Coming soon to a sewer near YOU

If you didn't see the History Channel show, America's Crumbling Infrastructure, you should.

You should also read the article on Yahoo.com, US Cities struggle to control sewer overflows.  

And remember it next time appointed and elected officials want you to Tube the Trinity River.  Thousands of these overflows happen yearly.  When you neglect the infrastructure that is at least a century old and was built for the population of that time, WHAT did you think would happen?

At least some of the rubbish had drifted across Lake Michigan from Milwaukee, a vivid reminder that many cities still flush nasty stuff into streams and lakes during heavy storms, fouling the waters with bacteria and viruses that can make people seriously ill.

Costs are reaching hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars.

She was shocked to learn that federal law lets cities discharge untreated sewage when their plants and storage facilities are flooded.

"It was maddening that they had permission to do this and we had to live with the consequences," Rodwell said.

The ultimate goal is zero overflows, but officials don't expect to get there until about 2035 because it will require being able to handle the kind of flooding that previously happened rarely but is becoming more common.

One partial solution gaining popularity with cities is "green infrastructure" — natural and man-made features that enable more water to soak into the ground instead of washing into storm drains and creeks. Stoner and Giles of EPA instructed field staff last year to incorporate green features into storm water and sewer permits as much as possible.

"Cities have had decades to deal with this problem," Welch said. "We need firm deadlines and we need strong enforcement so it can finally be solved."

Another flood "study"...

This one in Arlington concerning Rush Creek Watershed.

Once it's completed FEMA and the Corp will get involved.  YOU know what that means.  Cha-ching.

Read about it in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.  Then watch the Arlington flooding that happened Wednesday, though no one is sure the cause for the water main break.  Those living near the waste water plant have been flooded many times in the past several years.  Maybe they should study that, too.  Check it out on Fox 4 news.  What all runs downhill?

In September 2010, Tropical Storm Hermine sent several feet of floodwater raging through dozens of west Arlington homes and the Willows at Shady Valley condos. The city, saying that no amount of dredging would stop Rush Creek from flooding, bought 48 of the affected homes and the condominium complex as part of a $16 million program to address chronic flooding.

During Tuesday's City Council meeting, interim Public Works and Transportation Director Keith Melton outlined a planned Rush Creek watershed study that aims to identify its true 100-year flood plain, which hasn't been updated since the 1970s.

Many of the homes in the Shady Valley area were built before those flood maps were adopted. Over the years, development upstream has increased storm-water runoff flowing into the creek and through the downstream neighborhoods, causing millions of dollars in flood damage.

Arlington wants to determine how high Rush Creek storm water could rise once the watershed is fully developed. Rush Creek, which encompasses about one-third of the city, is the largest of the city's nine watersheds and has the most undeveloped land within it, Melton said.

The study, set to be presented to the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers in 2013, will help the city identify possible drainage and storm-water-retention projects to protect structures, interim City Manager Bob Byrd said. The studies could help FEMA determine a new 100-year Rush Creek basin flood plain, which could affect homeowners' flood insurance premiums.

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Some Arlington homeowners said they were shocked and completely helpless when a water treatment plant mishap sent water rushing through their homes.

“I’m a realtor and was working at my computer and happened to look out the door and saw water coming 90 miles an hour down the hill,” said Carol Cash.

She said this is not the first time water from the plant has flooded their home. And her family has been trying to negotiate a settlement deal with the city.

Mary's Creek

The Fort Worth Business Press gives you the heads up about the Fort Worth Water Department meeting concerning Mary's Creek. 

From the article it doesn't sound like much has changed, no matter how much the residents protest.  YOU should pay attention.  YOU could be next.

And speaking of water and sewage...check out Durango's question for the day. 

The Fort Worth Water Department will host an open house on July 21 to discuss plans to purchase a site for the future Mary’s Creek Water Reclamation Facility. The open house will be held from 6-7:30 p.m. at Western Hills Baptist Church at 8500 Chapin Road.

