WaterWorld Weekly Newscast, April 24, 2017.
The following is a transcript of the WaterWorld Weekly Newscast for April 24, 2017.
Hi, I’m Angela Godwin for WaterWorld magazine, bringing you water and wastewater news headlines for the week of April 24.
Coming up… EPA to reconsider ELG rule Flint mayor recommends staying with Great Lakes Water Authority Kenosha water utility honored for resource recovery efforts Investigation suggests missteps in Oroville Dam crisis The Environmental Protection Agency has announced that it will review and reconsider the ELG rule — the final rule that amends the effluent limitation guidelines and standards for the steam electric power generating category under the Clean Water Act.
According to EPA, the ELG Rule has been estimated to cost $480 million per year and has a reported average cost of $1.2 billion per year during the first five years of compliance.
Last week, Flint Mayor Karen Weaver announced her recommendation that Flint stay with the Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) as the city’s primary source of water.
"So we’ve been working on this for six or seven months now.
So, with that in mind, I am recommending that the City of Flint stay with Great Lakes Water Authority as its primary source of water."
Mayor Weaver added that staying with GLWA would allow the city to use federal dollars from the Drinking Water Revolving Fund Program to update the city’s aging water distribution system.
An added benefit, she said, was that the 72-inch transmission line would be returned to the city, "and residents would also gain access to a low-income assistance program to help pay their water bills."

Spotsylvania water advisory lifted for all but two streets.
The water advisory in Spotsylvania has been lifted in all but one area, according to a county alert sent out Sunday evening.
“All bacteriological sampling has shown that water within the affected area is safe for consumption in accordance with Virginia Department of Health regulations,” the alert said.
A boil-water advisory remains in effect for the area of Commonwealth Drive and Onyx Court off U.S. 1 in the Massaponax area.
The alert said restoration of service has been delayed in that area because of the location of repairs.
The next update for that area will come today.
The break happened at 7:30 a.m. Friday, but crews quickly restored water everywhere except an industrial building on Commonwealth Drive, just south of Cosner’s Corner.
The break near the Cosner’s Corner shopping center temporarily cut off water to homes and businesses along the U.S. 1 corridor, from the Fredericksburg–Spotsylvania line to Thornburg.
Utilities staff flushed the distribution system to eliminate issues from the water main break.
County officials issued the boil-water advisory because water pressure dropped after the break, increasing the possibility of contamination.

City lifts precautionary boil order.
After a more than 24-hour boil water advisory, the city of Fort Wayne announced about 4 p.m. Saturday that the advisory had been lifted.
A release said, “tests on drinking water completed (Saturday) show that the water (is) free from any contamination and is safe.” City Utilities and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management therefore ended the boil advisory, stating in the release that there was no further need for precautions and the water was safe to drink.
On Friday, the precautionary advisory was enacted after a water distribution system lost pressure in a few locations after a power surge at an I&M circuit breaker.
City Utilities issued the advisory as a precaution even though the water continued to be adequately treated, according to the release.
“All testing done throughout the day showed the water to be well within the parameters of safe water,” the release stated.
City Utilities apologized for any inconvenience it may have caused customers.

Spotsy maintains boil-water advisory.
Spotsylvania continues to tell many residents to boil their water before using it, after a U.S. 1 water main break Friday.
Utilities staff is flushing the distribution system to eliminate issues from yesterday’s water main break.
County officials issued a boil-water advisory because water pressure dropped after the break, increasing the possibility of contamination.
The voluntary notice will stay in effect until officials get results from two consecutive bacteriological samples, each spanning 24 hours, a spokeswoman said Saturday.
They expect to issue an update Sunday evening.
The break near the Cosner’s Corner shopping center temporarily cut off water to homes and businesses along the U.S. 1 corridor, from the Fredericksburg–Spotsylvania line to Thornburg.
The impacted area extends from Kingswood subdivision in the north to Lancaster Gate in the south and includes big developments such as Lee’s Hill and Lee’s Parke.
The break occurred at 7:30 a.m., but crews quickly restored water everywhere except an industrial building on Commonwealth Drive, just south of Cosner’s Corner.
Deputy County Administrator Ed Petrovitch said rising temperatures could have caused the break, though he could not confirm that.

City Utilities issues boil advisory.
Although an advisory boil order issued by Fort Wayne City Utilities will likely remain in effect at least through this afternoon, officials say they have no indication that the city’s water supply is unsafe.
City Utilities will notify residents when the order is lifted.
With that then, once that power comes back up and it switches over, computers take over and start bringing the plant back online,” Clark said.
The reason it took most of the day to issue the advisory was because pressure did not drop below the threshold.
It was only after investigating the issue further that officials noticed a significant drop in two areas of the system, City Utilities’ Deputy Director Matthew Wirtz said.
There’s no indication that residents who had been drinking city water all day Friday are at risk, Wirtz added.
Samples pulled from the system Friday morning will be tested and the results are expected this afternoon, Clark said.
If the results come back clean, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management will be notified and the boil order could be lifted shortly thereafter.
City Utilities is collecting samples for testing to be sure the system is clear.

