Sewer Lawsuit

Well, this sure won't happen here as we know where our sewer lines are,* but an interesting lawsuit was filed in Scranton, Pennsylvania last month. Unknown, old sewer pipes under private property needed easements by the company that bought the old sewer system. Homeowners were offered too small of a compensation for those easements, which would allow the new company to dig up their property if the sewer lines needed work.

http://lancasteronline.com/news/pennsylvania/scranton-homeowners-file-suit-over-undisclosed-sewer-lines/article_db853374-be76-5eda-9dcd-bf877d0455d8.html

Unlikely that our Board of Supes would sell our sewer system to an private company, but it is good to know what goes on elsewhere in the world of sewer.

Happy New Year to all who read this blog, all two of you!


* Sewer easements did occur here in Los Osos, allowing the sewer pipes of one property owner to cross under property of another. Hopefully, this was in the county-owned right -of-way, so no legal mess would occur here like in the above mentioned story. Documentation of pipes has improved in this town as old, unknown pipes were hit accidentally and marked for future excavation.

Sewer In Flames

I confess, I was noodling around in Reddit, I never do that! I searched the topic "sewers" and came up with this from three years ago:

https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/17fmcd/sewer_fire_in_omaha_shoots_flames_from_manholes/?

Click on the image for a better view. Amazing! I was in Omaha a few summers back (actually, I can't remember when) and had a very nice time, they have some great public art downtown. And some very nice galleries. 

However, this was not one of Omaha's best days, but I am sorry not to have witnessed this in person; I would have taken better shots.

The comments are riveting, so don't just look at the photos.

Sewer Music

I am not at all sure what the artist(s) Deaden The Pain meant by calling the just-released-today song, "Sewer Clown" (Electronica-downtempo, key of C-) but maybe he/she/they heard of the Los Osos sewer war? 
https://www.beatport.com/track/sewer-clown-original-mix/8672224

There is also an original mix of a song "Sewer Rat" (someone sounds very upset in a digestive track sort of way) by the artist Akcept (Dub step, key of D major):
https://www.beatport.com/track/sewer-rat-original-mix/8390756

How about "Septic Sludge" (by Kiro and Marshall Applewhite) for those of us yet to hook up (Techno, key of G# minor)?
https://www.beatport.com/track/septic-sludge-original-mix/7845917

However, if you go to the search box on Beatport and type in "sewer" (https://www.beatport.com/search/tracks?q=Sewer), a remarkable amount of sewer songs appear. And this is just ONE music website. What does it all mean?

(On a loopier note, here is a pun one! Here is a mellow sewer song, very California!)

Enjoy!

Poop Log

Read the last entry in this Christmas story.....my, there are some "interesting"  traditions around the world........I have heard of a "Yule Log," but this is not that.

http://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/nation-world/national/article121692492.html

Sewer Pipe Hostel Room

Yes, you read right. Go take a look: http://imgur.com/a/AUYmd

Sewer Info Deluxe!

While our sewer story here in Los Osos winds down more every day, I must supplement the lack of information from that with fun sewer facts, and I just found a doozie tonight! A hugely comprehensive website, parts of which I have found before, but now it is all in one place and logically put together!

Here is a quote I found on one of the site's pages:

Point of historical interest – an early water regulation:“No one shall with malice pollute the waters where they issue publicly.Should anyone pollute them, his fine shall be ten thousand sesterti.”(approx. $600)  

Source: Sextus Julian Frontinus, Water Commissioner of the City of Rome, 97 CE

Our fine from the Regional Water Quality Control Board was to be $5,000 a day for polluting - but of course it never came to that. I think they were really fed up with Los Osos backing out of sewer projects. 

Anyway, a wonderful sewer history is at your fingertips - read all about them below and, happy clicking on more links than you will know what to do with. You might want to fix a sandwich and a drink.

http://www.sewerhistory.org

Septic Tank Cold Weather Problem Solved!

I found this tonight and decided I needed to pass this on to my cold weather friends on septic tanks. Frozen sewer vents is not a problem in Los Osos of course, but it can be a gnarly problem in colder climes! Have a look at the Sewer Skewer:

http://www.dl-online.com/business/4174991-your-sewer-skewered-local-man-designs-system-prevent-frozen-sewer-vents

Notice Of Completion!

Off of the Consent Calendar for the Board of Supes today,  December 6, 2016!

Consent Agenda - Public Works Items:

20. Submittal of a resolution authorizing execution of notice of completion and acceptancefor the construction of the Water Recycling Facility for the Los Osos Wastewater Project,Los Osos. District 2. 

The project has been completed $2,776,491 UNDER BUDGET and ON TIME!!! 

Bravo County of SLO - our District 2 Supervisor Bruce Gibson, former Director of Public Works Paavo Ogren for starting the job, and Project Manager John Waddell for finishing it - and the cast of dozens in SLO County offices who made this giant project a reality! Thanks to all of the many, many people who worked on the many individual parts to this giant project. 

This is a landmark moment for the County of SLO and a giant step forward toward finally addressing our polluted water problem. And especially toward reestablishing comity, once the cornerstone of Los Osos citizen's relationships. The dark, pre-sewer civil war is sunsetting into a lovely indigo underground pool of recycled water.

Squatty Potty

OK, you can't say that I don't bring you the most fun stuff! This is a no-holds blog on....poop, and how-to, in this case. I encountered what I believe to be an original version the of squatty potty while in Turkey a few years back, and I'm sure there are other countries that feature this mode of sanitary facilities as well, but I have not been there yet. Some of the places in the Turkish countryside only had these porcelain floor troughs that had foot guides for squatting over, while in the cities there might be two modes offered - this described squat type, and the "throne" type that we in Western countries are accustomed to. The difference in Turkey was, you just squatted, there was no seat to perch on. And yes, there was water to flush with! I think somewhere in the old posts here I had a photo, but I am too lazy to go back and find it.

I didn't go looking for this item - it was on my Facebook feed. Odd that it took Facebook this long to get a clue on a suggested post for me considering I mention my sewer blog on there. Maybe they don't have much to work with?

If any more fun items like this pop up, I will be happy to share them here! And if any more fun Los Osos sewer stuff comes up, I will be reporting that here, too. Sad to say - or maybe happy to say - the pool of stories on that topic has been rather shallow of late.

On the danger of overloading you with this type of content, I will post one more video. But I will warn you right now, this is not for the weak of stomach, as you will be laughing a lot (and it is a bit gross too). Watch at your own peril!