Poop Drones

 

Yeah, I know. It has been a while. I can't say much about our sewer. It works as promised and has faded wayyyyyy into the background. 

Something fun came across my email today! So I will offer up a link (last below) to something that probably is not done here as it is so new, and how big are our biggest pipes anyway? This was a fun read!

"...these devices can fly through sewer pipes and capture detailed data without putting human workers at risk. Using these drones, inspections that once required large teams and traffic closures can now be handled more efficiently with just two operators."

Drone credit: Photo by Jonathan Lampel on Unsplash

Poop credit: @caspian81 

https://bgr.com/tech/the-secret-to-cleaner-safer-sewers-just-might-be-poop-drones/

Cabrillo Estates Wastewater

 Yes, it has been a while! I have been lazy! The next LOCSD meeting to be held on July 11 had an interesting item on the Consent Agenda regarding Cabrillo Estates!

"Approve a Letter of Support for Cabrillo Estates Property Owner’s Association Grant Application to the Rose Foundation for Funding of a Preliminary Engineering Report to Connect to the Los Osos Wastewater Project [Recommend approval of the letter of support]"

There have been discussions on hooking up to the sewer, as there has been a serious flap from S & T Mutual Water Company and their remaining well becoming polluted - presumably from Cabrillo's septic tanks!

Here is a link to the LOCSD agenda:

https://www.losososcsd.org/files/3e91742e2/07.11.2024+LOCSD+Board+Meeting+Agenda.pdf

Just as an added bit of interest - the S & T Mutual Water Company did NOT support funding a Los Osos Sustainability Group* Lawsuit:

https://www.st-water.com/index_htm_files/MeetingMinutes14Dec2023.pdf 

* Remember them? LOSG tried to stop the sewer project at the Coastal Commission via a De Novo Hearing:

https://documents.coastal.ca.gov/reports/2012/6/F15a-6-2012.pdf

Supes Authorize $ For New WWTF Equipment!

 "San Luis Obispo County Supervisors approved a contract to install some new equipment at the Los Osos Wastewater Treatment Plant; gizmos designed to better control the pressure inside the plant’s discharge lines and extend their useful lives."

Read all about it here in the Estero Bay News! 

https://esterobaynews.com/news/new-regulators-slated-at-los-osos-treatment-plant/

(I am a fangirl of Neil Farrell who has written another super article!)

Sewer Blog Discovery! "The Culture Of What We Flush!"

How did I not know about this? I was noodling around looking for reference items for my sewer book that I am slowly plodding along on, and in googling for the habitat of this moth (yes, the moth is sewer related) ------

Psychoda alternata

Photo Credit: Victor Engel - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=113604248

(and I am adding this, which may be expanded on the website for more info, as I found it interesting)

-------- I found this: https://flushitblog.wordpress.com/ !!!!!!!!!!

Here is a whole, new, wonderful world of sewers! I, and I hope you - my one reader (are you still there?) will take a look and enjoy the many, fascinating postings here!

I tried to find out something about the author, but probably on purpose, and I do understand why (how many of us write about this instead of the latest TikTok phenom I wonder....), I only found this:

About me:  I am the current chair of the Environmental Protection Technology program at Kwantlen Polytechnic University.  For my PhD I looked at how pollutants and nutrients from fertilizers and manure traveled through farm soils with tile drainage.  Well, one thing led to another.

Yes, I surely get that "one thing led to another" thing...

Cyber Sewer News From The Feds!

I was shocked to find this posting today from 

Municipal Sewer & Water Magazine!

"Federal Agencies Release Cyber Incident Response Guide for Water/Wastewater Systems"

But then I realized that a dinky outpost like our sewer (and our three dinky water companies) probably would not be the most likely places to waste attack resources and I felt better.

Well, one can read all about it here:

https://www.mswmag.com/online_exclusives/2024/01/federal-agencies-release-cyber-incident-response-guide-for-water-wastewater-systems?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Read%20more&utm_campaign=MSW240125

The four stages of the incident response lifecycle are:

* Preparation

* Detection and analysis   

* Containment, eradication and recovery 

* Post-incident activities

The government website to get the detailed scoop is here:

https://www.cisa.gov/water

Los Osos Sewer Makes TPO Magazine!

https://www.tpomag.com/online_exclusives/2024/01/community-treatment-combats-saltwater-intrusion-and-recharges-aquifer?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Read%20on&utm_campaign=TPO240115 

Read about it, and note the photo of the leach field piping - I photo that I have never seen!

