Dishonorable Tribute: A request made by the Presidential Memorial Commission of San Francisco is causing quite a stir in local and national political circles. The request, "naturally hatched in a bar," according to the New York Times, would put a vote on the November ballot, asking for the local bay area Oceanside Water Pollution Control Plant to be renamed the George W. Bush Sewage Plant. If all goes according to plan, this change would take effect on January 20, 2009. Does that date sounds familiar? Probably because that's inauguration day. The request has received mixed reactions. People finding it everything from hilarious to juvenile to downright offensive - to the sewage treatment plant and/or the President alike.

And Now the Spills of the Week:

"It's against my religion,": ...was a new reason cited in a Pennsylvania court this week for refusing to dispose of waste properly. Two Amish men were sentenced to 90 days in prison Thursday, after denying both a fine and community service. Cambria County Sewage Enforcement was forced to take the two men to court this month after countless attempts to convince them to dispose of the waste generated by their school outhouses in a cleaner way than just emptying buckets into nearby fields. The men, representing themselves in court, claimed it would go against their religion to install a holding tank and negotiate a contract with a certified sewage hauler to properly dispose of the waste. What a sticky situation. The men plan to appeal if they can get some volunteer legal council.
- June 18, 2008. The Tribune Democrat - Johnstown, PA

Worries in the West: Residents of Queen Creek, Arizona are worried about their water supply after more than 10,000 gallons of raw sewage was accidentally released from the Pecan Water Reclamation Plant, further up stream on Queen Creek Wash. To date, none of the tests have shown any ground water contamination, but officials are still nervous. "We are very, very protective over the water supply for this community because well over 90 percent of drinkable water for this community comes from groundwater and wells", said John Kross, Queen Creek Town Manager. Any type of contamination to the aquifer could be disastrous for this small community. While no problems have been found yet, town officials are adamant that spills are monitored with more care, citing the lag time between the spill and when the plant reported it to the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.
- June 21, 2008. East Valley Tribune - Queen Creek, AZ

Old news, new story: Questions abound this week over a sewage treatment pond in Catoosa County, Georgia, which early tests showed was leaking raw sewage into the nearby South Chickamauga Creek. The tests of water in the creek showed extremely elevated levels of E. coli, a strong indicator of high sewage levels. And this isn't the first time this has happened. Further research by a local news station showed that the treatment plant has been fined twice in the past for just such an offence. The plant is not being fined again for this offence just yet, but if tests continue to show regular high averages of E. coli in the water, steps will be taken and the plant will be ‘encouraged' to find alternative ways of treating their sewage. Nothing like a friendly threat to get you to clean up your act.
- June 20, 2008. News Channel 9 - Chattanooga, TN

Watch what you eat: The Clean Water Network of Florida released a report this week on the state of the state's coastal waters, and let me tell you the news is not bright. After investigating more than 2,000 sewage treatment plants throughout Florida, the group has concluded that gulf seafood is utterly contaminated by human waste. According to the report a majority of the plants that were observed were too old and too small to handle the always increasing amount of waste going through their systems and are therefore being forced to dump directly into the gulf. And fish contamination is only the beginning. This dumping is also causing bacterial growth, red tide infestations, and toxic algae blooms, all of which added up to a record 12 Miami beaches being closed this week, due to unhealthy water samples. Jack Rudloe, the director of the Gulf Specimen Marine Laboratory says it best I think, "You don't poop where you eat. And that's what we're doing." Shrimp anyone?
- June 27, 2008. Miami Herald - Miami, FL
- June 26, 2008. Capitol News Service - Tallahassee, FL

Not so pristine: A backup of sewage, sludge and debris, most likely discharge from the nearby town of Buffalo, New York, has changed the atmosphere of Delaware Park and especially Hoyt Lake. Sewage overflows drain into Scajaquada Creek by the east end of the lake, according to Thomas Herrera-Mischler, who heads up the Olmsted Parks Conservancy. Lately it has gotten so unpleasant that park visitors have begun to question what it is, and why it hasn't been cleaned up yet. Good question. "Any time it becomes an issue for the public it's always a high priority for us," says Steve Stepniak, the Public Works Commissioner in Buffalo. "But we need to be creative as possible to find funding for these projects." Apparently it's not a problem until paying customers start to complain.
- June 26, 2008. News Channel 2 - Buffalo, NY