CLEAR LAKE | Iowa Department of Natural Resources officials met with eight area residents on Tuesday to discuss Iowa water-quality regulations.

The event at the Clear Lake Lakeview Room was part of the three-year review cycle for standards imposed under the federal Clean Water Act.

Were here to listen to the public, what concerns they have, what changes theyd like to see and what impacts they might anticipate coming from those changes, said Roger Bruner, supervisor of the DNR water-quality monitoring and assessment section.

DNR Water Quality Standards Coordinator Rochelle Weiss outlined the types of regulations and water bodies covered under this review.

She noted the focus was measurable pollutant discharges from individual facilities with specific points of entry into a river or stream, known as point-source discharges.

Facilities producing such discharges, she said, must obtain National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits stipulating the type and amount.

Increases are normally permitted only if determined to be in keeping with public safety and water-quality goals and after establishing there is no reasonable alternative.

Accepted levels vary by substance and by water body, with bodies classified based on such variables as size, flow characteristics, water temperature, aquatic life supported and types of human recreational usage.

Specific changes being contemplated are primarily technical, Bruner noted, involving adjustments to methods for allocating waste loads and to techniques used in monitoring levels of metals and other chemicals.

During public comments, some participants voiced questions and concerns regarding other water-quality issues.

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Water quality regulations focus of CL meeting

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. Sewer systems are having major issues from wipes not actually going down the toilet. The Persigo Wastewater Treatment Plant has seen an increase in blockages in sewer systems in the last couple of years.

Persigo monitors more than 500 miles of sewer systems through Mesa County and cleans them every two years, but now with blockages they have to up their maintenance from every six months to one year, which costs them more money.

Dan Tonello with Persigo said they're not sure if it's the flushable wipes for adults that are clogging up the sewers or if parents are putting baby wipes in toilets.

Septic systems can also be affected the wipes can take up room in the tanks causing them to not work properly.

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"Flushable" wipes clog up sewer systems in Grand Junction

Published September 10. 2014 4:00AM

Old Lyme - The Water Pollution Control Authority outlined steps on Tuesday, as it plans for a system to send wastewater from several shoreline neighborhoods through sewers to a New London treatment plant.

The WPCA is proposing a centralized, town-managed pump station that would send wastewater through East Lyme and Waterford for treatment in New London.

The proposed sewer plan calls for connecting to sewers three charted beach associations - Old Lyme Shores, Old Colony and Miami Beach - and three town-managed beach neighborhoods - Sound View, Hawk's Nest and White Sand.

Woodard and Curran, the engineering firm for the project, is slated to complete a draft report for the project at the end of the month. The proposal currently comprises a centralized pumping station in Sound View, said David Prickett of Woodard and Curran. A secondary pumping station would send wastewater near the White Sands area up to the main pumping station.

If residents approve moving forward with funding, engineers could begin designing the system this fall and continue through 2015. Construction, in phases, would be slated for 2016 to 2018.

The town is working on an inter-municipal agreement with East Lyme in which the town of Old Lyme would essentially be considered a customer of the East Lyme sewer system, said First Selectwoman Bonnie Reemsnyder. Old Lyme is also working on memorandums of understanding with some of the town's beach communities.

There will be a special town meeting at 7:30 p.m. next Wednesday at Town Hall in which WPCA members, the first selectwoman, town attorney and engineers will answer questions from the public.

Woodard and Curran will further hold public presentations with the WPCA on Sept. 30 and Oct. 14.

The WPCA requested the Board of Selectmen to research short-term financing and bonding options for the system. Tentatively, there will be a town meeting in October to approve some initial funds for the project.

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Plan outlined to get Old Lyme wastewater to New London treatment plant

A possible addition to this article: In Canada, at least, there are often numerous cleanouts on each branch off the main sewer line, generally tucked behind cabinets. Thus, if only the sink (toilet/shower/whatever) is blocked, or if only the one bathroom is blocked, you can use the clean out for the sewer line directly from the problem area, rather than having to go through the entire house, which saves you a lot of time (and money, if you're paying your plumber by the hour). I kind of expected this would be standard since it's the easiest way to get access to a specific branchline where the problem is; steering augers into the proper path of a junction is a royal pain.

@anon167424 (The guy with the sinkhole issues): I'm afraid the city doesn't really know what it's talking about. The presence or absence of an opening that gives access to the sewage line into your home is irrelevant to the geological forces that cause sinkholes to develop. There are a number of other things that might cause it:

Natural ground conditions from the natural erosion of limestone or other rock types that are similarly susceptible to water erosion. Sinkholes are just like caves; they just open up rather than sideways.

