Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
April 4, 2007
4. Water Quality
SEWAGE SPILL:
Big fine projected for spill; Cities should consider new solutions, state official says - San Diego Union Tribune
Lagoon sewage spill threatens fish and birds - North County Times
SEWAGE DEAL:
Lodi considers striking deal to treat raw sewage from Flag City - Stockton Record
SEWAGE SPILL:
Big fine projected for spill; Cities should consider new solutions, state official says
By Mike Lee, staff writer
It's at least the ninth wastewater spill of more than 100,000 gallons into the lagoon since 1984 – so many spills that a state Fish and Game Department official said
As dead fish were being gathered for analysis yesterday, sewage officials started talking about prevention measures, such as installing more meters to provide early leak detection warnings at the lagoon that separates
In this case, it appears the problem was reported Sunday evening by a passerby who smelled the sewage near
Emergency repair costs hit about $250,000 yesterday. The total bill facing the cities of Vista and
The 200-acre lagoon is a state ecological reserve managed by the California Department of Fish and Game. It's home to more than 100 species of birds, plus several varieties of fish and plants.
The ecological damage caused by the sewage spill will take weeks to unfold as the nutrient-rich sewage fuels algae growth, which steals oxygen from fish.
Yesterday, the lagoon remained ringed in neon orange signs that warned people to keep out of the water. Pungent odors wafted on the sea breeze as city crews and private contractors buzzed around the site.
A few workers floated on the greenish water taking samples. Others kept an eye on machines designed to aerate the lagoon. Still others replaced the faulty section of the 24-inch iron pipe.
Glenn Pruim, the city's public works director, said the hole that caused the spill appeared to be an isolated problem in a pipe that should still work for decades.
“(There's) no indication that it was a sign of things to come,” he said.
He added that the break was not something that city officials could have prevented, short of digging up major stretches of pipe to look for weak spots. But that kind of work disturbs the environment and could damage the pipe as well.
“I don't exactly . . . know how we would have avoided this,” Pruim said.
Project costs will be shared by Vista and
However,
In recent years, the number of wastewater spills in
The spill is part of a larger trend that some wastewater officials and environmentalists have dubbed a national crisis in sewage infrastructure. In Congress, wastewater agencies are pushing for $14 billion to beef up the country's sewage systems that are crumbling more quickly than they can be replaced.
At the Regional Water Quality Control Board, executive officer
“We are seeing fewer spills . . . but we still see these large spills infrequently and we are very concerned about this,” he said.
Robertus said pipes in lagoons are often problematic because they are exposed to lots of water, which increases corrosion. In addition, it can be difficult for utility managers to perform tests and make repairs near environmentally sensitive wetlands and canyons, he said.
In those areas, “we have seen a pattern of deferring maintainance and repair due to limited access.”
At the Buena Vista Lagoon Foundation, executive director Ron Wootton said the most recent spill was reminiscent of several others dating back decades.
“It has happened before and may happen again,” he said. “It's a function of having several main sewage lines serving three cities running through the channel upstream from the lagoon.”
Kimberly McKee-Lewis, senior scientist at the state Department of Fish and Game, said she was trying to put together a long-term plan to monitor the environmental effects of the sewage plume. She also encouraged utility leaders to find new safeguards – perhaps including rerouting pipes – to avoid similar incidents.
“Every time we get to this point (after a spill), it's the likely conclusion that some alternatives to having sewage go through and in a lagoon need to be found,” she said.
In addition to looking at options,
Robertus said it's too early to speculate about what his agency will do. “We don't have a formula,” he said. “It's not automatic.” #http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20070404/news_1mi4sewage.html
Lagoon sewage spill threatens fish and birds
By Philip K. Ireland, staff writer
State and local officials said the massive spill threatens a variety of flora and fauna that live in and around the freshwater lagoon straddling the border of
A similar spill of 4.65 million gallons at the lagoon in 1995 killed more than 5,000 fish, 9,000 crayfish and more than 30,000 shrimp, said Eric Becker of the state Water Resources Control Board.
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Lack of oxygen is the most immediate environmental threat to wildlife around the lagoon, officials said.
