Nice to Know Where It Goes

When living in a different place for a while, this sewer blogger wants to know a bit about the local sewage treatment! I found several sanitation districts for Fort Collins, Colorado! Boxelder Sanitation District, Fort Collins, Fort Collins-Loveland District, South Fort Collins Sanitation District, Cherry Hills Sanitation District, Wellington and Windsor. Some had some nifty webpages and others did not.

http://www.fclwd.com

http://www.fcgov.com/utilities/what-we-do/wastewater/treating-wastewater

http://www.fcgov.com/utilities/img/site_specific/uploads/SewerServiceAreas.pdf

http://www.fcgov.com/utilities/what-we-do/wastewater/biosolids

http://www.fcgov.com/utilities/what-we-do/wastewater/industrial-pretreatment

This is a sanitation district with oxidation ditches! Just like we will have!

http://www.boxeldersanitation.org

http://www.boxeldersanitation.org/WWTP%20Upgrade%20final%20pics.htm

http://www.boxeldersanitation.org/oxidation_ditch_tech2.htm

Not to be too incredulous about anything, but just read page 2 off this link below, first paragraph, second to the last sentence. Guess no one from Los Osos was in attendance, or the treatment plant would still be in the "discovery phase" with warring factions of "citizen wastewater experts." If this was Los Osos, the groundwater would be going putrid, the grandkids will be grandparents by the time this was resolved. Yet, four years later in this town, the plant was finished. Wow.

http://www.boxeldersanitation.org/pdf_docs/Utility%20plan/Appendix%20O%20-%20Summary%20of%20Public%20Meetings%20and%20Hearings.PDF

Fun newsletters that will no doubt hair-on-fire some readers; deceit! social engineering! manipulation!!:

http://www.boxeldersanitation.org/pdf_docs/2010-08%20Newsletter.pdf

http://www.boxeldersanitation.org/pdf_docs/2012-09%20Newsletter.pdf

For sewer geeks, you can find all sorts of fun stuff off this page:

http://www.boxeldersanitation.org/eng&design.htm

And if you want to click on the link to the pdf off this page, I am presently in the Cherry Hills District:

http://citydocs.fcgov.com/?vid=51&cmd=search&scope=doctype&dt=SS-SANITARY+SEWER&dn=Engineering&q=cherry+hills+sanitation

While Los Osos Fiddled, Seawater Intruded

Yesterday the Los Osos CSD posted their next meeting's agenda and the long awaited Seawater Intrusion Monitoring Report for Zones D and E (the lower part of the aquifer) is on that agenda. The D and E zones of our 5-level aquifer mentioned in the report are where our main well for drinking water has been pumping.  Monitoring wells are placed along a specific route to be able to calculate the movement of Seawater Intrusion (SWI) toward this drinking water well and the news is not good.

http://www.losososcsd.org/Library/2014%20Agenda%20Packet/11.13.14%20Agenda%20Packet/Agenda%20Item%2012A%202014%20Seawater%20Intrusion%20Monitoring%20Report.pdf

Zone D: The old rate of seawater intrusion was estimated to be 60 feet/year between 1985-2005. Since 2005 to the present, the new estimate is 200-250 feet of advancement per year. In 5 years, that main well could become unusable, or only useable with very expensive equipment.

Zone E: In 2013 the Palisades well was modified to not draw any water from this depth, and the SWI is fortunately no longer showing there. However, the estimated increase between 1985 and 2004 was 54 feet a year and, from 2004 to the present, it jumped to 100-125 feet a year. Good thing we stopped.

Why am I writing about this water stuff here? How is this connected to a sewer, this is a sewer blog! Well, pun intended, all of the water we have to use for everything, drinking, washing, watering our yards AND flushing, is located beneath our feet in Los Osos. The quantity of water is affected by rain or drought of course, but the quality issues, in the form of nitrate contamination (a result of flushing), increased to such a point in the 1970s that we could no longer use the water from the upper aquifer, shallow wells as we once did.* We now must rely on the lower aquifer's wells. And the lower wells are being over-pumped, so they are sucking in saltwater from the ocean, thus contaminating the water for our purposes, or as they say in the water business, "beneficial use."

Toilet flushing is only the surface reason that I am writing here.

