A viral TikTok video featuring a man kayaking across a crystal-clear swampy area he claims to be the result of a waterline break in Dallas recently prompted an investigation by the Dallas Morning News. City spokeswoman Catherine Cuellar confirmed that Dallas Water Utilities began investigating a leak in a 30-inch underground pipeline, which has leaked millions of gallons of treated drinking water into the city-owned Great Trinity Forest since October.
The leak is now contained, and repairs have begun, with work expected to last several weeks. The pipe has been leaking roughly 12,000 gallons of water per day, totaling 3.6 million gallons since October. However, the video's creator, Alexander Neal, claims he noticed the leak around five years ago, and the city has stated they are unsure exactly when the leak began.
State of Montana Halts Construction on WWTP Amid Contractor Violations
In collaboration with the Architecture & Engineering Division of the Montana Department of Administration, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality recently called for a pause in construction on a wastewater treatment system upgrade project amid recent environmental violations by an independent contractor.
Missouri River Contractors was upgrading a wastewater treatment plant at the Montana State Hospital in Warm Springs until A&E issued a Stop Work Order following permit violations and insufficient corrective actions by the contractor. The contractor’s actions resulted in the unintentional release of more than 3 million gallons of partially treated wastewater into Warm Springs Creek. The discharge of partially treated wastewater has been stopped.
Biden-Harris Administration Announces $58 million to Reduce Lead in Schools
At a recent event in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Assistant Administrator for Water Radhika Fox and EPA New England Regional Administrator David W. Cash, along with Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Katherine Clark, announced $58 million in grant funding from Biden’s Investing in America agenda to protect children from lead in drinking water at schools and childcare facilities across the country.
Activities that remove sources of lead in drinking water are now, for the first time, eligible to receive funding through the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act.
“I am excited to join local leaders in Boston to announce $58 million in grant funding that can be used to test for lead in drinking water, identify potential sources and remove those sources to better protect our nation’s children,” said EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Radhika Fox.
