About 15,000 residents in the city of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, were recently at risk of a toilet-backup catastrophe after a fatberg blocked up a 24-inch sewer trunk that serves as the main sewage route for the middle section of the city.

Manholes and toilets in nearby businesses had already started backing up when crews got to work clearing the fatberg. Thankfully, they got the job done in a few short hours and avoided widespread backups.

Boil-Water Advisory Lifted After Main Break in Wichita

Residents in Wichita, Kansas, recently saw a boil-water advisory lifted about 36 hours after a water main break threatened to contaminate its water system.

The 42-inch water main break affected nearly 400,000 residents and caused schools in the city to close, while residents were relying on bottled water.

Medical Cannabis Industry in Oklahoma Strains Some Utilities

A recent program on NPR outlined how the medical cannabis industry in Oklahoma has increased the demand for water and electricity throughout the state, putting a strain on some rural utilities.

More than 8,000 growers are now operating in the state since medical cannabis was approved in 2018, and they’re using powerful lights, fans and large tanks of water to operate.

A water district manager from Wynnewood told the program’s host that he’s pumped 40 million gallons of water from an aquifer this year and the utility is at risk of running out of water allotted by the state’s resources board. He’s now limiting growers to 10,000 gallons of water per month.

“If I start pumping — overpumping — I start robbing from my neighbor over here, and then he don’t have any water. And then pretty soon, nobody has water,” he told NPR.