Many deniers of the nitrate problem in our groundwater, state "the Water Board got it all wrong, we really don't need a sewer, our septic tanks are NOT the problem, the problem is really seawater intrusion!" These people have failed to connect the dots or simply do not want to believe the results of the testing done. To pretend that the nitrates are from some underground, buried forest, or from cows out in valley ag area, is just twisting your head into the Los Osos sand. 

Why are we so concerned about nitrates? If you can't use a HUGE supply of the water you have because of nitrate contamination, you are damaging another part of your supply because you are over pumping it.

So, what can fix our water problem? 

1. We are getting a sewer finally, that is one big, no HUGE, step to bringing down the nitrates. eventually. The reclaimed water going back in the ground at Broderson will take 20-30 years. The septics will be gone and no longer contaminating. Eventually, the water in the upper and lower aquifers will be fit and safe to use.

2. One idea has been importing water. But we don't want the expense of importing water, especially when drought winnows down the supply of water anywhere that we might get it. So forget that for now, hopefully forever.

3. At present, desalinating water from the ocean is hugely expensive and must go through a rigorous and time consuming permitting process from the California Coastal Commission.  So forget that for now too. Maybe someday.

The obvious answer then for now, not 30 years from now, is by using the water we do have in the most conserving and reusing ways possible. And why have we done so little about this?

There are of course no logical answers to that question. 

At least the remedies are obvious. Having the impetus to make water conservation rules, educating the public on how to abide by the rules (thereby saving water), retrofitting and replacing water wasting fixtures (saving water). The current and past sewer projects do/were going to do, this.

And how do you make this happen? MONEY!  And where have we found the money to do these projects, or tried to anyway? SEWER PROJECTS! Water conservation as well as clean-up have been the goals.

So this is where the infuriating illogic comes in. Addressing the water issues was paramount, but what happened to that sewer that could have helped?—a myriad lawsuits over the years, to the old County project, to the Tri-W project. This caused delay, delay, delay. The false reliance on Measure B, the recall, and then the bankruptcy. Delay, delay, delay. All of the endless TAC meetings and tinkering of the County's project at the Planning Commission and Coastal Commission. Delay, delay, delay. But then, for the Los Osos Sustainability Group, all of this STILL wasn't enough, a month before the County was to start digging in 2012, they wanted the project stopped, the permit pulled, until their pet water remedies were inserted into the project! What is even remotely water helpful about that, the months more tinkering that this would have taken, never mind the huge costs? Stopping a project at its start—again. Fortunately, the Coastal Commission wasn't fooled and the project started.

"We Delay, We Pay," was the old slogan to try to keep one of the sewer projects moving forward. Now it has an unhappy echo into the deep well of money that we will need for fixing the water problems we so cavalierly forgot in our rush to stop a sewer or make it "the perfect sewer." Well, for the record, we got neither. The longer we waited, the worse it all got, both the water problems and the sewer costs. In 1987 it was $48.9 million to build a sewer and is now $183 million. The water problem remedies:  $33,775,000 for no buildout, and $19,450,000 MORE for buildout, according to the Basin Plan which will be the water-fix blueprint next year.

So, be prepared to see water rate increases. Be prepared to float a bond. If the CSD and its district engineering firm is lucky and nimble on getting grants, hooray. But we have nothing but our own actions to ponder as to how we got into this precarious situation. Can we for once learn from these mistakes and move forward with our well-studied and clearly defined projects? Let's try. No, let's just DO IT.


* A nitrate removal system to make upper aquifer water useable has just been put into place and will soon begin operation. Read the LOCSD Staff report about this here:
http://www.losososcsd.org/Library/2014%20Agenda%20Packet/11.13.14%20Agenda%20Packet/Agenda%20Item%2011H%20Prop%2084%20Nitrate%20Removal%20Project.pdf

County LOWWP Update for September 2014

Read all about it! The photos are beautiful!

http://www.slocounty.ca.gov/Assets/PW/LOWWP/PM+Monthly+Update+Sept+2014.pdf

Here is a quote about the treatment plant:

After flows have increased sufficiently during the start-up phase to allow for commissioning and final testing, the contract substantial completion date is 10/27/16. 

Useful Sewer Rats

Alas, we won't have rats in the Los Osos sewer, useful or otherwise, and we possibly don't have any Kangaroo Rats left here anymore either, but it is an interesting rat story nonetheless off the link below. There is a pretty cute rat featured. Much smaller than what I saw in Brooklyn some years back. I think it is a rat model, not an actual sewer rat.

http://fbresearch.org/sewer-rats-helping-science/

Follow the link to the NY Times out of the above story for another winsome rat photo accompanying a very interesting story about deadly germs and viruses. A slightly more convincing rat photo, but I'm still not buying the photo was taken in New York, but maybe in a small town upstate? 

