The biggest problem can be the smallest thing, and that's the case in the sewer world.
More than 20 million gallons of raw sewage spilled into California waterways last year, according to the state Department of Water Resources Control Board. That's not counting the partially treated sewage that makes its way into our water from overflows and sewer system malfunctions.
Many big sewer pipes are old, and many of the sewage treatment plants are antiquated. But the biggest problem faced by sewer systems in California is the tiny pipe called the lateral.
That's the pipe that runs from your home to the street, the small pipes under all of our homes that end up joining the bigger sewer pipes. When those pipes develop cracks, water leaks into them.
Storm water itself would not overwhelm a sewage system, because it's designed to be a closed system. Storm water is not supposed to BE in sewer pipes. So in one way, it shouldn't even matter what the weather is like – storm water shouldn't really mix with sewage at all.
But during a rainstorm, water seeps into your broken lateral pipe, and all your neighbors' pipes, and that rainwater mixes with sewage in the sewer pipes, and the volume of water/sewage can actually build up far beyond the capacity of the sewer pipe. And in the same way, thousands and thousands of gallons of water mixed in with the sewage can swamp a treatment plant during a rainstorm.
That's the number one concern of sewage treatment plants now. And the sewer districts need your help.
Those laterals are owned by homeowners. They're on private land, so the district can't just go in there and tear them up to replace or fix them.
However, most sewer districts offer a service where they will inspect your laterals to check for leaks, and many have started programs where the district will help pay the cost of repairing or replacing those pipes.
Sewer systems are run by local municipalities. Most communities have a local sewer district, and officials at the district can help you inspect and fix your lateral pipes.
link:http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/2009/04/03/reporters-notes-sewage-spills-increasing/
I feel this story ties into our Media saves the beach project because it is talking about sewage spills and how they happen and how they can be prevented, today our class got to witness an sewage spill and we saw the various warning signs about the contaminated water and how they life guards were warning the sufers to get out. This type of information can be found anywhere and I feel as a class we can make this issue known and get people (homeowner's) to fix thier lateral pipes which are the problem with sewage spills into the ocean. This can help because over time those pipes get old obviously and crack, break, and leak and when it rain our sewage flows into the ocean whether we know it or not.
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My blog 23
Judge orders seals away from La Jolla children's beach
July 20, 2009 1:00 pm
A San Diego County Superior Court judge today ordered the city of San Diego to shoo the harbor seals off the beach at the Children's Pool in La Jolla by Thursday.
But an attorney representing seal lovers plans to seek a restraining order from a federal judge that would block the city from removing the seals.
Superior Court Judge Yuri Hoffman said today that state law requires the beach be kept clean for children under a 1931 deed to the property.
Attorneys for the city asked Hoffman to delay his ruling, noting that the Legislature in Sacramento has voted to allow the city to decide whether the seals should stay or go.
But Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has yet to sign the legislation, and Hoffman, increasingly impatient with the city, said he was not willing to wait until the governor makes his decision.
In the two-decade fight over the seals on the tiny beach, federal courts have sided with seal lovers, noting that the creatures are protected by federal law. The standoff between federal court and superior court has cost San Diego hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees.
If the bill is signed in Sacramento, the City Council plans to declare the beach a marine sanctuary and allow the seals to remain.
Attorney Bryan Pease, representing the pro-seal side, said he plans to seek a restraining order from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to delay Hoffman's ruling. Pease called Hoffman's ruling both extreme and illegal.
Under the ruling by Hoffman, the city has 72 hours to disperse the seals into the water, probably by the use of loud noises.
-- Tony Perry
complete news article
This news article is talking about a judge wanting to kick out the seals from the La Jolla children's pool to keep it a safe and clean environment for the children. People believe the beach is better off without the seals and their fecal matter.
The most important information is that there are organizations that are willing to help the seals keep their home.
Some of the information this article is missing is the science (or biology) behind it like stating what fecal matter can do to the human body or how it can harm the environment.
This information helps me with my Media Saves The Beach project because I am focusing on this exact location and animal, and this conteversy.
Lupe's blog 23
Council Will Decide What Happens To Seals
This was an article from November 13, 2009. it stated that the City Council was in charge of deciding the fate of the seals at La Jolla Children's Pool. A law will go into effect on January 1, it makes it clear the uses for the beach. Jan Goldsmith, a San Diego City attorney supports Judge Timothy Taylor's decision to rule out a 2005 state ruling that orders the seals removal.
The most important information is that the City Council will have the final decision, wether or not the seals will remain in La Jolla Children's Pool.
