Foam is great on top of root beer, on breaking waves at the beach or in the tub at home, but when it's flowing out of a sewage outfall something's gone terribly awry. This past weekend, reports out of Orange County, NY revealed that an unknown substance was foaming up a large stretch of the Ramapo River. The source: a sewage outfall.

The Ramapo River provides drinking water to nearly two million people in both New York and New Jersey. Nowhere, in any of the articles I read about the foam were any mentions of warnings issued cautioning people about a potentially hazardous spill, which I found surprising. To make sure that the media wasn't being negligent about warning the public I checked to see if the New York Department of Environmental Conservation or the Orange County Government had issued a public notification of the spill and neither authority had.

The cause and substance that created the foam remains a mystery. What is known is the source - a sewer outfall. I find it disturbing that residents were not warned about this problem. Because this is an interstate issue, New Jersey residents were put at risk because of New York's failure to issue a warning - highlighting the need for strong federal minimum requirements to create some consistency when states policies are variable. If sewer operators don't keep contaminants out of the water, then it's their job to keep people out of the water that's contaminated.

Now the Spills of the Week:

Stunk Valley Lake: Construction workers accidentally broke a sewage line in Ringgold County sending sewage into Sun Valley Lake. Officials are saying sunlight is expected to kill a lot of the bacteria that is potentially contaminating the lake, but contact warnings have been issued to be safe.
-May 19, 2007: Des Moines Register - Des Moines, IA

Mass-a-Poo-nax Creek: Why this is just making the news now is beyond me but Virginia Department of Environmental Quality is just now reporting that 61 sewage overflows have occurred into Massaponax Creek near Spotsylvania in the last 7 months. That works out to a little more than two overflows a week. Think it's best to stay out the creek.
-May 20, 2007: The Freelance-Star - Fredericksburg, VA

Spillamette River: Heavy rains in Portland, OR have "forced raw sewage" to be diverted into the Willamette River. Advisories against swimming, waterskiing and paddling on the river were issued and a seafood warning was put into effect.
- May 21, 2007: KOIN 6 News - Portland, OR

Spillmington, NC: About 1,200 gallons of sewage spilled from a blocked sewage pipe in Wilmington, NC.
-May 21, 2007: WECT 6 - Wilmington, NC

Spillian, Alabama: Rags clogging a sewage main line caused an "unknown" amount of sewage to spill into Peterson Branch in Lillian, Alabama. Alabama Department of Public Health issued a warning advising residents to avoid contact and to "thoroughly cook" seafood caught in or nearby the Peterson Branch.
- May 23, 2007: Times Daily - Florence, AL

Beverly Spills, Florida: A nasty pattern is developing on Roosevelt Blvd. in Beverly Hills, FL. Emily Cunningham is the fourth resident on the block to have her home completely flooded with raw sewage. Cunningham says that she lost nearly everything in her home as the community's most recent victim to sewage back-ups.
- May 23, 2007: Citrus County Chronicle - Citrus County, FL

Ven-not-so-nice Beach: Those dang trees, always screwing up the environment! Tree roots are being blamed for a 5,000 gallon sewage spill that has closed Venice and Dockweiller beaches in Southern California.
- May 24, 2007: KNX 1070 - Los Angeles, CA