Published: Friday, April 25, 2014 at 6:30 a.m. Last Modified: Thursday, April 24, 2014 at 11:18 p.m.

Things could change between now and May 2, when the legislative session ends. But many people will be disappointed, especially since they had such high hopes just a couple of months ago.

That was when five influential state senators created an ambitious, comprehensive bill that would have set the groundwork to restore some of the state's most damaged springs. The original bill, the Springs and Aquifer Protection Act, would have required the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the state's water districts to identify the most problematic septic tanks and hook them to municipal wastewater systems if possible at state expense.

The act also would have developed more stringent standards for wastewater treatment plants and farm fertilizer application.

And unlike many other legislative measures that came before, this bill would have been funded to the tune of nearly $400 million annually from real estate taxes.

But since its initial proposal, and most recently during a Senate committee this week, the bill that once was hailed as the most progressive in years was left almost unrecognizable.

Resistance from business lobbies, property owners and local governments have taken a hefty toll. Some of the things taken out of the bill:

tougher nitrogen discharge standards for wastewater treatment plants in spring zone areas;

a requirement that farmers and ranchers in spring zones follow best management practices;

tough deadlines for establishing minimum flows and levels and implementing springs recovery and prevention strategies;

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Watered-down springs bill brings disappointment

Oak-Land Spring Cabaret

Community members of all ages will enjoy a casual evening of entertainment at Oak-Land Junior Highs Spring Cabaret. This event features the schools two jazz bands and an assortment of student performances. There will be a silent auction and refreshments for sale. Proceeds provide Oak-Land band students with scholarships for summer music camps and lessons. The Spring Cabaret will be held 7-9 p.m. Tuesday, April 29 at Oak-Land Junior High, 820 Manning Ave, Lake Elmo. There is a $5 admission fee, with free admission for kids under 12.

Spring kayak excursion

Celebrate the spring migration with a paddle on the St. Croix River. Join a guided kayak program 7:30-11:30 a.m. Saturday, May 3 from Minnesota Interstate Park to Osceola Landing to learn about the return of these summer residents and how the Riverway provides them with such a special habitat. 6 miles, 4 hours. Registration deadline is April 30. For all programs, kayaks and related equipment, including a personal flotation device, will be provided. A 30-minute paddling instruction and safety session will occur prior to departure and must be attended by all participants. Participants should have previous paddling experience and must be 18 years of age or older. The cost is $35 per person and space is limited to 8 participants. For more information and to register, visit scrapaddle.org or call 715-483-3300.

Septic system replacement loan program

Washington County announces the launch of the Washington County Subsurface Sewage Treatment System (SSTS) Low Interest Loan Program, to assist homeowners with replacement of noncompliant septic systems. The county is using funds from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA)s Agricultural Best Management Practice program, by serving as a local lender. Several other counties, including Carver County, have programs like this in place. The county is partnering with the Washington County Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) to administer the program. Funds will be available to any property that is not connected to city sewer services, including businesses. Loans will be made on a first-come, first-served basis, with no income or asset restrictions. The failing systems must meet certain criteria, before the loan is issued. Loan term options include 5, 8 or 10 years, with interest rates ranging from 1.5 percent to 3 percent. Interested applicants will apply to the HRA, which will conduct a financial review before the county approves a loan. Loan payments will be made through a special assessment on property taxes, typically due twice a year in the spring and fall. The county also has a small amount of cost-share grant funds to assist lower income residents with replacing noncompliant SSTS in homes. Cost share grants range from $4,500 to $6,000. These funds are only available to residents who meet certain income guidelines, and are made possible through the states Clean Water Fund. To learn more about SSTS loan and grant options in Washington County, or obtain application materials, see co.washington.mn.us/septic. Contact the HRA at 651-458-0936 with questions about the application process, or the Department of Public Health and Environment at 651-430-6655 for more information on whether an SSTS is eligible. Application materials should be sent to the HRA.