The event will feature no special presentation, but citizens with questions about the project can ask water department officials about the plans.

Work on the Mary’s Creek Water Reclamation Facility began in 2009 with a Site Selection Study that included a Community Advisory Committee. The committee recommended criteria for selecting the site.

More Sewage in Fort Worth

And we're not just talking about City Hall.

The Mary's Creek Sewage Plant battle continues to rage on.  Don't miss the Fort Worth Star-Telegram article.  It brings up many good points that residents all over Fort Worth have been bringing up for years.  WHEN will someone listen?  WHEN the floods come?  Or when the Trinity River has more sewage in it than it does now?  Read along with us. 

"We do feel like it needs to be in an area that has the natural capability to handle flooding and erosion and not be in the middle of the neighborhood."

Common sense...

The city will now conduct a study, to include an environmental impact evaluation, which will cost a little more than $500,000.

Another half a million dollar study...will it ever be completed?  Will it be correct?  WHO is doing the study?  Will the cost escalate?

City officials and residents agree that flooding seems to be a problem along the creek already. Dumping recycled water from the sewage plant into the creek will only exacerbate the probability of high water, neighbors say.

When you already have a problem, and you do nothing, it gets worse.  What happens when you contribute to the problem that already exists?

Judy Williams, the chairwoman of the coalition, whose property is on the creek, said erosion from flooding over the years has already taken a toll.

She said she has lost four trees along the banks over the past seven years. That land loss, she said, makes her property and her neighbors' all the more vulnerable to flooding.

Common sense.

The city is in the midst of a storm-water study of the area that will run concurrently with the environmental impact study of the site. Reed believes that the studies will show that Mary's Creek cannot handle additional flow.

Village Creek, built in the 1950s, is the city's only wastewater treatment plant. Far north Fort Worth is served by the Trinity River Authority's Denton Creek plant.

Fort Worth's ONLY wastewater treatment plan was built in the 1950's.  That was worth repeating.  The Trinity River Vision "Authority" has time to run wastewater treatment plants?  The only thing we hear from them is TRINITY RIVER VISION...oh, and don't forget the streetcars they need.

Gugliuzza also played down concerns that bacteria or other pathogens would seep into the water. The water department's obligation -- whether it be drinking water or wastewater -- is promoting public health, she said.

Too bad the Water Department doesn't know what their obligation is.

"Discharges are highly regulated," Gugliuzza said, referring to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality's oversight of standards set by the EPA. "The water we're putting into the Trinity River is better than the water that's already there."

The water being put in the Trinity River by a sewage plant is better than the water already there?  Did someone tell the Trinity River Authority?  Remember, they want you to float with them in the Trinity.  They say it's safe.  And all the "news" stations in town fell in line promoting the event, instead of asking questions about the safety.  Ask them WHY?

Fort Worth Water Wars Continue

The FW Weekly is back on the Water Wars, someone tell them THANK YOU!

Read the article about Mary's Creek Sewage plant here.  Or as Fort Worth calls it "water recycling center".  Article points out more shining examples of the Fort Worth Way...

Some of  us recently met Amy Reed, great spokesperson for this group.  Keep up the great work!  Elections are just around the corner!

City officials have assured residents that “livability” and quality-of-life issues are a top priority when selecting the site. Those claims ring hollow to residents questioning the openness of the process and the sincerity of city officials.

The neighbors worry about creek flooding and erosion from the plant’s water discharges. They worry about bad odors and falling property values.

The Mary’s Creek plant is expected to discharge millions of gallons of “gray water” into nearby waterways each day to be carried downstream.

Sabo and others question whether this is another example of Fort Worth officials catering to developers with deeper pockets while ignoring the concerns of current residents.

“They did this as far under the radar as they could without the public knowing about it,” said Cindy Creswell, another resident living near a proposed site. “When Fort Worth decides to do something, they do it, and then the residents hear about it later.”

Come on honey, that's the Fort Worth Way!