A Miamisburg boil water advisory affecting about 25 percent of the city customers — including many businesses in the downtown area – was lifted Friday evening.
One of the 32 restaurants or business serving food that were directly notified of the boil alert by the city was TJ Chumps on East Linden Avenue, where business dropped off after the advisory was first issued, said Managing Partner Mike Leigh.
FIRST REPORT: Miamisburg issues water boil advisory The level of chlorine in samples at the city’s water treatment plant Thursday morning fell below Ohio EPA recommended levels because of a mechanical failure, prompting a boil advisory for about 1,900 Miamisburg water customers, many of them businesses, said city Public Works Director Valerie Griffin.
The advisory area included about one-third of land in the city, Griffin said, and the mechanical failure is “not associated with the construction” of the city’s $69 million water and sewer master plan.
Those upgrades are being paid for by annual rate hikes that have caused customer criticism in recent months.
With the city’s “antiquated” infrastructure, Leigh said the water issues have occurred frequently enough for the restaurant to issue guidelines for operational changes, such as wash room procedures or switching from dispensed to bottled drinks.
On South Main Street, Mz.
Pickles Sandwich Shop owner Carol Brassington said the boil advisory caused frustration, inconveniences and precautions.
The five-year water and sewer upgrades are designed to modernize Miamisburg’s water and sewer system.
Sometimes failures happen,” Griffin said.

Boil Water Advisory issued for portion of Lancaster.
Customers in the Quaker Hills area in Lancaster are being asked to biol their water until further notice.
According to a recent release,the City of Lancaster Water Department issued the notice for customers in the following areas:24 through 118 Running Pump Road; 2302-2303 Helena Road; Quaker Hills development; Gable Park development; North Bausman Drive; Village of Bausman; Honeysuckle Lane development; and Northeastern Millersville Borough.
The advisory comes after several water main breaks today which the City of Lancaster, Bureau of Water said a drop or loss of pressure could create conditions that could allow contamination to enter the distribution system.
The release advises that there is no direct evidence that the water is unsafe, customers are being ask to boil their water before use.
The water main breaks are currently being repaired and another update will be released Monday, April 23.
For more information, contact the City of Lancaster Water Department: Water Quality Laboratory at (717) 291-4818 Monday-Friday 7:00 AM-4:15 PM.
After hours, the Water Emergency phone number is (717) 291-4816.

Boil Water Advisory In Effect Throughout Fort Wayne.
Fort Wayne City Utilities has issued a precautionary Boil Water Advisory until further notice for much of the city.
The order is in effect for parts of the city bounded by Washington Center Road in the north, a portion of Maplecrest and Meyer Road in the east, the Hillegas Road and St. Marys River in the west and Tillman Road in the south.
Click here to see a map of areas effected.
The advisory was issued after a power surge occurred at the American Electric Power/I&M substation near Lawton Park.
According to a statement from the City, the surge resulted in a 60 second loss of pressure in some parts of the community.
Any water to be used for cooking or drinking should be brought to a rolling boil for five minutes then cooled before it is used for consumption.
City Utilities has notified its major customers including hospitals, schools and food manufacturers about the boil advisory.
City Utilities customers are asked to share information about the boil water advisory with other residents.
The 311 call center will have extended its hours until 7:30 p.m. tonight.

Many Spotsy residents may need to boil water through weekend.
Spotsylvania County is advising many residents to boil their water before using it as a result of a water main break on U.S. 1 Friday morning.
Some homes may have lower-than-normal water pressure and discolored water until repairs are complete.
Residents can still take baths or showers, but should be careful not to swallow the water.
The county will collect water samples in coordination with the Virginia Department of Health.
Workers are also flushing discolored water from the lines, which will take about 12 hours to clear, a county spokeswoman said early Friday afternoon.
Deputy County Administrator Ed Petrovitch said rising temperatures could have caused the break, though he could not confirm that.
“Typically, this time of year is when we see thermal breaks because of the change in the ground temperature,” he said.
“Spring is the season.” The 12-inch, cast-iron pipe that broke was installed in the 1970s, Petrovitch said.
He said that section of the pipe will be replaced as the area south and east of Cosner’s Corner is developed.

Boil Water Advisory issued for Quaker Hills area of Lancaster County.
This comes after a week of water main breaks in the area.
Read more below: "On 04/21/2017, the City of Lancaster Water Department issued a boil water advisory for customers.
See attached map for details.
Due to a several water main breaks today, the City of Lancaster, Bureau of Water advises customers to boil their drinking water due to a drop/loss of water pressure within parts of the distribution system in this neighborhood.
DO NOT DRINK THE WATER WITHOUT BOILING IT FIRST.
What happened?
The City of Lancaster, Bureau of Water is repairing the main breaks to fix the problem.
Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses).
This notice is provided by the City of Lancaster, Public Water Supplier ID#: 7360058."