Scroll down on the link below to see a real looking New York rat. Or maybe don't if you are not fond of rather frightening wildlife....this one is NOT cute.

http://www.city-data.com/forum/city-vs-city/1016461-what-city-has-worst-rat-problems-2.html

Last Gasp of the CDO Issue? Nah....

Found on the Regional Water Quality Control Board's agenda for both of their November meetings, Thursday the 13 and Friday the 14:

Closed Session

5.    Ken Berry, et al. v. Central Coast Water Board, et al. (Sacramento Superior Court; CEQA Challenge to Los Osos CDOs)

http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/centralcoast/board_info/agendas/2014/nov/Agenda/agenda_nov.shtml

I suspect this is NOT the last gasp. Those angry over their CDOs should drop Mr. Berry a thank you note I suppose. You can read about CEQA here, all 425 pages of it (and this isn't even the "official" copy, but it is prettier):

http://resources.ca.gov/ceqa/docs/2014_CEQA_Statutes_and_Guidelines.pdf

Changes to Titles 19 and 8, Retrofit Ordinances on BOS Agenda 11/4/14

Items Set for Hearing

2. Introduction of an amendment to the Building and Construction Ordinance, Title 19 of the County Code, changing the requirements for retrofitting of plumbing fixtures in connection with additions, remodels and new development of residential, commercial and other structures within the Los Osos Groundwater Basin. Hearing date set for November 25, 2014. District 2.

http://agenda.slocounty.ca.gov/agenda/sanluisobispo/Proposal.html?select=3964

Of interest to certain vacant lot owners off the staff report found on the above link:

4. Allow a one-time transfer of previously-issued water conservation certificates from a vacant PZ lot to a vacant lot outside of the PZ. 

 Since the inception of the retrofit-to-build program in 2008, 10 of the 27 water conservation certificates have been issued to vacant properties in the PZ. Property owners stated that the primary reason for obtaining certificates was to ensure that they have water for their vacant lots at the time the wastewater project is completed. Some property owners have expressed concern that the certificates will not be valid in the future on PZ lots. Additionally, with the adoption of the Basin Management Plan, lots in the PZ will benefit from supplemental water through implementation of the Basin Management Plan and may not need a water conservation certificate. The proposed amendments give these property owners the option of a one-time transfer of a previously-issued water conservation certificate to a specific property or land use permit outside of the PZ until January 1, 2019. These certificates represent completed retrofit work that has saved water but has not yet been applied toward a new building permit. 

3. Introduction of an amendment to the Health and Sanitation Ordinance, Title 8 of the County Code, changing the requirements for sellers of real property within the Los Osos Groundwater Basin to retrofit plumbing fixtures with water-efficient fixtures at time of sale. Hearing date set for November 25, 2014. District 2. 

http://agenda.slocounty.ca.gov/agenda/sanluisobispo/Proposal.html?select=3961

Here is a  quote from both Items 2 and 3 that does not affect most homes:

Due to complaints, mainly health and safety related, that staff has received about waterless urinals, staff recommends requiring that urinals in commercial structures use no more than 1.0 gallons per flush instead of requiring waterless urinals. 

Who knew? Well, best to read the stuff off the links if you are a vacant lot owner who has obtained enough water credits to build once the PZ has been un-PZed and the Basin Plan finalized.

Sewage Politics

I won't pretend to not be concerned about the future of the LOCSD, my husband is a candidate this election cycle and I was one myself back in 2006. I have been blogging about things sewer and the LOCSD since 2006. But a FALSE narrative has been circulating in the community about a certain candidate's forum which was held October 10 at the South Bay Community Center. It was organized by Keith Swanson. 

I can't speak for any candidate, attendees or not, but I can speak on the topic of why the program has not aired on Channel 20. There are a lot of garbage-y reasons floating around regarding this this, slamming incumbent candidate directors and the LOCSD's General Manager. Pure political BUNK. There is a legal reason preventing airing the forum. You probably already know that the office of Director for LOCSD is non-partisan.

Last night at the Emergency Services Advisory Committee, Director Michael Wright gave the background on why it was not aired.