Poor foundations. Standards for road construction are awfully poor in North America. Whenever there's a major flood incident, you'll see lots of footage of roads that have been washed out, particularly when they're over fill (rising above the natural ground). The powers that be refuse to understand this and keep rebuilding the roads the same way, which leaves geologists more than a bit annoyed. If you have a lot of groundwater activity in the area, the foundation issue would cause a sinkhole.

Broken pipes. Same issue with the foundations as above, but an old sewer or water line that breaks is going to leak large volumes of water. So, even if you don't naturally have a lot of groundwater activity, you now have far more than nature would ever throw at you. And in the case of a leaking water main (pressurized to 60 psi in my hometown), it only takes a day or two to cause critical damage.

And unfortunately, no, the city's not going to be liable. They installed the pipes properly -- just a long time ago and they need new ones. They built the foundation of the roads to spec, except the specs are useless.

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What is a Sewer Clean Out? (with pictures)

PARLIAMENT has exonerated private mortuaries in Harare which were, earlier this year, accused of contaminating drinking water sources through their disposal of fluid waste.

The funeral parlours came under fire for allegedly endangering the health of residents by discharging waste which has organic pollutants.

Among these was embalming fluid, formaldehyde, which also kills bacteria that is important in sewage purification.

Parliaments Portfolio Committee on Environment, Water, Tourism and Hospitality Industry set up a committee to investigate the allegations following an outcry in the media last May.

In its report which was presented to the House by the committee chairperson, Anastasia Ndhlovu, the committee absolved the mortuaries.

It further chided the country's media for allegedly blowing the alleged pollution out of proportion.

"The outcry by the media was rather exaggerated," said Ndhlovu, a proportional representation MP, while presenting the report to Parliament.

"The water and embalming fluids used on dead bodies were properly disposed of, Ndhlovu said.

The committee visited prominent funeral parlours Nyaradzo Group, Doves Funeral Services and Moonlight Profit Associates to verify the claims.

Ndlovu continued: "Based on the observations and findings from the visits that the committee made, no disposal of pollutants in water bodies that form sources of drinking water for residents was witnessed.

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Mortuaries exonerated over contamination charge

Town clerk says expanding services is not feasible in near future

In the far end of Bonavista, as you leave on route 235, there are 50 to 60 households who do not have water and sewer.

Jonathan Parsons photo

A group of concerned citizens who want water and sewer service stand in their neighbourhood, at the corner of route 235 and Birchy Place.

The homes are on the main road, Rocky Drung and Birchy Place.

The first of the houses were built nearly 40 years ago, although many in the town have no idea the area isnt serviced and that the residents rely on well and septic.

Freeman Dunford owns one of the very first houses built there.

He says the lack of a commitment to service the area with water and sewer is a slap in the face when newer parts of town are being serviced.

From this area, I say $50,000 a year (in taxes) goes to council.

Ive been after council for the last few weeks and months and they are going to make another application for 2015 for funding from municipal affairs Its looking very positive the one thing that we need to bring about is to get this project number one priority with council.

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Bonavista homeowners want water and sewer

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Kington Drain - Municiple, Commercial and Residential ...

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Richard Fagerlund.

What is a gnat?

Basically gnats are very small flies that belong to several species. There are several types of gnats that will get into homes.

Fruit flies (Drosophilidae)

Fruit flies are usually found in the kitchen, where they feed and breed on food spilled in out-of-the-way places such as behind or under appliances. These small flies have distinctive red eyes, which you can see with a hand lens. They are tan or brown in color and about 1/8-inch long. They are also known as pomace flies and vinegar flies.

They can be serious pests in food-handling establishments as they breed in and feed on fruits, vegetables and any moist, decaying organic material. They have been known to cause intestinal problems and diarrhea when fruit containing their larvae is eaten.

They will also breed in discarded fruit juice and soft drink cans and in unsecured bottles of wine. They are also very prolific.

In your home, you can control fruit flies by eliminating all breeding material. They are attracted to vinegar, so put drops on duct tape or glue boards. Or you can fill a small paper cup with vinegar and the flies will dive in.

Hump-backed flies (Phoridae)

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Gnats can get into home and reproduce fast

Angie Hong

On the south end of Afton, just before the road heads out of town, a small stream flows down from the wooded bluffs to meet the St. Croix River below. A little less than three miles long, Kelles Creek is groundwater fed and surrounded by mostly undeveloped land. The stream is home to an unusually large number of macroinvertebrate species (insects and other water critters), which is an indication of very good water quality and a healthy, intact biological web. A few years ago, however, the Valley Branch Watershed District and Washington Conservation District discovered a problem in this otherwise healthy stream E. coli.

