News Briefs: Anchorage Earthquake Ruptures Dozens of Water Mains

Also in this week's sewer and water news, a naked man is rescued from a lift station in West Monroe, Louisiana

A boil-water advisory was in effect for Anchorage, Alaska, after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck the city Nov. 30 rupturing more than two dozen water mains.

Water customers were reporting reddish-brown water coming out of their taps after the quake, and officials put the boil-water notice in place as a precaution.

While the water is still murky, the advisory has been lifted, according to Anchorage Water & Wastewater Utility officials.

“The Anchorage Water & Wastewater Utility has completed water quality sampling and bacteriological testing throughout the Anchorage drinking water distribution system,” the utility reports in a press release. “Findings from those tests have confirmed that the water system is operating normally and was not contaminated as a result of the earthquake. As a result, AWWU is lifting the precautionary boil-water advisory.”

Utility crews and contractors are responding to the breaks in the water mains.

Naked Man Rescued from Louisiana Lift Station

A naked man recently was rescued from a sewage lift station in West Monroe, Louisiana, where workers found him during routine maintenance procedures.

When crews arrived, they found the man trapped in the small lift-station hole, about 18 feet belowground. Multiple agencies were involved in the rescue operation.

Authorities say the man used milk crates top prop himself up and climb over a fence to get inside the lift station. The man’s reasoning is unknown at this time, and it’s also unknown whether or not he’ll face any charges for the incident.

Seismic Study Shows Major Earthquake Could Cripple Seattle Water System

In other sewer and water news, a seismic study of Seattle, Washington, shows that the city’s residents could be without water service for up to two months in the event of a big earthquake.

Due to security concerns, Seattle Public Utilities is only releasing a 13-page summary of the report, which claims that Seattle would lose all its water pressure within 24 hours of a major earthquake.

SPU paid $900,000 for the 722-page study.

San Diego Accepts $614 Million Loan to Finance Water Recycling Program

The City of San Diego, California, accepted a loan of $614 million from the U.S. EPA to help it finance the first phase of its Pure Water San Diego water recycling initiative. The city estimates Phase 1 will cost around $1.4 billion and will break ground in 2019.

Included in the first phase will be upgrades to the existing water facilities and the construction of new facilities. The following phase will add new water pipelines and facilities in central San Diego and South Bay.



Discussion

Comments on this site are submitted by users and are not endorsed by nor do they reflect the views or opinions of COLE Publishing, Inc. Comments are moderated before being posted.