The gist was this: The proposal to air the show came into the LOCSD office to the General Manager Kathy Kivley. She has not been in the District long enough to go through an election cycle, but knew when you don't know something, you look up what the rules are. She found a rule on the District's books that the LOCSD itself can't be involved in sponsoring something that involves a political party. The Grass Roots Dems supplied a moderator, and they are registered as an actual political pac. Other forums have used the non-political League of Women Voters to moderate. Of course this decision was not made without consulting LOCSD legal counsel Mike Seitz.

The Board can agendize this issue, discuss it and even modify the rule, but as it stands now, it is up to the Directors to do something, NOT staff, and it needs to go onto a LOCSD meeting agenda. So, established legal principles and binding agreements were honored. As they should be.

Footnote: What inspired me in part to write this entry was an inaccurate and purely speculative letter in the Bay News, "Dirty Politics in Los Osos," by Keith Swanson's Campaign Treasurer, Jerri Walsh. 

Upon further digging on this topic, and remembering event organizer Mr. Swanson's E-mail early on to the candidates mentioning co-sponsorship by the Grass Roots Dems (and that was mentioned again at the Emergency Services Committee meeting on Wednesday night), it would seem that the FPPC deems that when a partisan group sponsors (co-sponsors, in this case) an event, unless the candidates themselves pay for this event (which they DID NOT), this constitutes a contribution to a candidate. The CSD is not a partisan entity and can't make contributions to partisan groups, which airing the event would be. Sorry Mr. Swanson, but those are the rules.

I wonder why the League of Women Voters was not contacted, or the Latino Outreach Council? Oh wait, Mr. Swanson mentioned it himself, those groups DON'T sponsor events like this—they only MODERATE them!

I guess getting this done was very important to Mr. Swanson and he should be glad anyone with a computer can access the event on YouTube, which actually reaches more households than cable TV service's Channel 20. But in getting so nasty as he did at the ESAC meeting and on his recent appearance on Dave Congalton's radio show, he erased any goodwill he may have garnered from his participation in the forum and by the ESAC meeting participants. He has unfortunately also pointed out how little he knows on FPPC rules which all candidates must abide by. If his unprofessional and rude treatment of staff now, in this case Ms. Kivley, who must thread the needle between rules and the instructions from the Board, is anything like his manner toward staff if elected, good luck to all in our CSD office.

Execution—But In A Good Way!

Off the Board of Supes Agenda, Tuesday, October 28, 2014, the collection pipes are officially DONE! I will post links to the support documents as they become available.

0. Consent Agenda - Public Works Items:
2. 14. Submittal of a resolution authorizing execution of notice of completion and acceptance for the Collection System Areas A & D Contract (ARB, Inc.) for the Los Osos Wastewater Project, Los Osos. District 2.
   

Link to Item 14 Documents.

0. 15. Submittal of a resolution authorizing execution of notice of completion and acceptance for the Collection System Areas B & C Contract (W.A. Rasic Construction Company, Inc.) for the Los Osos Wastewater Project, Los Osos. District 2. 
   

Link to Item 15 Documents.

Gazing Into The Mysterious Depths......

.......Of what you might ask. 

Could it be a piece of pottery? 

A Christmas ornament sans the metal cap? 

Perhaps a window into the universe?

Actually, none of the above. 

Had you been where I was standing, had you wobbled due to horrific aromas, you too might have wanted to change the the reality of what there was in the lens of your cell phone with Photoshop, 

Reality is what you see below, and I'm happy to not be able to include the Smell-O-Vision version here, but I can next year if we both buy this (wouldn't that be not fun?):

Above you see a really LARGE septic tank just having been pumped. 

I will be glad when the last putrid smells become diluted into the breeze, the contents of our tanks are pumped one last time, and they are finally put out to pasture in noble and gainful use as rainwater catchment chambers, or perhaps, simply and humbly filled with rocks.

Video of Ox Ditch and Sewer Construction Pix!

Check out the Trib for video and an article on our wastewater treatment plant-in-the-making! If the oxidation ditch (or racetrack) container was complete, the interviewer and the interviewee would be standing in 12 turbulent feet of swirling water (2 feet per second) with floaters! Yikes.

There are also photos of the current construction.

http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2014/10/07/3284610_construction-underway-on-los-osos.html?sp=/99/100/&rh=1

County Postcard! County Update!

The latest communication shows an arial photo of the treatment plant, a sewer timeline, and a reminder of retrofitting your fixtures!