"In this case study from Los Osos, California, a decentralized solution from Delta Treatment Systems addresses saltwater intrusion while facilitating aquifer recharge."

This image above came from a 2016 report you can only download here (it does not go to a page):

https://downloads.regulations.gov/FWS-R8-ES-2019-0025-0004/attachment_7.pdf

I nabbed this image below from Google Earth, which is flipped from the image above:

Happy reading!

Snow From Sewage!

 Read about what is happening in Montana! Who knew!?

https://snowbrains.com/montanas-first-recycled-snowmaking-effort-launches-at-exclusive-yellowstone-club/

Spokane's Fun Sewer Video!

Have a look at the Riverside Park Water Reclamation Facility in the City of Spokane, Washington! 

https://my.spokanecity.org/news/stories/2023/12/21/a-360-degree-tour-of-the-wastewater-treatment-plant/

Our plant is dinky compared to this plant for an obvious reason: Los Osos population - 14,465; Spokane population - 228,989. 

And maybe I am prejudiced, but I think our plant is a lot cooler! Have you visited our plant's page lately? If not, here you go:

https://www.slocounty.ca.gov/Departments/Public-Works/Committees-Programs/Los-Osos-Wastewater-System.aspx

I hope some enterprising person will do a video of ours someday....

San Francisco's Sewer Video!

I posted this San Francisco sewer video in 2015, but just found tonight that the link had expired! 

"The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, the City agency that brought national attention to your sewers using slogans like “No one deals with more crap than I do” and “Your #2 is my #1,” is now debuting a rap song!"

It is well worth another watch, and have no idea why there are so few likes. I am here to promote it, I loved it (of course) so, have a look:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYJ7aTkEh4A

Too Good Not To Share!

 Have a look - Tetrads! I am lax in not bringing you more of these, they are out there!

https://www.tpomag.com/online_exclusives/2023/10/bug-of-the-month-tetrad-growth-and-volatile-organic-acid-substrate?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Read%20on&utm_campaign=TPO231020

My favorite though is Tardigrades! (Catchy tune to augment the video!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IH3ABle9k7A

I don't think I did a link to the wastewater variety from TPO though. So in case I didn't - here it is!

https://www.tpomag.com/online_exclusives/2020/10/bug-of-the-month-tardigrades-smaller-than-the-average-bear

Man Swirls Though Sewer System And Survives!

This is what I found in the handy publication yesterday, "Municipal Sewer & Water." I subscribe. You might want to as well.

Yup, I am too lazy to write at the moment, I have Pleurisy! Straight out of a 19th century novel! Not sewer related however. I do have more photos to post and will soon!

https://www.mswmag.com/online_exclusives/2023/07/news-briefs-man-survives-harrowing-journey-through-omaha-sewer-system?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Article%20Title%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%0ANews%20Briefs%3A%20Man%20Survives%20Harrowing%20Journey%20Through%20Omaha%20Sewer%20System%0AEnd%20Article%20Title&utm_campaign=MSW230718

Remember Arcata?

Most readers, meaning all of you in world-flung countries that never heard of Los Osos and aren't actually "reading" anyway - probably never heard of the push to do a "natural," cheaper, Arcata-like, wastewater treatment marsh in place of the state-of-the-art Tri-W project. To the two of you that actually read this (I am assuming one devoted but departed reader is no longer reading - there was three of you!), I recall that when I was running to be a director on the Los Osos Community Services District in 2006 that I got a call from a local on that topic (phone number in the "book" and never shied away from random calls). I explained the difference in rainfall between Los Osos and Arcata (44.4" per year). Los Osos' average is 15.77" per year (yes, stats will vary - 8" to 32" and lots of up and down - especially down - years in-between). Arcata was the "ideal," but not remotely possible for Los Osos due to lack of precipitation.

Well, the upshot is, Arcata is having to institute a "Wastewater Treatment Facility Improvement Project" to the tune of $54 million for Phase 1. PHASE 1! Read all about it here: https://www.madriverunion.com/articles/the-big-wastewater-plant-upgrade-is-underway/

Nothing is cheap. I always recall the cry, "We Delay, We Pay," in 2005 on numerous signs around town the I first arrived. Boy, was that ever true....

Soldiers Compete In Water Purification Rodeo!