Wastewater plant operators honored

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) recently recognized Gary Johnson from Metropolitan Council St. Croix Valley for maintaining a perfect compliance record with their wastewater treatment permit during 2013. This year, Metropolitan Council St. Croix Valley wastewater treatment facility was among 128 wastewater facilities statewide to receive this award. To be eligible for this award, facility operators were required to submit all monitoring reports to the MPCA correctly and on time, demonstrate consistent compliance through monitoring or surveys and employ staff certified by the MPCA in wastewater operations. The awards were presented at the 77th annual Wastewater Operations Conference on March 26 in Brooklyn Park. The annual conference brings together wastewater operators throughout the state for training and professional education. In Minnesota, there are about 1360 municipal and industrial wastewater treatment facilities.

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Briefs: Oak-Land Spring Cabaret

Through the Great Lakes Sustainability Fund (GLSF), the Government of Canada supports projects to clean up each of Canadas 14 remaining Areas of Concern or degraded areas within the Great Lakes Basin.

Since 1989, the GLSF has contributed approximately $110 million to more than 900 partnered projects to improve water quality in these areas. In 2013-2014, the GLSF provided $1.88 million for 31 projects. This investment leveraged a minimum of $3.76 million from other partners towards these projects, ensuring a total investment of at least $5.64 million.

Areas of Concern have been designated by the Governments of Canada and the United States under the Canada-United States Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. Of the 17 Areas of Concern identified on the Canadian side of the Great Lakes, three have been restored. In a further two, we have completed remedial actions and are monitoring environmental recovery prior to removing these sites from the list. In all other Canadian Areas of Concern, actions to restore water quality and ecosystem health are well advanced.

Environmental quality restored and officially removed from the bi-national list of Areas of Concern Severn Sound Collingwood Harbour Wheatley Harbour

All actions to restore environmental quality have been completed and monitoring to confirm restoration is in progress. Spanish Harbour Jackfish Bay

Thunder Bay Nipigon Bay Peninsula Harbour Hamilton Harbour Toronto and Region Port Hope Harbour Bay of Quinte

St. Lawrence River Niagara River St. Marys River St. Clair River Detroit River

For more information about the Great Lakes Sustainability Fund, please visit Environment Canadas Great Lakes Areas of Concern website.

The following 31 Great Lakes Sustainability Projects total $1.88 million in Government of Canada spending:

Sediment Nutrient Fluxes, Sediment Oxygen Demand and Links to Harmful Algal Blooms ($67,000)

Continue reading here:
The Great Lakes Sustainability Fund

What Our Clients Have To Say

"I was afraid that I had waited too long for my system to be cleaned and that there would be an expensive problem. The appointment was easy to make and I didn't have to wait long for it. The men who came were friendly, reassuring, and obviously knew exactly what they were doing. They didn't complain about digging through some very heavy clay soil to get to my tank, and they answered all my questions with good humor. Very good experience. The person who returned the next day to install risers and take care of excess soil followed my instructions to the letter. Am I thankful and impressed? You bet! When they send me a reminder in three years, I won't hesitate to call them for return service."

- Linda (Hemlock)

If your home is not connected to the public sewer system, all the wastewater your home generates is treated by an "individual wastewater treatment system", commonly called a septic system.

Every time that anyone in your home uses water, the wastewater that is generated as that water goes down the drain is treated in your own yard, on your own property!Just think, every time anyone washes their hands, washes the dishes, runs the clothes washer, takes a shower, or flushes a toilet, all that wastewater needs to be cleaned and returned to the environment.

It is the job of your septic system to clean the wastewater and re-introduce the treated water back into the ground and environment.

It is your job, as a homeowner, to understand how your septic system works and what you must do to maintain your system.

If you are like most people, you know very little about your septic tank system. This is understandable because there have been many myths and misconceptions surrounding septic tank systems and the way they work. Here, we will try to give you a clear understanding of what happens to your household waste after it goes down the drain. As the diagram illustrates, wastewater generated in your household travels outside into the septic system. The most common type of septic system consists of two parts: 1. The septic tank and 2. The leaching system. Some more complicated systems may include aerators, pumping stations, dosing chambers, drop boxes, raised fill leaching systems, or other alternate systems.

The soil pipe that leaves your house empties first into the septic tank.