See it at this link:
http://www.slocounty.ca.gov/Assets/PW/LOWWP/Wastewater+Project+update+postcard+Sept2014.pdf

Find on this link below the project update for August 2014:
http://www.slocounty.ca.gov/Assets/PW/LOWWP/PM+Monthly+Update+Oct2014.pdf

The photos are awesome, and the contract information on how the project is going, interesting (at least to sewer geeks).

Ship Shape Sewage

Toilet in the cabin.

For those of you wondering how sewage is handled on a ship, and I know there is at least one, or maybe a half of you out there, here is some information specific at least to a cruise up the Danube, at least on the Viking ship, Delling, (who was a Norse god known as the "father of the day," or "bringer of the dawn"). I suspect this information is true for all river cruises, at least those in Europe.

Read more here:

http://www.imo.org/OurWork/Environment/PollutionPrevention/Sewage/Pages/Default.aspx

Sadly, Hungary, Austria and The Czech Republic are not included here.

http://www.noonsite.com/Members/val/R2009-01-16-1

http://www.rya.org.uk/infoadvice/boatingabroad/pages/holdingtanks.aspx

https://www.gov.uk/prevent-pollution-and-reduce-harmful-emissions-at-sea

www.thetravelfoundation.org.uk/.../3_-_Operational_management_of_river_cruise_ships.pdf

‎

www.ebcd.org/pdf/presentation/215-Mr._Grammerstorf.pdf

I consulted our ship's Program Director Marek S., who, if he thought I was nuts, and I wouldn't blame him if he did, did not give it away in the least, and was very helpful.

Readers, the flushage is NOT going into the river! Like modern trains, and some lakeside houses around the world, the flush part is handled by a vacuum system. Here, it is held in a tank on board ship and disembarks into the city systems, a watery passenger as it were, at docking. In our case, however, only to big cities like Budapest, Vienna and Nuremberg, as needed.

I had first gone on a wheelhouse tour to ask about this, but the crew referred me to Mr. S.. There just wasn't the language to convey the specifics I guess, or so it seemed, although English was spoken and was very clear on the various technical aspects of wheelhouse equipment. Perhaps it was the polite Hungarian way of saying they really didn't want to get onto this particular topic with a crazy American woman.

View over the Second-in-Commands shoulder, who was piloting, showing the contours of the river.

Monitoring view of the ship's water system and tank levels. Didn't take good notes, so this is fresh water or ballast water.

This is the point where I asked for the crew member to bring up the sewage tank screen to show tank levels and got the broken English.

We docked at night in Nuremberg, which was the end of the on-the-water part of the trip. I don't know if things then flowed into the city. Or in Vienna, or Budapest for that matter. I was off touring much of the time rather than watching the ship's discharging. Although we missed the bus one day, so saw crates of beautiful potatoes and apples come on board. 

But here is a shot of a compartment open on the ship's hull. Not at all sure what I was seeing, those ports with plugs and all.

Then, on another ship that was docked, I saw this blue hose hooking up to something that looked like a city utility. But I think it was only water.

To be continued sometime......

Budapest Sewers for a Change of Pace!

Sewage is worldwide, and with traveling, especially when all to report from our own home sewer situation has already been reported on for the moment, it is time to expand our sewer horizons to other parts of the world!

The reason I show you the Budapest Opera House to locate us in Budapest, Hungary, instead of pastries or something, or even perhaps the world famous Parliament Building, is because our sewer saga would fit nicely into an operatic setting, you know, lots of angst and drama....just imagine the shrill voices, shrieks and loud protests with discordant violins! But in English, of course. And sewer talk around pastries is not very pleasant, despite where they end up.

I will give you a few examples of manhole covers I have found, but as what lies beneath them, sewage, electrical, cable, other services of an unknown nature, unless you read Hungarian, your guess is as good as mine.

Fortunately, there is an English page for the current sewer system (note, do we Americans respond to courteously to web crawlers from other countries in their native tongues?):

http://www.fcsm.hu/en/services/drainage_of_wastewater_and_rainwater/sewer_network_operation/

When you find yourself in Budapest, you can also think sludge!

Here is a tidy history of the development of sewers in Buda and Pest!
http://v.fcsmzrt.hu/en/company_information/the_history_of_the_sewage_of_budapest/general_sewerage

Here is a tour, "Making a sanitary sewer the first destination on a 5 day road trip was perhaps not the most sensible of decisions."
http://www.thewinch.net/?p=3522

Happy reading!