 I couldn't believe it either, but here it is: https://www.tpomag.com/online_exclusives/2023/05/news-briefs-soldiers-compete-in-water-purification-rodeo?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Article%20Title%20%0ANews%20Briefs%3A%20Soldiers%20Compete%20in%20Water%20Purification%20Rodeo%0A%20End%20Article%20Title&utm_campaign=TPO230526

Bug Of The Month

 Here is the latest "Bug of the Month," water sponges! 

https://www.tpomag.com/online_exclusives/2023/03/bug-of-the-month-water-sponges-and-wastewater-treatment-plants?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Article%20Title%20%0ABug%20of%20the%20Month%3A%20Water%20Sponges%20and%20Wastewater%20Treatment%20Plants%0A%20End%20Article%20Title&utm_campaign=TPO230324

Sci Fi Sighting At The Sewer

The Regional Water Quality Control Board held a field trip on Friday, February 17, 2023 to our very own water reclamation plant - in other words, our sewer (dual purpose to this place—clean it up, ship it back to town)! 

You can find the agenda here: https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/centralcoast/board_info/agendas/2023/feb/agenda_feb.pdf

And the staff report here:

https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/centralcoast/board_info/agendas/2023/feb/item14_stfrpt.pdf

There was the opportunity to have the public attend, and I'll bet I was one of the first to sign up, if not the first. I haven't been back since the grand unveiling in 2016. http://losewersaga.blogspot.com/2016/04/dignitary-stuffed-ribbon-cutting.html

I can't possibly describe how much fun this was! I'm sure it held other meaning for the officials there, learning about the successes of recycling the water, seeing their edicts carried out to perfection, some time out of the office even, into fresh air and a cosmically beautiful setting for sewage treatment.

Yes, I said fresh air. There was NO SMELL, except where tubes were pumping sludge into giant bins for removal to someplace that I can't recall now. We moved upwind. In 2016, there was a faint earthy aroma around the big aeration and clarifier pools. Not this time.

There were so many people there that we broke up into three groups to tour, each led by a person that was an actual worker at the plant. The man who oversaw staff was there too, and I wish I was better on remembering names, plus I failed to write them down. The plant is beautifully run. The descriptions of what we were seeing as we toured were clear, understandable and fascinating!

I was highly impressed with the aesthetics. The place looked identically clean to how it did in 2016. In short, it was SPOTLESS. There was even a guy pulling weeds who deserves recognition. Not a stray blade anywhere. Pristine probably isn't an accurate enough word to describe what I found. I have seen restaurants less sanitary looking.

You probably did not grow up in the 1950s and 1960s like I did. You may not be a fan of old sci fi movie like I have been my entire life. The tall, rocket ship-like tank of some sort, the name of which I failed to get, brought me happily back to two favorite films. The Man from Planet X and The First Men in the Moon. All that was missing was the Martian.

Educational Sewer Video With Some Shocking Images And Lovely Music!

Enjoy!

LEGO Sewer Set?

10,000 people voted for a LEGO sewer set to recreate the horrors of sewage waste. I know, I couldn't believe it either. Here you go:

https://www.brickfanatics.com/10000-vote-for-lego-reality-of-sewage-waste/amp/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Article%20Title%20%0A10%2C000%20people%20vote%20for%20a%20LEGO%20set%20recreating%20the%20horrific%20reality%20of%20sewage%20waste%0AEnd%20Article%20Title&utm_campaign=MSW221011

And be sure not to miss this link!

https://ideas.lego.com/projects/d5c2a435-8082-40f6-a76c-697b14ae7317

Sewer Music! Could It Happen Here?

I doubt it for now, but we could get lucky someday, maybe?

https://www.ksl.com/article/50479968/its-aliens-sewer-technology-tooting-causes-mysterious-music-in-salt-lake-city-homes-toilets?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Article%20Title%0A%26%2339%3BIt%26%2339%3Bs%20aliens%21%26%2339%3B%3A%20Sewer%20technology%20tooting%20causes%20mysterious%20music%20in%20Salt%20Lake%20City%20homes%2C%20toilets%0AEnd%20Article%20Title&utm_campaign=MSW220927

Destruction of PFAS!

 Read all about it here! 

https://www.tpomag.com/online_exclusives/2022/08/chemists-discover-simple-method-to-destroy-some-pfas?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=%0A%0ACHEMISTS%20DISCOVER%20SIMPLE%20METHOD%20TO%20DESTROY%20SOME%20PFAS%0A%20%20%20%20%09%09%09%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%09%09%09%09%09%0A%09%09%09%09&utm_campaign=TPO%20220824

Sewershed

 Yeah, it has been a while. But this website below was linked off a NY Times article I just read:

https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#wastewater-surveillance

and of course, our dinky sewer plant is to small to be listed - 

but one servicing a population of 47,000 is. Not hard to figure out which one.

