Religious Beliefs V. Sewering Needs

I have a Google news alert for the word "sewer." I have used it for years to find interesting tidbits to post here when the news is slow in our little (but famous) corner of the sewer world. It is always amusing to find the postings for the word that are referencing a needle and thread or a sewing machine! Such is the oddball English language.

Anyway, I ran across an article that illuminated a unique reason for declining hooking up to a sewer. One would have thought with our deep and extensive decades-long sewer war that this might have come up here, but it did not.

Please do have a look and maybe you will find this story as fascinating and compelling as I did:

http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/pennsylvania_court_orders_amish_family_to_use_electric_sewer_pump

http://www.pennlive.com/news/2018/01/amish_electricity_court_ruling.html

Unconnected/No Excuse Properties Shrink To 68!

The latest Basin Management Committee meeting packet was released Friday evening (January 12) for the meeting to be held at the South Bay Community Center on Wednesday, January 17, 1:30 P.M.. Item 6, the Executive Director's Report, contained this interesting tidbit:

• As of 1/1/18, 95% of the lateral connections have been completed, an increase of 23 connections since last meeting.   

• Of the 214 unconnected properties, 79 are waiting for the County/USDA/LOCSD low income grant program to pay for their connection leaving 135 properties that may require enforcement. Of the 135 properties, 46 are in the process of connecting (ie: obtained a building permit), and 21 have responded to the County’s survey giving reasons why they are not connected yet. Subtracting those categories leaves 68 properties (1.6% of 4200 total connections) that are the focus of the Code enforcement process.  

• The County had to cancel the Nov. 7 BOS meeting regarding enforcement. The County plans to go back to the Board with a County Code Amendment in a month or two. The intent is to strengthen our legal position regarding the enforcement process.

You might want to see what else is in the packet, which you can find off of this link:

https://slocountywater.org/site/Water%20Resources/LosOsos/

WOW! Russian BOTS In A Sewer Blog!

Those of you bots over in Russia who are bumping up my miniscule stats, WHY? 

I know you are not real, but any attention to a tiny sewer blog written from a tiny town to have so many hits, is....well....BIZARRE! 

What the HE-double-hockey-sticks are you doing sluicing around in American sewage? To what purpose? No one here is running for any office! 

PS - You know I can see you, right?

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

From A Once Sewer Problem Spot - The Key West Sewer!

Yes, little, tiny 1 mile by 4 mile Key West has a sewer! And has had one a lot sooner than that certain central coast town that was referred to in this blog's name. But that sewer was not without its own horrid fight.

The article linked below says it all, and we might appreciate the scope and cost of their $1 billion sewer project. FYI, in 1889 Key West was the largest and wealthiest city in Florida (unlike Los Osos in California, which has not hit that mark and likely never will):
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/state/article1980193.html

Here is the official link to their current sewer page:
http://www.cityofkeywest-fl.gov/department/division.php?structureid=164

Happy expansion of your sewer education!

Hook-Up Enforcement Withdrawn!

The numbers have shrunk as to how many households are yet to hook up to our sewer. A huge delay was the sluggishness of getting the funding for those who qualified. They have been waiting patiently. There was actually supposed to be a Board of Supervisor's meeting about this on November 14, which is why I was looking tonight to see the agenda and support documents. But alas, I missed it by a week, it was to have been on the agenda November 7, and then, at the last minute it was pulled. You can see it in the original removal off of this link:
http://agenda.slocounty.ca.gov/agenda/sanluisobispo/934/QWdlbmRh/6/n/86079.doc

But I can show you a photo here below. If will try to be more on top of this. The sewage story around here is so quiet, I forget about it sometimes.......

(You can click on the image to see it larger.)

Decorate Your Bathroom For The Holidays!

And while you are doing that, you are helping to fund toilets for those lacking them!

See the video here:
http://www.whogivesacrap.org/indiegogo/

See what this is about here:
https://us.whogivesacrap.org/pages/about-us

And shop here:
https://us.whogivesacrap.org/

Community Funds Available For Sewer Hook-ups!

I attended the Los Osos CSD meeting tonight. General Manager Renee Osborn reported that there were funds from the Community Fund Low Income Assistance Program to help the approximately 245 residents that had not hooked up to do so (unless some in that number are making a political statement by not hooking upon course....).

Access the webpage that explains what this is with a link to the application:
https://www.losososcsd.org/los-osos-community-funds-now-available-for-low-income-residents

To read a bit more about it, read Ms. Osborn's report:
https://www.losososcsd.org/files/1f78e318a/Agenda+Item+9D+GM+Report+for+October+2017.pdf

More information will be forthcoming from the County and other agencies.

New County Webpage With Comprehensive Sewer Info!

I got an Email tonight with news from around the county, and on that page was a link to the County's new Los Osos sewer web page. 