The septic tank is a large box that is most commonly made out of precast concrete. Some septic tanks are made of metal or plastic. The size of a residential septic tank depends upon the number of bedrooms in the home and the regulations in the county in which it is installed. Typically, a three bedroom home will have a 1250 gallon septic tank and a four bedroom home will have a 1500 gallon septic tank. Smaller homes and older homes may have a 1000 gallon septic tank, or even a smaller tank. While older tanks consist of a single compartment, newer tanks often have 2 compartments. Some homes have more than one tank.When household wastes enter the tank, several things occur:

Originally posted here:
Why Clean Your Septic System - Barefoot Septic and Sewer, Inc.

Viewpoint

It's not as if I wasn't warned ahead of time. On Dec. 13, 2013, a contrite man stood telling me that the rod and gun club my husband had booked for the staff Christmas party would not be able to accommodate our 50-plus guests.

"What? I can't believe this!" I sat in the truck with a load of Crock-Pots and drinks in the back seat. "What do you mean we can't use the hall? I've got people coming in an hour!"

"The water's froze up, lady. We weren't expecting it so soon this winter. It's been awful cold, you know."

I was relieved. "Oh, I don't need water," I blundered on. "I'll take everything back home and clean it when we're done. We have plenty of drinks. We won't need to turn on the tap. We've even brought our own wood." I must have sounded slightly hysterical to him, but he didn't seem to care that I might break down in tears at any second.

"That's not the problem, lady. It's the other end you don't have. The sewer line is frozen up and without that you're stuck."

Happy Easter from all of us at NCR!

Well, that last word was the bleeped edition of what he really said, but I took no offense because that old English word was exactly what I was.

My husband held on to his rationality and quickly found another place for our party, where things like toilets flushed freely. But it was only the beginning.

Slowly, like a plague, we began to hear stories. So-and-so decided to move south for three months; a city north of us asked its residents to let the taps drip slowly all the time; pipes were bursting in a small town to the west of us; folks down our gravel road had a drain company come and shoot something up their pipes that allowed them to live in their house. Another couple moved into a hotel.

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Ending the winter of my discontent

FORSYTH Taney County Commissioners this week discussed the possibility of creating an environmental services department to help residents gets septic tanks cleaned.

Its my wish that the Taney County citizens whove paid this tax, who havent gotten anything for the tax, Id like to see environmental services put something together to benefit everyone, said Commissioner Danny Strahan.

I think its something that would benefit all instead of just the few that would be hooked up to sewer projects, Strahan said.

The tax Strahan referred to is the countys half-cent sewer tax that allows the county to build and maintain sewer systems intended to help clean the countys lakes and drinking water.

Currently, the county provides $75 discounts to pump septic tanks. An expansion of that service is one of the items the department would promote.

Last week, David Casaletto, executive director of Ozarks Water Watch, asked commissioners to consider an ordinance requiring septic tank inspection for homes being sold. Casaletto also commended the commissioners for how much Taney County has already done to clean the countys waterways and wells. The commission did not discuss his request during this meeting.

Strahan said if the department is formed, he would expect they would provide many more services to county residents.

However, the commissioners asked for guidance from Mike Cole and Scott Starrett, from the county planning department, to come up with some details.

Well be looking at an environmental services department, said Presiding Commissioner Ron Houseman. And if its created, what will make it up? What will be added to the website? Theyd communicate with the media.

Strahan said commissioners have talked about forming such a department for a long time and hed like to finally get it moving forward.

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Taney County eyeing new department

TACOMA U.S. District Court Judge Benjamin Settle on Monday sentenced All-Out Sewer and Drain owner Ray Caldwell of Longview to 27 months in prison and a $250,000 fine following Caldwells conviction on 33 felonies related to illegal sewage dumping.

Settle also ordered Caldwell to pay a special assessment fine of $3,300 and told him to participate in a moral reconation program to learn to make moral decisions.

A restitution hearing was set for 10 a.m. May 22, when the judge will decide how much Caldwell must repay the city of Longview, Cowlitz County and Three Rivers wastewater treatment plant for defrauding them. The government has recommended nearly $1 million in restitution.

Both Caldwell and his company received three years probation. In addition, the judge fined All-Out Sewer $12,800. Caldwell has four years to pay off the fines issued Monday.

I feel bad for what I have done. I didnt think I was hurting the environment, Caldwell, 60, told the judge Monday morning in the Tacoma courtroom. I do know its wrong. Id like to apologize to everyone for the embarrassment and the hurt that Ive caused, especially my daughter.

