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...

Unlikely Prize: Minneola and Groveland, two cities in central Florida are fiercely battling over a lucrative, yet unusual prize, the right to process the waste from the 1,100-inmate Lake Correctional Facility in south Lake County. Both cities claim that the facility is in their own utility district, and therefore have the right to charge the facility for its waste processing needs. After years of self-sufficiency, the facility is looking to sign a contract with one municipality to treat the waste coming from the prison. The reason they're fighting so hard is because both cities are desperate for money to finance recent overhauls to their treatment systems. "They can get out of my swimming pool, " said Minneola Mayor David Yeager bluntly, referring to Groveland's alleged encroachment into the Minneola utility district. Not playing nice, are they?
July 14, 2008. Orlando Sentinel - Groveland, FL

And now the Spills of the Week...

Pennsylvania Green: State legislatures are working hard in Pennsylvania this week to push bills through the House to tag State funds for large sewage infrastructure overhauls. It seems to be a step in the right direction, but officials are warning residents and county officials to be patient. While a combination of bills could ensure at least $800 million or more of the state budget is dedicated to sewage improvements, this is only a fraction of what is needed in the state. "It'll take some time," says State Representative Robert Belfanti. "You can't do all of Pennsylvania's water and sewage problems in one year. It's a long-term project." But at least they are making headway. Change has to start somewhere right?
- July 3, 2008. The News Item - Harrisburg, PA

And now, the Spills of the Week:

Dishonorable Tribute: A request made by the Presidential Memorial Commission of San Francisco is causing quite a stir in local and national political circles. The request, "naturally hatched in a bar," according to the New York Times, would put a vote on the November ballot, asking for the local bay area Oceanside Water Pollution Control Plant to be renamed the George W. Bush Sewage Plant.

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:

After more than 90 years trout and salmon in the River Ely in Wales England were able to spawn due to the water quality improvements. Unfortunately, last week so much raw sewage was dumped into the river that all of the mature and spawning fish were all killed. Construction worker Greg Davies , 31, of Tonyrefail said: "The outlet has been pumping litres and litres of stinking raw sewage straight into the Ely since Friday killing every single thing in it. It's wiped out every living thing in the river from fish to insect life which is a tragedy when you consider the river has only just cleaned up enough to attract trout and salmon par back here after 90 years. I counted over 560 fish suffocated to death in the poisoned water. We couldn't save any of them. We couldn't rouse anyone to tackle it until Sunday and then only because the Ely runs through the grounds of the Royal Glamorgan Hospital. It has taken six years to restore the river since the closure of the paper mill and the removal of the weirs and now this - it's an environmental and public health disaster for the river." Another example of a sad and disppointing opportunity lost.

And Now the Spills of the Week:

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:

Editors Note: I received this message last week - again sorry for the delay in posting - JK

In a February 19th Blue Room ceremony at City Hall, NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg signed Intro 630-A into law. The bill requires the City to conduct a thorough study of stormwater best management practices, determine the estimated costs and benefits of each practice, and provide a stormwater management plan for implementation.