PS - not sure why some images don't show a thumbnail on this page, but the wireless is a bit buggy on this ship. Click the missing link image to see the larger image, it is there.

WWTF Project Costs to Date 6/60/14

Correction! The date is 6/30/14. Months these days feel like they contain 60 days....

It is part of the BOS agenda for Tuesday, September 16, the "Fiscal Year 2013-14 Year-end Financial Status Report" for the Los Osos Wastewater Project.

You can see those costs off this link:
http://agenda.slocounty.ca.gov/agenda/sanluisobispo/3817/TG9zIE9zb3MgUHJvamVjdCBDb3N0IEVzdGltYXRlcyBwYWdlIG9ubHkgMTMtMTQucGRm/12/n/33628.doc

The project moves forward; the sewer gets closer and closer, lo, these many bygone years, to the "flush and forget" stage. I can almost imagine the blowback talking points to my statement from those who have hated the sewer idea from the beginning, but now fully embrace the return-water as a valuable resource that I dare not be flippant about. Take a break folks, lighten up. This is the reality; most of us will simply flush and forget, and allow the professionals to requisition the recycled water, as conditioned by the California Coastal Commission, to the proper and appropriate destinations. I will imagine that reality instead, professionals in charge, as they have been since 2007, January 1, following a tragic and expensively fallow, year-plus hiatus.

The County's Latest Mailer!

All about water conservation of course! Mine arrived Thursday, September 11. Blue on the tiny map mean low-flow fixtures have been installed. There are still yellow spots needing to go blue. I am one of them. All done (showers, toilets, bathroom faucets, a new HE washer—check) but for one lousy tap. I need to call a second plumber to see how to reduce the flow, the first plumber tried but couldn't. My solution is to eat out more and to use paper plates. Less dishes to wash that way, (it is in the kitchen).

CDOs on Regional Water Board Agenda!

Find relevant links here for the September 25, 2014 meeting:

Agenda link—see Item 13, "Enforcement"
http://www.swrcb.ca.gov/centralcoast/board_info/agendas/2014/Sepember/agenda_files/agenda_sep2014%20a.htm

Relevant documents page, off which are numerous links.
http://www.swrcb.ca.gov/centralcoast/board_info/agendas/2014/Sepember/item13/index.shtml

To cut to the chase, the Enforcement Staff's recommendations are thus:

1. The County has not yet completed the community system, and while we are confident that it will, this outcome is not guaranteed.
   
2. The main requirement of the orders, hooking up to the sewer when it becomes available, cannot yet be complied with. This requirement should stay in place until the system is available.
   
3. Even when the system is available, there may be dischargers in the prohibition zone who are reluctant or refuse to hook up. Leaving these orders in place maintains a disincentive for order recipients to continue violating the prohibition after construction of the sewer system. 

We ALL should have gotten CDOs OR NOVs to begin with. In other words, we all should have been treated equally. While I disagreed many times with the frantic fight against these orders, as in real life, they didn't amount to much unless one chose to react that way about them (think of all of those who simply signed that paper and moved on), the unfairness to not be treated equally, I think, we can all agree on.

There are just as many NOV holders, probably more actually, who may not comply with hooking up to the sewer when it is available, so point 3 just seems to be a way to cut costs or something on a CDO holder who does not comply. In other words, maybe the Board would have to start from scratch with a non-compliant NOV holder, but it wouldn't with a CDO holder? Again, it just looks like playing unfavorites. 

So, IMHO, I believe the Board should adopt the resolution offered which TERMINATES these orders!
http://www.swrcb.ca.gov/centralcoast/board_info/agendas/2014/Sepember/item13/item13_att2.pdf

Coast Starlight Sewage Update

As we wait until 2016 for our very own wastewater treatment facility, here is another sewage narrative to keep you entertained!

So...in case you were wondering, and I know 99.9% of you were not and that's OK, what happens to the collected sewage, hand wash water and shower water on trains, after you flush or the water goes down the drain? It is stored in a holding tank, then off-loaded from this yellow-capped pipe shown in the pix below (click the images for larger views).

The train attendant that I asked wondered about my question and I said that I wrote a sewer blog. He kept his poker face straight, but the passengers around him did not. I won't elaborate. None of them lived in Los Osos, I'm just sure of that.