This new LO sewer page has a TON of sewer tax info and there are a plethora of links to click find out all about your tax bill, what's on it, and how is it calculated, and MUCH more. So have a look and happy exploring. Even if the topic is taxes...you's rather know how stuff got there, right?

http://www.slocounty.ca.gov/Departments/Public-Works/Department-News/Los-Osos-Tax-Bills-Now-Include-Wastewater-Costs.aspx

Squatty Potty's Latest

I was scrolling through Facebook this AM and found in the ads on my feed—the latest offering from Squatty Potty!  https://www.squattypotty.com Yeah, I also got ads for hair dye and a cat shadow illusion lamp. Clearly FB knows who I am. I did what I have never done before, I clicked on the SP link, but that is OK for a person with a sewer blog, I think.

Imagine how fun it must have been to work on this ad!  Especially for the actor chomping down on the dragon poop! Be sure to visit the Fan Photos page! I have not personally used one of these things, I just appreciate their ads and completely understand why they do their advertising on FB and YouTube.

Fatberg Video!

To follow-up on a former post, here is a "Fatberg" video (see link below). It purports to show its removal.....well, I didn't see that, but it is fun to see the actual entity, which is far more photogenic than other Fatbergs I have seen (online, alas, not in person).

Here is the Baltimore video (look at the bottom):
https://www.ndtv.com/offbeat/watch-20-foot-fatberg-removed-from-baltimore-sewer-1764957

While you are at it - check out a London Fatberg:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iH7IwiHFVMs

Baltimore looks better in my opinion.

Septic Tank "Basement"

An interesting story turned up while on the Open Studios Tour yesterday. You know how it is, you are looking at art, sculpture, jewelry, and the topic of the sewer comes up. You could be at the grocery store or at Sweet Springs and the topic of the sewer comes up. Not always of course, but what other town besides one beset with sewer woes for lo, these 40 years, and paying through the nose for those delays, and the topic of the full-on sewer tax hitting us now that everything is in, would the sewer topic have come up?

Well, I guess these days, Morro Bay.......... But it is not quite the same comparison, as they have had a sewer for many, many, many years. In contrast, we are in the almost finished process of saying goodbye to our septic tanks, except for those areas in town where they are not forbidden.

The (presumed) owners of one house either: Thought there would never be a sewer; they loved their septic tank so much they didn't want to part with it, so hid it; OR, did not know where it was when they built their living room on top of it. Or maybe they did not care, or thought they could just not bother with a permit? (Our personal wild-wild-west example: We found a whole room built inside of the garage when we bought the house - drywall and everything.)

So....when it was time to hook up, in order to pump the tank, they had to cut a hole in the living room floor. Maybe I am a clean freak, but the thought of the pulsing, stinky, waste evacuation hose snaking over ruined carpet, or maybe shattered tile, or ecologically friendly splintered bamboo flooring seemed kind of gross! I don't know what the requirements were to fill in the tank, cement or gravel, but for sure, it would not be re-used for rainwater catchment!

Fatbergs!

Well, it has been a while since I have posted anything on fatbergs, so it is time to get caught up. I found two articles recently in the New York Times. 

Happy reading, just don't be eating breakfast or something whilst reading these; the description in the lower article describes a fatberg as having "...a smell that mixes rotting meat and smelly toilet."

https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2017/09/26/us/ap-us-baltimore-fatberg.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/13/world/europe/uk-london-fatberg.html

(The lower link comes with a lovely color photo! The photo is from 2014 when another fat berg struck London. The current fatberg is called the "Whitechapel fatberg," and it is estimated to weigh 140 tons.)

Paean To Sewers!

I just now ran across this fun tribute to sewers and what they mean to us - have a read:
https://www.indivisible.us/i-love-my-sewer/

(Wish I had written it!)

Latest News From Our Sewer Laterals!

I attended the Basin Management Committee meeting on Wednesday, September 20. Mark Hutchinson, Deputy Director of the Resources Group in the county's Public Work's Department, filled in for Bruce Gibson on the committee, and gave a report on how our sewer lateral connections are going. Very well, as it turns out! 282 are all that are left to connect, and of that, about 85 are on a low income program that has not yet worked its way all the way through the federal agency that is funding them. So less than 200 are left to hook up! How to address this issue of the mystery non-hook-ups will be before the Board of Supes in the second week of November. That will be a meeting worth watching. I plan to tune in!

200+ Year Old Sewer Plant!

Have a look! https://www.dcwater.com/wastewater-collection-history

Check out the size of this thing! https://www.dcwater.com/projects

Awesome nitrogen removal via a new technique, the DEMON® process! https://www.dcwater.com/projects/filtrate-treatment-facilities

Combined sewage used to flow into the waterways during heavy rainstorms (as opposed to ours sinking into the ground atop our drinking water!) https://www.dcwater.com/projects/tunnel-dewatering-pump-station-and-enhanced-clarification-facility

Have a look at their gorgeous annual report! https://www.dcwater.com/sites/default/files/2016annual_1.24.17_lo.pdf

The scope of this thing is just amazing!! I am super happy at finding this website through a random tweet!