Week of Feb. 22

A McDonald's in Birmingham England had to close this week after a sewage pipe burst into the restaurant and play area. According to anonymous sources, "The sewage exploded out of the pipe and down into the party area. There's been a smell of rotten cabbage for about two weeks and staff were leaving doors open, not knowing what the problem was." The restaurant claims to have thoroughly cleaned the play area and eatery and is now again open to serve the highest quality food at the lowest possible price. I'm lobin' it!!!

And Now the Spills of the Week:

Retention, Retention, Retention: A pipe burst near Fish Hawk Ranch in Florida and spilled about 10,000 gallons of sewage into a creek and a nearby retention pond. About 5,000 gallons spilled into Fish Hawk Creek and another 5,000 gallons flowed into a nearby retention pond, said Michelle Van Dyke, spokeswoman for the county's water resource services.
- February 19, 2008: Brandon News and Tribune - Tampa Bay, FL

Close Call: Emergency crews stopped a sewage spill that threatened to ooze onto the streets of a Placer County neighborhood. A resident called emergency crews after seeing sewage backing up onto the street. Crews were able to clear the sewer back-up before it flooded the area or made it to any front yards.
- February 20: CBS 13, Sacramento, CA

Effluent Migration: Beaches from the border to Imperial Beach were closed because of sewage contamination from the Tijuana River after the rain. Anyway, county health officials extended a beach closure that has been in effect since Nov. 30 near the Tijuana River at northern Imperial Beach after the sewage-contaminated runoff flowed north. Are these beaches ever open and if so should they be? The county Department of Environmental Health said measurements taken along regular testing sites found that ocean currents moved the contaminated flows north.
- February 21, 2008: The San Diego Union-Tribune - San Diego, CA

In the Limelight: For two hours, sewage spilled into Swift Creek, near New Bern, NC. No public drinking water source was affected and no fish kill was observed. Tree roots wrapped around the sewage line cracked the pipes causing the accident. Crews aimed to mitigated the spill by pumping the sewage back into the system, removing dirt, and putting down lime.
- February 21, 2008: Sun Journal - New Bern, NC

Stay Alert: An estimated 5,000 gallons of raw wastewater spilled from a manhole cover Tuesday. A local reported the spill when he smelled a strange odor wafting through the air in the neighborhood. City crews responded and found that the manhole's lid sealing device had fallen out of position and blocked the flow of sewage in the pipeline and small dam-like structure was built as a means to containing the spill while crew worked to stop the flow. About 2,400 gallons of sewage escaped the dam and seeped into Hornbeam Branch.
- February 22, 2008: Rocky Mount Telegram - Rocky Mount, NC