Anyway, earlier in the trip, I got some shots of strange, green kitty litter-looking stuff on a neighboring track:

Now there were several blobs of this green stuff over a couple of miles. Trains no longer dump excreta on the tracks as they once did, so it couldn't be human-use kitty litter. But how about some granular stuff for oil spills? So I found webpage and the product comes in industrial sized quantities too! http://www.bradyid.com/bradyid/pdpv/GS-10.html No idea if that is what this stuff was. Perhaps instead a variety of railway mold?

Following the moldy thread, read the text on the link below and click on the link "Alien Sludge" for a photo that does not look like this one above, but worth viewing anyway. The dialogue describing it is pertinent. http://www.reddit.com/r/whatisthisthing/comments/1evhg7/alien_sludge_found_near_railroad_tracks/  I did find a desiccated opossum head that looked like a dried fig lying on the platform in Salinas....where I shot the yellow-capped pipe while the train was being repaired for five hours.

Salinas BTW, has a sewer system, here's the proof:

On another track altogether, you might enjoy another sort of train, one that RUNS on sewage.

http://www.treehugger.com/cars/poo-poo-train-runs-on-the-weight-of-sewage.html

Seitz Explains Measure B News - Zombie Precautions Not Needed

A new feature of LOCSD meetings is the District's legal counsel explaining what HE is working on. I won't go down the long list of his jobs (I was really amazed at the work performed in just one month) but will update us all here in sewer-land on the dreaded Measure B and why it appeared on the LOCSD Closes Session agenda on September 4, 2014. 

"Housekeeping" said Mike Seitz. So, even though there will be a "case management" meeting on Monday, September 8, in court, it really won't amount to much. The Measure B suit from the Regional Water Quality Control Board was suspended by the bankruptcy, and as we have seen, the bankruptcy appears month after month on the LOCSD closed session agendas, as the many leftover bits and pieces need to be swept up and disposed of. In this case, "injunctive relief" is the bit to be put to rest in the dustbin of sewer history.

Let us all hope that this goes as expected with our long dead Measure B. Zombies can be vanquished in a variety of methods according to which movie you wish to cite. Experts vary in their opinions. But substantial structural destruction to any part of the brain seems to do the trick. Substantial destruction to District finances from this folly might finally be put to rest as well.

LOWWP Update July 2014

The County has posted a new update! Check out all that cool rebar and see what is inside of the pump stations and generator buildings! Find it all at this link!

http://www.slocounty.ca.gov/Assets/PW/LOWWP/PM+Monthly+Update+July+2014.pdf

Vacuum Toilet, The Coast Starlight

In case you were wondering how this looks in a Superliner Bedroom, here you go!

And here is how IT goes.....vacuum!

The Best Places to Pee, Portland

When in Portland....pee as the hip Portlanders do!

I found this unlikely book in a magazine called Portland and had to check out the book's website:

http://thebestplacestopee.com/purchase-the-best-places-to-pee/

I'll have to order this when I get home, I'm sure I'll be back in Portland. It is quite a fabulous town for things other than peeing, although there are a LOT of micro breweries around here which lend the need to!

(I'm not sure one could make a book out of all the public places to pee in Los Osos however, but maybe a small pamphlet.)

A Different View....

A few days ago I traveled by train from San Luis Obispo to Portland, Oregon. It was quite an enjoyable trip! So of course when you have a sewer blog, you tend to notice things out the window such as wastewater treatment plants that might just blend into the background for the casual viewer. This is a slice of SLO County that you don't get from a road trip!

First, I concluded that this must be the wastewater treatment facility for Cuesta College and The Men's Colony, as after the plant, the very next thing was The Men's Colony. I couldn't find a website for the plant itself but the plant is visible from Google Earth if you'd like an overhead.

I caution you that these are dirty train windows with added glare, not a crusty camera lens.

On the way to the next point of interest is this blocked off tunnel. Click on the image below and look at the lower left portion, a heads up for what is coming up next.

The Atascadero Wastewater Treatment Plant.

To learn more about the Atascadero Wastewater Treatment Plant, click the link below:
http://www.atascadero.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=644&Itemid=1666

Then we have an unknown spoutage shot. It is in San Miguel and right by Courtside Cellars. Not sure who it belongs to as Courtside is a pretty big operation and probably has a fair amount of wastewater to deal with, and there is a certain joyous feel to the spritz!

I hope to find more shots on the way back. I confess, I missed some from towns along the way north.