E. coli is a type of bacteria that can sometimes make people sick and is an indicator organism for other harmful pathogens as well. E. coli in our waterways can come from dog and goose poop, manure or even human wastewater.

Across Minnesota, 533 streams and river reaches have unsafe levels of E. coli or fecal coliform (another variant). Along with Kelles Creek, eight other creeks in Washington County have E. coli impairments: Browns Creek (from Lansing Avenue to Manning Avenue in Grant); Trout Brook (which flows through Afton State Park); Perro Creek (Bayport); Gilbertson Creek (near the Log Cabin landing in Scandia); Swedish Flag (Copas); and three unnamed streams (one running from Boutwell Road to the diversion structure in Stillwater, one flowing into Big Carnelian Lake in May Township, and one connecting Bone Lake in Scandia to Birch Lake in Chisago County).

Down in Afton, the Valley Branch Watershed District has spent the past year conducting additional research to determine where the E. coli is coming from in Kelles Creek. In addition to testing water at the existing monitoring station in town near St. Croix Trail, theyve also collected samples further upstream and at the headwaters of the stream where it begins to flow from groundwater springs. The results show that E. coli levels are high even at the headwaters and even during low-flow conditions, which are both indications that the bacteria are coming from groundwater, not surface runoff. As a result, the district has concluded that outdated and failing septic systems in the area are most likely to blame for the E. coli contamination in Kelles Creek.

Septic systems, officially known as subsurface sewage treatment systems (SSTS), use biological, physical and chemical processes to treat and clean household wastewater. A typical SSTS consists of a septic tank followed by a soil-based treatment system such as a mound, trench or at-grade drainfield. If designed and installed properly, septic systems are very effective.

In many places, however, extra precautions are needed to make sure they work right. For example, if there is a high water table, the soil-based treatment component of the system wont work, and pathogens can move quickly through the soil without being adsorbed or filtered, thus polluting the shallow ground water which can, in turn, infiltrate into deeper aquifers as well.

Karst topography creates another challenge for SSTS. In southern Washington County there are many places where there is less than 50 feet of sediment over limestone bedrock. Over time, rainwater has cracked the limestone, creating passageways for pollutants on the lands surface to travel down into both shallow and deep aquifers. Two unfortunate examples of this process in action include bacteria from outdated septic systems working their way into Kelles Creek, as well as nitrates from fertilizers contaminating many private wells in Cottage Grove and Denmark Township.

The city of Afton has a large improvement project underway to upgrade roads, flood protection and septic systems in town. As part of the project, the city plans to build a shared sanitary sewer system to replace individual systems within the downtown village. Most of the 160 septic systems in the Kelles Creek watershed are outside of the downtown area, however, so this project alone wont solve the problem. Testing has not yet identified the sources of E. coli in other streams in the county, but it is possible that septic systems may be to blame for contamination in some of those streams as well.

This year, Washington County introduced a new program to help homeowners throughout the county replace failing and noncompliant septic systems. Low interest loans are available for anyone, and there are grants for low income households as well. To qualify for this assistance, septic systems must be deemed noncompliant by the county or a private inspector. Learn more about these programs at co.washington.mn.us or 651-430-6655.

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Column: Outdated septic systems contaminate area streams

The campaign for cleaner and safer rivers in Marikina, Pasig and San Juan in Metro Manila went in full blast as beauty queens joined the campaign to encourage the public to help protect the environment.

At the launch of Manila Waters Toka-Toka advocacy at the Gateway Activity Center, Araneta Center in Cubao, Quezon City, the 2014 Bb. Pilipinas beauty queens pushed the community-based sanitation and used-water projects in Metro Manila.

Those who graced the event were Bb. Pilipinas Universe Mary Jean Lastimosa, Bb. Pilipinas International Mary Ann Guidotti, Bb. Pilipinas Supranational Yvette Santiago, Bb. Pilipinas Intercontinental Kris Tiffany Janson;

Bb. Pilipinas Tourism Parul Shah, and Bb. Pilipinas first runner-up Laura Lehman.

Lets do our share in keeping our rivers clean and safe. Lets show Mother Nature how much we love her by protecting our environment, says Lastimosa, who will represent the Philippines in the 2014 Miss Universe beauty pageant later this year.

Manila Water President and CEO Gerardo Ablaza Jr. says shared responsibility in protecting the rivers is the message of Toka Toka (Para sa Malinis Na Ilog) Movement.

Each one of you can contribute in helping revive our rivers and waterways through simple acts or toka, such as desludging your septic tank every five years, segregating your garbage, connecting your home to a sewer line (when applicable), and spreading the word about Toka Toka within your communities, said Ablaza.

Toka Toka stems from the root word Toka which means to share and commit.

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Help protect environment, public told