Be careful. I'm signing up for my 4th jab, being old and overweight, with asthma.

Sea Pines Sewer Bill Mystery!

I was at the LOCAC meeting, 7:00 p.m., July 22, 2021 when Julie Tacker brought up Sea Pines Golf Resort's lost sewer bill being discussed at Tuesdays Board of Supes meeting! Thank you for the tip Julie! The bill, $238,958.59, was somehow lost and they were never charged! Ouch! I'm glad that they will get a payment plan, but that is a lot of golf games, beer, and hamburgers that will need to be sold! I will help them out with hamburgers, but I prefer Martinis! I haven't played golf since high school. However, if they put in a miniature golf course......!

Here are the intriguing documents!

https://agenda.slocounty.ca.gov/iip/sanluisobispo/file/getfile/134043

https://agenda.slocounty.ca.gov/iip/sanluisobispo/file/getfile/134047

https://agenda.slocounty.ca.gov/iip/sanluisobispo/agendaitem/details/13481

https://agenda.slocounty.ca.gov/iip/sanluisobispo/file/getfile/134045

NEW! July 1-RWQCB Notice On Termination Of Water Reclamation Requirements - Sea Pines!

I got this email notification from the Regional Water Quality Control Board on July 1 at 4:40 p.m. and it gave me the link below. Look at the top, tentative order:

https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/centralcoast/board_decisions/tentative_orders/

You can go to the first link (to the Notice of Public Hearing) and read about the opportunity to make a public comment here:

https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/centralcoast/board_decisions/tentative_orders/2021/R3_2021_0049notice.pdf

"DRAFT ORDER NO. R3-2021-0049 FOR TERMINATION OF ORDER NO. 93-82, WATER RECLAMATION REQUIREMNTS FOR BSR, A GENRAL PARTNERSHIP, SEA PINES GOLF COURSE, SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY (PRIMARY USER OF RECYCLED WATER)"

This is all sort of hilarious, not just because of the typo, but because,

"Order No. 93-82 is no longer needed because the Monarch Grove Reclamation Facility is no longer in existence and does not produce recycled water." 

August 27, 2019 the County had a valve turning ceremony to give Sea Pines water recycled from the sewer plant. Oh well, better late than never I guess! I wrote about it here: http://losewersaga.blogspot.com/2019/08/valve-turning-ceremony-today.html

Here is the draft order:

https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/centralcoast/board_decisions/tentative_orders/2021/R3_2021_0049order.pdf

And here is the draft staff report - by far the most interesting part of this!

https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/centralcoast/board_decisions/tentative_orders/2021/R3_2021_0049staffreport.pdf

In that report, we have a discrepancy as to when the recycled water was delivered:

"On June 10, 2019, the Los Osos Water Recycling Facility began delivery of the recycled water to the Sea Pines Golf Course for irrigation."

Hmmmmmm.

PZ Sewer Connection Update!

Hot off the pixel press today! 

Page 17 of 335 of the Basin Management Committee's packet!

https://www.slocounty.ca.gov/Departments/Public-Works/Forms-Documents/Committees-Programs/Los-Osos-Basin-Management-Committee-(BMC)/Agendas/2021-Agendas/2021-06-16-LOBMC-Agenda-Packet.pdf

"Enforcement: A list of properties that were not connected were transferred to County Code Enforcement and Notice of Violations were issued last year in Feb. 2019. That list was about 70 properties. As of 5/12/2021, the sewer service area has a 99.4% connection status with a total of 36 properties not yet connected. Of those, one is not required to connect because there is no structure (demolished), 18 have expired building permits, and the rest have an open Code Enforcement case.  The County has assigned staff in code enforcement to Los Osos. Expired permits did not receive a Code Enforcement case because those properties have their own noticing process through the Building Department which, if not corrected, could result in a Notice of Violation."

Gross Out!

I was cleaning out my email In Box and came across a sewer news magazine I subscribe to. Well, this ad was just about the last thing anyone would want to see before they go to bed. Hope you read it well in between meals! Or use it as a diet aid, actually!

https://www.tpomag.com/online_exclusives/2021/06/enhanced-bioremediation-with-micro-solve_sc_01uqj?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=EGSW%20Image&utm_campaign=TPO210609

(Sorry.)

The Paris Sewer Museum!