The sentence, which was considerably lighter than the 42 months in prison and $650,000 fine the government had recommended, took into account the positive contributions Caldwell had made to the community with his involvement in various charities, Settle said.

The judge acknowledged he had received numerous letters from community members touting Caldwells big heart. Although the financial donations were commendable on the surface, When one considers the source of your income was ill-gotten, it takes a little bit of the shine off of that, Settle said.

Calling the case very troubling, Settle said it was more serious than just environmental noncompliance because it involved fraud.

This is a tale of two men, Settle said, describing Caldwell as simultaneously a devoted family man and community volunteer and as a greedy businessman lacking integrity. He wondered if Caldwells letter-writing supporters fully understood that their friend had deprived public entities of money they were entitled to receive.

I want to encourage you to really level with all of these people, especially your daughter, and say, Ive had to look inside myself and say what Ive done warranted the government coming after me, and Im not an innocent man, Settle said. You knew what you were doing was wrong.

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All-Out Sewer owner gets 27 months for illegal sewage dumping, other crimes

TERRE HAUTE In an effort to reduce and eliminate Escherichia coli (E. coli) from the Otter Creek watershed, the Vigo County Soil & Water Conservation District is seeking a state grant that addresses non-point sources of the bacteria into the watershed.

A comprehensive study of the Otter Creek watershed was conducted by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management in 2009.

The primary cause of E. coli sources in the watershed include non-point sources, such as row crop agriculture and pastures, urban and rural runoff, land application of manure and point sources such as straight pipe discharges and failing home sewage treatment system disposal.

IDEM took watershed samples from April to May 2009 and 17 of 19 sites had high levels of E. Coli, the report stated. Reductions in E. Coli needed to achieve water quality standards range as high 84.5 percent, the report stated.

The Otter Creek watershed originates in northern Clay County, then flows southwest where it empties into the Wabash River west of North Terre Haute, covering about 229 stream miles.

Most of the watershed is agricultural land. The area includes parts of Clay, Parke and Vigo counties.

The Vigo district is holding a public meeting at 5:30 p.m. April 22 at the Seelyville Town Hall, 2299 N. Main St., to inform landowners and people living within the watershed of the effort to apply for a grant up to $300,000, said Jan Came, urban conservationist for the conservation district.

This grant will not allow us to do any type of upgrading or anything like that to home septics, but it will allow us to educate people on how to keep and maintain septic systems, which can help reduce E. Coli, Came said.

However, the April 29 meeting will establish a steering committee of landowners and stakeholders that will address indirect or non-point contamination such as from livestock on farms, manure fertilization or failing septic systems. The grant will pay for reduction of those agricultural sources, Came said.

The steering committee will decide what are the best practices to put on the ground, whether it be cover crops, fencing for livestock, it could be field borders, which will filtrate between a field and the creeks. Those borders are grass waterways at the end of fields, that allows the water to be filtered before going into the creek, Came said.

Read more from the original source:
Cleaning up the E. coli-laden watershed

Dr. Christopher J. Gobler presents The State of the Bays, 2014 at Stony Brook Southampton. (A. Hinkle photo)

By Annette Hinkle

Water quality is an issue that has long been on the radar screens of environmentalists and scientists on the East End. But in recent years, even average citizens couldnt fail to notice the degradation of local waterways through an increasing number of algal bloom events.

These events go by names like rust tide or brown tide and over time, have been responsible for the decimation of eel grass beds crucial habitat for scallops and the reduction in numbers of other species of shellfish and finfish as well.

Water quality is a top issue for Southampton Town Supervisor Anna Throne-Holst, who wants the East End to become a hub for clean water technology. Recently, she presented Governor Andrew Cuomo with a proposal in which the state, county, SUNY Stony Brook and local environmental groups would ban together to address water degradation on the East End.

To that end, last Friday as part of his talk on the State of the Bays, 2014 at Stony Brook Southampton, Dr. Christopher Gobler of the universitys School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (SOMAS) began the evening by announcing that his team of researchers are actively engaged in assessing Long Islands coastal waters. Soon, they will be sharing that information with organizations and municipalities so they can act on it in a meaningful way.

