Surfers (SAS) tore it up again this week by interrupting the prestigious British Environment and Media Awards (BEMAS). Two surfers decked out in surf shorts, jackets and ties, presented the "Golden Loo (Toilet) Brush" for "services" against the environment to Alistair Baker, Communications Director of Northumbrian Water. Northumbrian plans to turn off the UV disinfection component of 6 sewage treatment facilities in Northeastern UK because it is now "outside the bathing (swimming) season." Turning the UV filters off would essentially allow partially treated sewage to flow freely into the oceans potentially exposing thousands of boaters, fisherman and tourists to toxic sewage. This is two weeks in a row for these guys! Keep up the good work.

Now the Spills of the Week:

Not in my backyard!!: Charles Shelton's yard in Moss Point, MS is a sewer system sinkhole. "I've been paying sewer bills for the past two years, and I'm not even hooked up!! I'm just laying there, letting the sewage go into the ground, and I'm being charged anywhere from $40-45 a month for it," Shelton said. Shelton estimates he's paid $1,300, while his neighborhood's sewage has flowed freely under his yard. "When you walk in my house, that's what you smell. A brand new house, two years old, and there is sewer all through it, in my dream house," Shelton said. "They couldn't fix the problem, because every time they sucked up [the sewage], it was [steadily] backing up into the house," Shelton said. "Just think, other people use the bathroom, and it comes down in my yard." Ironically, Shelton worked for Pascagoula's Public Works Department for five years, connecting sewer lines.
- November 3, 2007: WLOX ABC - Biloxi, MS

Tapeworm Paradise: Stormwater runoff combined with sewage spills adds up to millions of gallons of raw sewage creating dangerous conditions for ocean-goers in Hawaii. Pearl Harbor posted signs to warn of a nearly 2 million gallon spill at the Naval Shipyard. Hawaii's waters go from blue to brown, after a heavy rain. Joshua Marvit warns everything ends up in the ocean, from storm drains to construction sites. "You name it. If it's in your car, on your house, if it's on the land, if it's on the street, it's getting washed into the storm drains and getting washed out to sea."
- November 5, 2007, KHON News - Honolulu, HI

Poo Chowder, YUMMY!: Most of Cape Ann escaped serious damage from the remains of Hurricane Noel, which swiped the New England coast Saturday. Flooding at high tide Saturday disabled six pumps at the sewage treatment plant on Essex Avenue in Gloucester. According to the Department of Public Works, a severe discharge of raw sewage occurred into the Annisquam River. Public Works Director Joseph Parisi said Sunday flooding in the plant caused the pumps to fail. There was no estimate of how much sewage was discharged.
- November 5, 2007: Gloucester Daily Times - Gloucester, MA

A1A Gets Slooppery: In Brevard County, Florida there was a smelly mess after a sewer line break. Raw sewage ended up spilling and oozing all over A1A in Melbourne on Tuesday. The line that broke was a major pipe that served all of the beachside areas. The damage also shutdown part of Riverside Drive from Eau Gallie Boulevard to Ocean Side Boulevard. Crews spent most of the day cleaning up the mess... The perfect subtropical afternoon, bikinis, sweet rides and raw sewage. Nice.
- November 6, 2007: Central Florida News 13 - Orlando, FL

No Bathroom Passes: But for a good reason this time! A sewage problem closed Greenback School in Loudon County, TN for the rest of the week. School administrators at Greenback School say the school experienced a sewage backup problem Wednesday. They tried to fix the problem, but were unable to do so. Workers needed the rest of the week to clean up the mess and remedy the problem. Students stayed in school during the attempted repairs today, but school leaders say they were sent to another part of the school to use the bathroom. School's Out For.....the rest of the week.
- November 7, 2007: WVLT CBS Chanel 8 - Knoxville, TN