I only thought this sort of thing happened in New York City in 1984. A Sussex sewage treatment plant is experiencing both the best and the worst of 1984 cinema as sewer authorities have called in parapsychologists to investigate a "zombie-like humanoid figure" that follows plant workers around the dank tunnels of the Southern Waters' Eastbourne treatment works. I imagine the tunnels of a sewage treatment plant are scary enough without creepy figures lurking in the shadows and the sound of anonymous laughter and muffled conversations coming through the walls. [shudder] gives me goose bumps just thinking about it.

And now the Spills of the Week (sorry for the delay):

In late January 2008 , heavy rains and operator error caused a huge sewage overflow of sewage at a treatment plant in Marin County. More than 2.5 gallons of only partially sewage spilled out of the plant and into Corte Madera Creek which flows into Richardson Bay. Unfortunately, this is the second spill to occur in one week. Only five days earlier, the same sewage treatment plant discharged another 2.5 million gallons of sewage after having been overwhelmed by heavy rains.

The impact of these spills is unquestionable. Richardson Bay supports steelhead salmon population and Richardson Bay is home to one of the largest eelgrass beds in the Bay as well as populations of native oysters, herring, endangered clapper rails, and endangered salt marsh harvest mice.

Here's a sewage/wildlife feel good story to lift your spirits before we get into the Spills. A swan mistakenly landed in an open sewage vat in East Sussex, England. The swan was trapped in the Uckfiled (I can't imagine a more appropriate name for a sewage treatment facility) Water Treatment Works because it didn't have enough "runway" room in the sewage vat to get the speed it needed to take off. Animal rescue services were called and after performing some delicate maneuvers with a net and "swan hooks" rescuers were able to remove the trapped waterfowl from the disgusting mess it had gotten into. The bird escaped unharmed but rescuers reportedly got "soaked" - gross.

Now the Spills of the Week:

With all the problems Milwaukee has with sewage the last thing they need are drunk drivers crashing into sewage treatment plants. Amanda Berth of Sheboygan, WI is real lucky that when she drove her car through a security fence and crashed into the Sheboygan Wastewaster Treatment Plant that all she suffered was a concussion and a broken leg. After all, her accident could've put her on the list below.

Now for the Spills of the week:

Are salamanders getting hooked on smack? Are minnows getting high on marijuana? The drugs Americans use ultimately end up going down the toilet when users hit the head. That's why researchers have started tracking illicit drug use through municipal sewage systems.

As Tropical Depression Erin moves across Texas, I can't help but think of the sewage problems that Texas has already had this year. The massive flooding experienced just a few months ago left its mark on the state. With this new batch of wet weather, flood advisories are already being issued. Stay tuned to the Slog as we will update you next week on any sewage related developments caused by Erin.

Now the Spills of the Week:

Photo Courtesy of Missouri Coalition for the Environment This week we saw a positive development from the Missouri and federal governments when they jointly filed an enforcement action against the St. Louis Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD). The Missouri Coalition for the Environment has long felt that a schedule of remedies should be imposed on MSD to keep it on track as it cleans up the sewers in St. Louis.

I don't think most people should expect this level of service from their sewer operators:

"Alma F. Coate-Wilson, 98, accidentally flushed her $8,000, 1.6-carat diamond wedding ring down the toilet in the middle of the night two months ago.

Devastated, she wrote a letter to the city's public works department, pleading with help in recovering it. Usually the department has no time to grant such requests, but they decided to try this time.

This past week the City of Evansville, Indiana warned its residents to avoid contact with local waterways due to sewage contamination. That isn't all that unusual, especially for a city with a history of CSO problems. It's worth noting, however, because they issued the warning before the overflow occurred.

It was mentioned recently in the Slog that treated sewage is being used to create artificial snow at ski resorts around the country. That practice suffered a setback when a federal appeals court ordered the Arizona Snowbowl near Flagstaff to stop using effluent to produce powder.