Dr. Gobler is the director of LICCRA (Long Island Coastal Conservation Research Alliance). The alliance is made up of graduate students, post doctorate researchers and lab technicians and their research will give solid numbers to environmental groups, policy makers, elected officials and citizens as they work toward finding real solutions to improve water quality.

We monitor and do research on coastal waters and can share our science, explained Dr. Gobler who added that going forward, water quality updates will be posted regularly on LICCRAs Facebook page. We want to communicate our science to people who can make a difference.

And when it comes to that science, Dr. Gobler reports there is much to be concerned about. Harmful algal blooms, hypoxia (or low oxygen) and general water impairment are all taking their toll on Long Island waterways. Degradation is worse in western Nassau County, where geography makes it difficult for tidal flushing to carry out toxins, but Suffolk County waterways experienced some serious issues in the last couple years as well, especially parts of Great South Bay, Shinnecock Bay and even local ponds.

Nitrogen loading is an issue driving many of these trends, said Dr. Gobler who notes that in 2009, the journal Science saw an overabundance of nitrogen in the environment as a global threat to humanity.

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The State of Our Bays in 2014

Supporters of embattled Longview businessman Ray Caldwell have written letters to a federal judge, touting his good deeds and asking for leniency in Caldwells sentencing next week for 33 felonies related to illegal sewage dumping.

Suffice it to say that Ray is thought of as a community leader by me and many others, wrote John T. Claypool of Claypool Appraisal Service in his March 16 letter. It is inexplicable to me that he is in trouble for putting waste into a sewer line. In light of what he has done during his life for his family, acquaintances and community, any punishment should be minimal.

Caldwell, owner of All-Out Sewer & Drain, will be sentenced at 3 p.m. Monday at U.S. District Court in Tacoma. In December, Judge Benjamin Settle convicted Caldwell in December of all 33 counts he faced: 25 felony counts of violating the federal Clean Water Act, six counts of mail fraud and two counts of making false statements.

Caldwell, 60, was accused of pumping septic waste from his collection trucks into the city sewer system on 25 different dates last year to avoid disposal fees of 10 to 25 cents per gallon. He also is accused of underreporting by hundreds of thousands of gallons the amount of septage he collected from customers. For each Clean Water Act violation, Caldwell could face up to three years in prison, fines of $5,000 to $50,000 per day of violation and supervised release of up to one year.

Commercial septic tank pumper truck waste is highly concentrated, and so if it enters the regional wastewater plant through the sewer rather than being disposed of legally, the waste can overpower the plants treatment processes. Some of the waste also could pass through the plant, untreated, and be discharged into the river, where it could create dead zones that kill fish, the Three Rivers regional sewage treatment plant supervisor testified in Caldwells trial.

Caldwells attorneys from Hester Law Group of Tacoma argued in court documents filed Friday for a sentence of zero to six months for the Clean Water Act violations and eight to 14 months for the fraud counts. An appropriate fine would be $30,000, wrote the attorneys, who based their calculations on complex sentencing guidelines.

In addition to Claypool, six other community members wrote letters to the judge last month: Steve Jabush, vice-president of PNE Corp.; Don Cianci of Cs Photography; Arleen Hubble, executive director of the Go 4th Committee and a former Daily News advertising department employee; artist Joe M. Fischer; Dan W. Hiebert of Klein Trust; and Steve Bilger, Territory director for Oregon-Southwest Washington Young Life.

The letters generally describe Caldwell as honest, charitable, generous, hardworking, reliable and family oriented.

Claypool said Ray Caldwell and his wife, Joanne, had allowed him and other friends use of their cabin at Sequim for long weekends, and that Caldwell recently had granted easements to an 80-acre property to make it a wetlands reserve through Ducks Unlimited and the state Department of Fish & Wildlife. Other examples Claypool offered of Caldwells generosity: All Out Sewer & Drain had sponsored many local youth sports teams, and Caldwell, while president of Cowlitz County CrimeStoppers, had donated his time and money to the organization whenever needed.

Bilger said Caldwell generously contributed to Lower Columbia Young Life, a Christian outreach organization that focuses on adult leaders building mentor relationships with teens. Caldwell also provided office and meeting space for Young Life for seven years, Bilger stated in his undated letter.

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Ray Caldwell backers urge judge to go easy on him