Act For Healthy Rivers -

Cleaning it Up

Tim Connor — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 14:35:55 +0000

People who use the Spokane River and Latah Creek for swimming, fishing, and other aquatic activities will be better protected under a settlement agreement unanimously approved last month by the Spokane City Council.

Spills of the Week: July 28th

Anjali Bean — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 17:21:59 +0000

Reports quietly released by the Canadian federal government and uncovered by the Vancouver Sun, state that sewage treatment facilities will fail more frequently in the future due to climate change. According to the report, released discretely on a Canadian Engineering website last month, increased rain in the Vancouver area "will frequently overwhelm portions of the region's sewage system and accelerate the spill of raw sewage" into local waterways. Sound familiar?
- July 31, 2008. The Vancouver Sun - Vancouver, BC, Canada

And Now the Spills of the Week...

Riverkeeper urges moratorium on sewer hookups

Anjali Bean — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 20:24:11 +0000

Multiple accounts of raw sewage flowing into the Rio Grande Stream, a stream draining into the Waskill River, which in turn is a tributary of the Hudson, in Goshen, New York, has prompted the Riverkeeper to urge both village and town officials to issue a moratorium on new sewage hookups, at least until repairs and improvements can be made. This work is already on the table, according to Town Supervisor Douglas Bloomfield.

Spills of the Week: July 21st

Anjali Bean — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 19:05:02 +0000

Well, it looks like a vote will be on the California November ballot to rename a San Francisco sewage plant after President Bush. Personal opinions aside, I would simply like to comment on the number of articles I have come across about this subject. Over a hundred articles came up when I did a simple news search, and my sewage news alert has been flooded with them for weeks. Frankly, I'm a little tired of it. Appropriate or not, it grates on my nerves when there are more articles about a sewage joke than a sewage spill. It seems that we need to have our priorities readjusted, and quickly.

And now, the Spills of the Week...

Spills of the Week: July 14th

Anjali Bean — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 20:58:35 +0000

Unlikely Prize: Minneola and Groveland, two cities in central Florida are fiercely battling over a lucrative, yet unusual prize, the right to process the waste from the 1,100-inmate Lake Correctional Facility in south Lake County. Both cities claim that the facility is in their own utility district, and therefore have the right to charge the facility for its waste processing needs. After years of self-sufficiency, the facility is looking to sign a contract with one municipality to treat the waste coming from the prison. The reason they're fighting so hard is because both cities are desperate for money to finance recent overhauls to their treatment systems. "They can get out of my swimming pool, " said Minneola Mayor David Yeager bluntly, referring to Groveland's alleged encroachment into the Minneola utility district. Not playing nice, are they?
July 14, 2008. Orlando Sentinel - Groveland, FL

And now the Spills of the Week...

Spills of the Week: July 7th

Anjali Bean — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 18:53:11 +0000

(Not so) Clean Water: Athletes on Olympic rowing teams have no doubt worked in just about every kind of water imaginable. But the bright green algae that covered nearly the entire Olympic venue in Bejing this week, had some rowers fearing for their health. Despite reassurances that the water is safe, it took boats, bulldozers and even the military to clear the water of the choking algae. Even scarier, nearly every team has a story about someone getting sick or infected after accidentally touching the water. An Australian rower accidentally swallowed some water last year, after slipping on a boat ramp, and only recently recovered from a ten month bout of gastrointestinal trauma that put her in the hospital on numerous occasions. Yikes. Doesn't seem so clean to me.
- July 7, 2008. AFP - Qingdao, China

And Now the Spills of the Week:

New map tool for Ohio EPA

Amy Gomberg — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 17:36:00 +0000

It's no secret that Ohio has considerable problems with sewage overflows. With a majority of the population living in communities with combined sewer systems, overflows are common, particularly in high recreational areas on Lake Erie. In light of this major threat to the environment and the public's health, the Ohio EPA is taking steps to better inform the public about the locations of Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs). The Ohio EPA has made available to the public a user friendly mapping system pinpointing CSO outfalls across the entire state.

While this tool is far from perfect (leaving out critical information about when the overflows are occurring), it is a huge step in the right direction to keeping the public informed about the safety of the waters in communities across Ohio.

Spills of the Week: June 30th

Anjali Bean — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 18:34:10 +0000

Pennsylvania Green: State legislatures are working hard in Pennsylvania this week to push bills through the House to tag State funds for large sewage infrastructure overhauls. It seems to be a step in the right direction, but officials are warning residents and county officials to be patient. While a combination of bills could ensure at least $800 million or more of the state budget is dedicated to sewage improvements, this is only a fraction of what is needed in the state. "It'll take some time," says State Representative Robert Belfanti. "You can't do all of Pennsylvania's water and sewage problems in one year. It's a long-term project." But at least they are making headway. Change has to start somewhere right?
- July 3, 2008. The News Item - Harrisburg, PA

And now, the Spills of the Week:

The Rush to Flush

Linda Young — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 18:03:55 +0000

Few people in Florida think about where their sewage ends up and we assume that the government is protecting us and the environment, but this is not always the case. It is not uncommon for people to be swimming right next to a sewage outfall pipe and not even realize it.

Last week, the Florida Clean Water Network released a report on the current condition of thousands of domestic wastewater treatment facilities along the Gulf Coast of Florida reveals that decades of poor planning and lax enforcement of the Clean Water Act has created an infrastructure meltdown. Our research found that many of Florida's domestic wastewater facilities are either over-capacity at times or simply not performing at levels for which they are designed.

Spills of the Week June 27

Anjali Bean — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 21:00:02 +0000

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.