Archive for February, 2011

Water pipe bursts beneath Texas Tech University pool

Friday, February 25th, 2011

Students won't have access to Texas Tech University's swimming pool at the Robert H. Ewalt Student Recreation Center due to a water pipe explosion beneath the building, the Daily Toreador reports.

The news source states chunks of the center's pool deck has fallen off from the pipe burst, and mud has formed around the pool due to ground exposure. The pool will reportedly be closed for 30 days while university crews fix the leak. However, April Rhoads, a supervisor for the recreation center pools, told the paper she expects it to take longer than that, as authorities still don't know the full extent of the damage.

Melissa Hogle, the school's assistant director of aquatics for recreational sports, told the newspaper, "We have very little information right now. This pipe is buried pretty deep, probably under 12 feet of dirt. That's a big problem because we can't see where it is, and until we do, we won't be able to assess the damage." She added the school is unsure what caused the plumbing leak.

According to School Designs, the recreation center was completed in 2001 and cost the school nearly $10 million.

Connecticut town’s water main break causes issues for residents

Thursday, February 24th, 2011

A water leak stemming from a busted main has turned roads in a Middletown, Connecticut, neighborhood into a thick sheet of ice, which created problems for utility workers trying to stop the water flow, reports say.

The pipe break reportedly spouted water for two hours before city and water authorities were able to shut the main off. More than two dozen homeowners lost water during leak repairs.

"The good news is that it's a relatively new pipe, so finding matching fittings should be easy," Middletown Water and Sewer director Guy Russo told WSFB-TV. Russo told the Hartford Courant that one of the valves on the water main, which was installed in 1995, became loose and caused six bolts to snap.

In neighboring Massachusetts, it's not only water main breaks causing water shortages in one town, but also poor water management. According to WCVB-TV in Boston, tiny holes have been showing up in homes in Norfolk, which have caused residential leaks for many.

Norfolk town administrator Jack Hathaway told the station that a mix of factors and chemicals in the water system has changed the pH balance of treated water, and in turn, caused several homes' pipes to develop tiny leaks.

Washington resident charged high water bill due to neighbor’s leak

Thursday, February 24th, 2011

After determining that a water leak that caused an Auburn, Washington, household to pay a $900 water bill and $2,500 in repairs wasn't even on their property, the residents are now fighting against city officials who claim the homeowners are responsible for paying for repairs.

Josh Croskey, who owns the residence with his wife, told sources he had several water experts inspect his property for pipes – all of whom determined the leak was coming seven feet off his property. Despite the help from water and plumbing experts the city is still reportedly charging Croskey for pipe repair and the water bill.

"There is a cost to delivery to the entire water structure, and the system of payment is based on everyone paying a certain share," Mark Gregg, Auburn's utilities and accounting services manager, told the Seattle Times.

Closkey reportedly hired a lawyer to help eliminate the water charges, but instead, has only been able to reduce the amount owed.

Water authorities in Franklin, Tennessee, are also under fire for a controversial ruling. The Tennessean reports a water leak at an apartment complex in the city has cost the property owners $14,000 in water bills. Connie Proctor, the apartment complex's CFO, told the paper no residents have lost water pressure and the leak was underground, so there was no way to know it was occurring.

Appeal issued over proposed sewer leak fix in Washington

Thursday, February 24th, 2011

Though a plumbing leak in the Port Angeles, Washington's, sewage pipe infrastructure remains a problem, the Olympic Environmental Council and a a Port Angeles resident have appealed the approval of $10 million for a new sewer system.

According to the Peninsula Daily News, the OEC and resident Tyler Ahlgren filed the appeal because they want the city to focus on cleaning stormwater from the system and repairing it instead of constructing a new one. Sewage overflow has been an issue for several months, with pipes throughout the city's infrastructure leaking.

Darlene Schanfald, the environmental council's representative for the appeal, told the source fixing the plumbing leak is more viable than the proposed city plan. However, the paper states a sewage overflow elimination project would cost nearly four times the cost of the planned sewer system upgrades.

The city of Port Angeles states that a separate, smaller sewage infrastructure plan, called the First Street Stormwater Separation Project, would construct a new system for stormwater that would be separate from the existing sanitary sewer system in the downtown part of the city.

Global water meter investment to reach $4 billion over six-year span

Wednesday, February 23rd, 2011

With billions of dollars in investment for water meters worldwide, water conservation can reach its highest levels ever, a report by Pike Research states.

Between 2010 and 2016, $4.2 billion will be invested in the wireless devices, which can alert water companies of up-to-date water use in households and businesses. According to the report, more than 31 million devices will be installed during that time period.

"Water metering alone has a powerful conservation impact," research analyst Jevan Fox said. "Studies show that using water meters to bill customers based on their actual consumption cuts water use by 15 percent or more. When water suppliers add meter reading automation to the mix, the conservation impact is even more significant."

Despite the positive features of the water meters, Fox notes that many factors pose as roadblocks to installing them in every part of the world, including certain countries' lack of modern water utilities.

The amount of water which can be saved with the smart water meters may be difficult to determine, but with water usage in many countries continuing to increase – especially in the U.S., the water conservation is needed. EcoSalon reports water consumption has increased in the U.S. by 127 percent since 1950.