 Yes, there really is such a thing, as well there should be!

https://www.tpomag.com/online_exclusives/2015/09/this_sewer_museum_stinks_but_its_worth_the_visit?ref=popular_bottom

Here are some videos!

https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video;_ylt=Awr9GjDiy6hgz8YAkfpXNyoA;_ylu=Y29sbwNncTEEcG9zAzMEdnRpZAMEc2VjA3Nj?p=paris+sewer+museum&fr=yset_chr_syc_oracle#id=6&vid=3b16b0d12be7051ab2b221e5e11a253d&action=view

Brussels has one too, although it looks to be more sanitized and not a smelly as the one in Paris looking at the reviews.

https://sewermuseum.brussels/en/accueil-english/the-museum/

Enjoy!

Sewage To Snow!

What a GREAT idea! Wouldn't it be fun if we could turn our sewage into snow? Have a three minute snowboard run flying down the Broderson before it all melted? One can dream!

https://snowbrains.com/yellowstone-club-sewage-into-snow/

Wipes Company Comes Clean!

Yes, it has been a while since I have posted - sorry about that! I think I am in too many groups tasked with too many jobs. Optional tasks, such as this fun, sewer blog, are pushed off to that mythical future that rarely arrives. I am supposed to be doing something else now, but am playing hooky from that, this article was TOO good to not pass on!

So have a look. Wipes (well, some anyway, Kimberly-Clark Corporation's Cottonelle brand), the bane of many a wastewater plant, must now meet flushability standards of the International Water Services Flushability Group!

Sidenote: trying not to laugh here, there is a FLUSHABILITY group? Let me join! It sounds like great fun!

https://www.tpomag.com/online_exclusives/2021/05/water-sector-applauds-settlement-in-wipes-litigation?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Read%20on...&utm_campaign=TPO210510

Ban On Human Fertilizer Extended!

I sure don't know how I missed this one, but the Estero Bay News caught it! 

Neil Farrell, someone who was very generous with his time, information, and photos for my book on Los Osos—and that is an excellent writer and that I can't thank enough— wrote a fascinating article on the topic! 

Have a look: https://esterobaynews.com/ban-extended-on-human-wastes-as-fertilizer/

(I LOVE the Estero Bay News!)

Panels Passed on Consent and Wombat Poop!

Just a quick update to an earlier post (January 4) on the floating solar panels for our Water Reclamation Facility, which I always prefer calling our WWTF (Wastewater Treatment Facility) - it just sounds more apropos for a sewer blog (and there are two "o"s and two "p"s in that word I just noticed - well, never mind)!

Anyway, the solar panels passed for our plant without a hitch on the Consent Calendar of the Board of Supervisors last Tuesday, January 26! It was not pulled and all Supes voted YES!!

Now, on to the wombats. I subscribe to an online science magazine and this article popped up yesterday. Did you know that the squarer the poop, the healthier the wombat? Well, take a look those of you interested in such things! It is not something we will encounter here, but I wonder if there are any square coprolites unearthed anywhere -  I'll bet no one has looked.

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2021/01/how-do-wombats-poop-cubes-scientists-get-bottom-mystery?utm_campaign=news_weekly_2021-01-29&et_rid=100260842&et_cid=3648523

Bug Of The Month

 Too fun!!

https://www.tpomag.com/tags/bug-of-the-month

Wastewater aficionados, do not miss this, these guys are cute!

Water Board's WDR For Bayview Heights And Martin Tract-Termination!

Coming right up on the Regional Water Quality Board's agenda for their Friday, January 29 meeting! Here is a link to that agenda:

https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/centralcoast/board_info/agendas/2021/01_jan_28/index.html

Waste Discharge Requirements

10. Consideration of Order No. R3-2021-0007, Termination of Order 00-12, General Waste Discharge Requirements for Residential On-Site Wastewater Systems Within the Bayview Heights and Martin Tract Areas of Los Osos, San Luis Obispo County. 
[James Bishop, 805/542-4628, James.Bishop@waterboards.ca.gov, Harvey Packard, 805/542-4639, Harvey.Packard@waterboards.ca.gov]

Here is a link to the order:

https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/centralcoast/board_info/agendas/2021/01_jan_28/item10_att1.pdf

Here is a link to the staff report:

https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/centralcoast/board_info/agendas/2021/01_jan_28/item10_stfrpt.pdf

Sounds like the cost of flushing is now just around the bend for the non Prohibition Zone residents on septic tanks.