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

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:

Beachgoers in Scotland were frightened out of the water at the site of what they believed to be the presence of raw sewage everywhere - all over the rocks and in the water. The Scotland Environmental Protection Agency came out to investigate only to discover that the nasty looking globules of "sewage" weren't sewage after all. They are what scientists described as "squirts," a harmless sea creature stirred up and washed ashore by rough seas. They may be harmless but still, something that looks like sewage, floating in the ocean, called a squirt - that's nasty and I wouldn't want them anywhere near me.

Now for the Spills of the Week (I think we may have set a new record):