The article includes the interview of a Jan Goldsmith, the S.D City Attorney. Yet it misses other important information like the opinion from other City Attorneys. This will help us make assumptions on the issue. The Public opinion might not be relevant but I did wanted to see other peoples ideas.
I actually saw this article before i read another one about cigarette butts, which is the most littered item. But this article shows that the community is already looking at ways to clean and preserve our beaches.
San Diegans Urged To Throw Their Butts AwayNovember 13, 2009
SAN DIEGO — The local chapter of the Surfrider Foundation is holding a Cigarette Butt Awareness Day tomorrow. Activists will be at three busy intersections in beach communities to urge people to throw their butts away.
Cigarette butts are called the single most littered item in the United States. The problem has gotten even worse since many communities imposed indoor smoking bans.
San Diego bans smoking in city parks and on beaches, but discarded cigarette butts are still an issue.
Ken David, who is with the Surfrider Foundation, said butts aren't only a litter problem; they're also an environmental concern.
"Because you have birds and fish that mistake them for food," David said. "Also they are not made of cotton, they actually include plastics, so they never totally breakdown."
A recent study from San Diego State suggests cigarette butts should be classified as toxic hazardous waste.
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Ruling Allowing Seals To Stay At Children's Pool Finalized
POSTED: 9:23 am PST November 13, 2009
UPDATED: 7:01 pm PST November 13, 2009
SAN DIEGO -- A colony of harbor seals that took over a beach in La Jolla that had been willed to children will be allowed to stay, a judge ruled Friday, possibly bringing an end to the prolonged legal tug-of-war over the cove.
The so-called Children's Pool was established in 1931 as a swimming area for children by the owner of the property, philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps, who died the next year at age 95.
The seals moved in some years ago and turned the cove into a nesting area, to the delight of many children as well as environmentalists. But others felt the growing colony had become a nuisance and wanted the seals removed.
In 2004, swimmer Valerie O'Sullivan -- who now lives in New Zealand -- filed a lawsuit seeking to restore the area for human use, and the next year, Judge William Pate ordered the city of San Diego to dredge Children's Pool, at the city's expense, and disperse the seals.
Earlier this year, Judge Yuri Hofmann told city officials to comply with Pate's order.
But in July, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation amending the trust that established the beach as a children's swimming pool, giving the San Diego City Council the discretion to designate area as a seal sanctuary.
On Friday, Superior Court Judge Timothy B. Taylor issued a final order ruling the seals can stay unless the city decides otherwise.
Taylor said the revised statute was "not a model of clarity," but that it "changes the whole basis for Judge Pate's findings."
Taylor said the issue was not so much the seals versus children, but "respect for the legislative and executive branches of government."
Paul Kennerson, the attorney representing O'Sullivan, told the judge he has spent nine years working on the seal issue and five years on the lawsuit.
"I'm proud to have been a part of it," Kennerson said. "This may well be the end of the line for my client."
It was too soon to tell if O'Sullivan will appeal the case in state court, Kennerson said.
Deputy City Attorney George Schaefer told reporters that the City Attorney's Office recommended in February that the city sponsor legislation to change the terms of the 1931 trust to give the city discretion on use of the beach.
He thanked San Diego lawmakers for carrying the legislation forward.
"Today's decision means that the issue can now be decided by the City Council and mayor the way public policy issues are supposed to be decided," Schaefer said.
SECOND NEWS STORY
EmailPrintText SizeJudge rules seals can stay at Children's Pool in La Jolla Cove
Posted: Nov 14, 2009 12:18 PM PST
Updated: Nov 14, 2009 12:49 PM PST
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Judge rules seals can stay at Children's Pool in La Jolla Cove
3:10
SAN DIEGO (CBS 8) -- A Superior Court judge Friday ruled a state law signed by the governor in July could allow the Children’s Pool in La Jolla to be designated as a seal sanctuary beginning in 2010.
The city was ordered to dredge the pool so it could be given back to swimmers earlier this year, but the governor’s bills set the stage for the pool to become the seals’ permanent home.
The area was designated as a Children’s Pool in 1931.
Visitors to La Jolla Cove said they are hopeful that this ruling will settle the issue once and for all, and they hope the city will spend the money it was using for lawyers’ fees on upgrades and other projects.
But while city officials said there are no upgrade projects in the pipeline, they do inspect the structure regularly.
While seal supported celebrated the win in court, the La Jolla Friends of Seals group has their eye on a marine mammal park establishment after Jan. 1, 2010, with some other upgrades.
The future of the Children’s Pool is in the city council’s hands. However, spending large amounts of money on upgrades may not be a priority for them.
Some seal supporters told News 8 that if the area is designated as a marine mammal park, some federal funding would become available.
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