loads per shift. They can dump full loads of raw sewage into the street in less than six minutes, as opposed to waiting in long lines at the treatment plant which can take hours.

Dubai is a rapidly growing city with enormous capital resources. It is a shame that it doesn't have the foresight to better develop its wastewater infrastructure more quickly. Hopefully regulators will get a hold of this and end a gross and dangerous practice. As for the tanker drivers, as my mother would say, ‘shame on you.'

Now the Spills of the Week: