Giant Poop Creatures (And More)!

New find on the internet!

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/2533074/russian-artist-sinks-to-new-low-by-making-sculptures-out-of-poo-to-celebrate-the-year-of-the-rooster/

New Times Article - Sewer Discount 4 Low Income

This will be a bonus for some - read the New Times article off this link:
https://www.newtimesslo.com/sanluisobispo/county-opens-los-osos-sewer-service-discount-program/Content?oid=4010093

Cuban Sewers

Where do I go when I want to find out some info quickly? Wikipedia!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_supply_and_sanitation_in_Cuba#Wastewater_treatment

Wastewater treatment

According to a 2006 report by the “Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba” to the US President, there are only five wastewater treatment plants in Cuba, and all of them are “inoperative”. They provide “some degree of treatment” to only four percent of collected wastewater, the remainder being discharged without treatment.

I was in Cuba recently, but only spent time in Havana or on a bus, (or in the Cienfuegos Bay, which is another story, although I did also visit the Bay of Pigs), so the manhole cover images I bring you below are all from Havana. Click the link to a map of Havana. I wish I could ID where each cover came from, but I can only generally say that they came from old town Havana. I did not know exactly where I was most of the time. Also, I did not see or smell anything untoward, so maybe it was the right season (no rain) or things have been upgraded:

https://moon.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/01_01_Havana.jpg

The link directly below is a sewer disaster for your reading—well, not "pleasure," that's for sure. Hold your nose. I wasn't in Los Osos during the floods in 1995-96 where sewage emerged from the flooded underground and septic tanks popped up out of the ground, but this sounds baaaaaaddddd:
http://ens-newswire.com/2012/10/03/sewage-troubles-in-havana/

Perhaps it is understandable that the sewers are a bit balky, considering they were commissioned to be built around 1908 (actually built in 1915). Sources:

The Organic Municipal Law Of Cuba. You can get the free E-book off of this link: https://books.google.com/books?id=AoUVAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA76&lpg=PA76&dq=sewers+in+cuba&source=bl&ots=t7mRwIc6gI&sig=8BTfGgUVEvg2gR1tZ97pGVFMWsA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjfwLrBsbjXAhUE5GMKHcUVDlwQ6AEIYTAL#v=onepage&q=sewers%20in%20cuba&f=false

http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/cuba/pollution.htm

Here is an interesting article on recent sewage problems:
https://translatingcuba.com/the-sewer-waters-phantom-truck-gladys-linares-hemosoido/

Well, happy reading on all of that!

On the ground—literally—in Havana, are my manhole captures. I can't be certain they are all for sewers, but the ones labeled "alcantarilla" most likely are. (If you click on each image, you can enlarge it, BTW.)

For the curious, I did take photos of things other than manhole covers, and I thought I might include a typical view from a street, but I guess I have maxed out my upload capabilities for a Blogspot post, I can't get anymore photos to upload.

Tame Sewer-Related YouTube Episodes

I was randomly watching TV tonight and happened upon the Mythbusters show. I thought I had recalled one of their programs from years past dealing with a sewer. What I found looking online to try to refresh my memory brought up the first two videos below. 

But this is not at all what I remembered! Then I realized the show was called "Dirty Jobs" and found you have to pay Amazon to watch it. Oh well, watching the two parts to blasting manhole covers in the air for free is OK, and I did find the cool videos of unclogging sewer lines in: Denton, Texas; Edina, Minnesota; Los Angeles, California.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DokeJj0pxPw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JrCYYLHQPY

Denton, Texas.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xdoqcSOixs

Edina, Minnesota.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUyYd8T5jy4

Los Angeles, California.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fewPbl0k9VA

New Funds For Hook-Ups Up Hinge On Checkbook

UPDATE! Great news! The LOCSD passed the resolution tonight - those in need will get their lateral money. I don't know how long it takes to set up the account though, and real contractor bids will be needed by the applicants, so call the District office 805 528-9370 for more information. Penalties for not hooking up are apparently around the corner, so this really is here in the nick of time! There is around $139,000 left, so if you want to be part of figuring out ways to help people out with the rest of it, attend the Finance Committee meetings. Info for date and time will be posted on the LOCSD website.) 

There were funds gathered years ago by friends of low-income folks to be administered by the LOCSD to help with the sewer costs for the plant that was to be built back in the early 2000s (and delayed numerous times by lawsuits). That sewer project was stopped in 2005 and in the fallout from that, these funds went into a back burner Community Foundation savings account. This money was safe from being raided by the board that bankrupted the LOCSD. This money was sort of left to languish until the LOCSD posted this on their website:

The link to the live page is here (I am reposting this from an earlier post).

Now these funds are in another position. They need an OK from the LOCSD board to acquire a bank account and checkbook to disburse them. As with anything in Los Osos sewer-land, I do not feel comfortable that there is only one side to this apparent no-brainer. Take a look at the agenda item about this from the meeting that will take place tomorrow - Thursday night:, 7:00 p.m. at the District Office (some history is included there):
https://www.losososcsd.org/files/99c2e8b69/Agenda+Item+12A+Adopt+Resolution+Establishing+Bank+Account+for+Low+Income+Assistance+Funds+and+Approve+Applications.pdf

I hope that those of you interested in helping out the remaining people who need assistance with the hook-ups will show up tomorrow night at the LOCSD meeting and will say so when public comment times comes for this item. Supporting keeping the money here in Los Osos, with our far cheaper way to disburse this money as opposed to the County doing it, is important. If you can't show up, please write a letter of support to the board to do so.

Contact the board at this address: board@losososcsd.org