The influx of that much human sewage and wastewater into the lagoon suffocates fish by decreasing the levels of oxygen in the water, said Rob Hughes, a spokesman with the Office of Spill Prevention and Response, which is part of the California Department of Fish and Game.
Further, the sewage acts as a fertilizer that feeds algae and bacteria living in the water. With an abundant nutrient source, the populations of those organisms explode into events called "blooms" that suffocate the catfish, perch, bass and crustaceans that inhabit the lagoon.
The warmer temperatures of spring combined with the abundant nutrients can create ideal conditions for ongoing algae and bacterial blooms for the next few weeks or longer, said Gabriel Solmer, an attorney with San Diego Coastkeeper.
After the 1995 spill, the Buena Vista Lagoon was posted as contaminated for 21 days, and the recreational activities popular there ---- fishing, hiking and biking ---- were curtailed. Fishing was depressed long after the spill, Becker said.
That spill occurred after a contractor ruptured a sewer line while working on the Buena Vista Pump Station, Becker said. The cities of Vista and
After this week's massive spill, the fertilizing action from human waste will continue for sometime, Hughes said, adding that state officials will monitor oxygen levels, temperatures and bacteria levels in the lagoon.
To minimize the damage from the spill, crews are scrambling to get more oxygen into the lagoon water, officials said.
"The plan is to pump and cascade the sewage to aerate the water, which is essentially what a sewage treatment plant does," Hughes said. He said aeration is a long-term process and that he could not predict how long it might take.
In addition to aeration, officials with the Carlsbad Municipal Water District are attempting to pump sewage out of the lagoon and divert it to a nearby treatment plant, said Cari Dale, assistant general manager for the water district.
The city has also hired Weston Solutions, a biological firm, to monitor water quality and identify species of fish and invertebrates that have died, Dale said.
Fish and plants aren't the only wildlife at risk from the spill. Birds use the lagoon for a variety of activities, and the short- and long-term health of migratory birds is also on the minds of biologists, Hughes said.
A small army of officials are working at the lagoon around the clock to stem the flow of effluent and all that movement and noise may have already disturbed the birds' habits, Hughes said.
"Over 200 species of birds use the lagoon to breed, rest and feed," Hughes said. "We are concerned that crews there now will damage nests and scare the birds away from breeding."
Two species of birds that nest in the lagoon are endangered, Hughes said. The light-footed clapper rail is on the federal and state endangered list, and the Belding's
Ronald Wootton, executive director of the Buena Vista Lagoon Foundation, said that in addition to causing algae blooms, the sewage spill will lead to more plant growth in the lagoon which has serious long-term effects.
Over time, the unchecked growth of flora actually "raises the floor of the lagoon" as plants die and fall to the bottom, he said.
Wooton has already predicted that the lagoon will not survive 25 more years at its current rate of decline. He said his group is working on various methods of restoring the lagoon that include relocating the sewer pipes at the east end of the lagoon, and allowing the ocean to flush into the lagoon periodically.
"Raising the (public's) attention level is a good thing," Wootton said. "Getting the public involved in restoring the lagoon is something we've been working on for 25 years." #
http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/04/04/news/coastal/21_03_114_3_07.txt
SEWAGE DEAL:
Lodi considers striking deal to treat raw sewage from Flag City
By Jeff Hood, Lodi Bureau Chief
Flag City, little more than a collection of travel-related businesses at Highway 12 and Interstate 5, would not be allowed to send more than 190,000 gallons of sewage a day to Lodi's plant without negotiating a tax-sharing agreement with the city. Even then, the county could not discharge more than 210,000 gallons a day, or roughly double its current volume of 110,000 gallons, without city approval.
Lodi Mayor Bob
"I don't think we got everything we wanted out of the deal,"
Steve Winkler, deputy public works director for
If
The $6 million connection charge would come at a good time for
City officials said
In another benefit for
"It's not a given," said Nancy Beckman, head of the visitors bureau. "There's nothing immediate in the works."
King said when the city recently studied the chances of a downtown hotel succeeding, one of the findings was that new motels at
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070403/A_NEWS/704030336/-1/A_NEWS
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