Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
September 26, 2007
4. Water Quality
SEWAGE SPILL:
District faces fine in spilling of sewage; Officials hoping to reduce penalty - San Diego Union Tribune
RECYCLING OF WATER:
San Jose looks to turning sewage water into drinking water - Associated Press
SEWAGE SPILL:
District faces fine in spilling of sewage; Officials hoping to reduce penalty
By J. Harry Jones, staff writer
FALLBROOK – The Rainbow Municipal Water District faces the possibility of more than $5 million in fines because of a spill early this month of 540,000 gallons of raw sewage onto property northeast of Interstate 15 and state Route 76.
Repairs, which if done correctly could significantly reduce the amount of the fine, could cost about $2.5 million, district officials say.
The Sept. 4 spill, caused by overgrown roots blocking the pipe, does not appear to pose a threat to the underground water supply based on initial testing, district engineer Brian C. Lee said.
The Rainbow board met yesterday but did not take any action. On Sept. 11, however, they decided to immediately clean up the mess.
In a Sept. 10 memo to the district's board of directors, Lee said the 12-inch sewer line that became blocked runs through a wetlands area east of I-15 on the Pankey Ranch. Most of the manholes constructed to gain access to the pipeline have been buried over the years and are currently “lost.”
It took workers two days to find the source of the leak, partly because plans developed in 2004 to build roads into the wetland area to access the sewer manholes were halted the next year to save money, Lee said in the memo.
The manhole closest to the block was found two days later as sewage seeped out of it, and tanker trucks were brought in along a hastily constructed road to suck up the effluent, Lee said yesterday. Seventy percent of the blockage was removed.
In the memo, Lee told the board the district faces a possible fine of as much as $5.4 million from the Regional Water Quality Control Board as punishment. That amount is likely to be reduced, however, depending on how well the district cleans up the spill and takes measures to avert another one, Lee said.
“They would rather work with us than fine us,” he said.
Michael McCann, assistant executive director of the water board, agreed. He said yesterday that fines are determined based on many factors, including how well the spill is addressed immediately after being discovered and what kind of preventive steps are taken.
Lee suggested a three-phase action plan. The board voted to implement the first phase and will address the next phases later this year.
First, the district needs to clean up the mess, at an estimated cost of about $500,000. Second, a road to access the various lost manholes should be constructed at a cost of about $1 million. Third, the sewer line needs to be repaired by clearing all debris, and all the manholes need to be exposed. Then the manholes and sewer pipe should be specially lined, which would cost between $500,000 and $1 million. Estimated total cost of the repairs and improvements: $2.51 million. Lee said it is hoped that by doing the work, the district will ultimately face a greatly reduced fine.
Lee said that although it is expensive, the work that is needed will not lead to any immediate sewer-rate increases. #
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20070926/news_1mi26spill.html
RECYCLING OF WATER:
Associated Press – 9/25/07
With water shortages a possibility looming in the state's future, this city's starting to look at what it would take to turn sewage back into water that's pure enough to drink.
"This is a homegrown resource. It is the most reliable supply you can have," said Eric Rosenblum, division manager for
The Santa Clara Valley Water District and the city of
If they can get the public to support the plan, millions of gallons of purified waste water could one day be pumped back into the aquifers the county now relies on for half of its drinking water. The other half comes from the
Officials noted that technology exists to treat sewage water using methods such as reverse osmosis, microfiltration and ultraviolet light, and render it pure enough to meet California drinking water standards. But they also explained the idea is still in its initial phase, and a final, detailed proposal isn't expected until next year.
Some water districts in the state have already moved ahead with similar projects.
The Orange County Water District will inaugurate in November a plant that will recycle up to 70 million gallons of waste water a day, then use it to recharge drinking water aquifers.
But in some areas where the process was proposed the plans were derided as sending water from "toilet to tap" and the public wasn't interested.
"What we don't want to end up with is what's happened in other areas where you have fear and politics cause a backlash," said Keith Whitman, water supply manager for the Santa Clara Valley Water District, promising to take a cautious approach. #
####
No comments:
Post a Comment