About Brown and Caldwell

BC Pages

Asset Management

Infrastructure Funding

Water Resources

BC Exclusives

Water Mission in Iraq

Big Changes for Little Walnut Creek

Hurricane Katrina

Staff

Andy Lukas, Editor
Email

Richard Hellmann, Editor
E-mail

Last week's edition

About this Newsletter

Sept. 5, 2005

Latest postings:

• VA: Richmond, WaterTrax: Regional Sales Manager (telecommute)

• PA: Carlisle, Advantica Inc.: Business Development Manager

Want more? See all postings.

National/International News

—  Katrina Aftermath

• Damage estimate bumped to $100 billion
  (Water World, 9/2) "Risk Management Solutions quadrupled Monday's estimate of the cost of total damage to $100 billion, based largely not on the hurricane but flooding after the Aug. 29 event — particularly in New Orleans, where authorities ordered the city abandoned because of the breadth of the catastrophe."
  
  
• Biggest health worry after Katrina is clean water
  (ENN, 9/2) "A lack of clean water is the most immediate health threat posed by the murky green water flooding Louisiana and Mississippi, health experts warned Wednesday as authorities declared a public health emergency after Hurricane Katrina's devastation."
  
  
• 'Witch's brew' swills through city
  (London Guardian, 9/2) "A 'witch's brew' of heavy metals, chemicals, sewage, fuel and pesticides is swilling through New Orleans and the waterways of Louisiana and other US coastal states, say conservationists and oceanographers studying the Mississippi basin in the wake of Hurricane Katrina."
  
  
• Critics say Bush undercut New Orleans flood control
  (Washington Post, 9/2) "President Bush repeatedly requested less money for programs to guard against catastrophic storms in New Orleans than many federal and state officials requested, decisions that are triggering a partisan debate over administration priorities at a time when the budget is strained by the Iraq war."
  
  
• AWWA mustering Katrina-response resources
  (WaterWeek, 9/1) "The US water supply community has joined federal and nongovernmental emergency relief organizations in mustering resources to respond to the devastation of coastal communities in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama caused by Hurricane Katrina."
  
  
• Uncharted waters
  (Morning Call, 9/1) "In the best of times, the levee and drainage canal system that protects New Orleans is an engineering marvel — 350 miles of water walls and 21 powerful pumping stations that have allowed a major American city to flourish in a below-sea-level saucer surrounded by water and swamp."
  
  
• Water may linger for months in New Orleans
  (Morning Call, 9/1) "Draining the billions of gallons of water that have inundated New Orleans could take three to six months, substantially longer than some experts have expected, the Army Corps of Engineers said late Wednesday."
  
  
• Mississippi puts 49 counties under water alert
  (Clarion Ledger, 9/1) "Hurricane Katrina has made its way out of the Gulf Coast, but many residents of Mississippi are dealing with this tragedy without safe water."
  
  
• New Orleans levee repair progress slow
  (MSNBC, 8/31) "Water from Lake Pontchartrain stopped pouring into New Orleans over hurricane-damaged levees on Wednesday, but little work has been done to fill the large breaches."
  
  

—  Great Lakes

• Draft Great Lakes agreement includes loophole for groundwater
  (Wisconsin Business News, 9/1) "A draft agreement among states to protect Great Lakes Water includes a loophole that would allow new and increased diversions of Great Lakes groundwater, according to comments submitted today by Waukesha Mayor Carol Lombardi and Waukesha Water Utility General Manager Dan Duchniak."
  
  
• Audit: Great Lakes protection falls short
  (Detroit News, 8/29) "A decade-old federal push to keep some of the worst toxic chemicals out of the Great Lakes can't do much more to control pollution levels because it doesn't include some of the biggest sources of pollution, a government audit found."
  
  
• EPA grant to assist study of Lake Ontario contaminants
  (Oswego Palladium Times, 8/29) "A new grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to James Pagano at SUNY Oswego's Environmental Research Center will improve understanding of the movement of chemical contaminants in the Lake Ontario environment and food chain."
  
  
• EPA urged to improve Great Lakes water
  (Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, 8/28) "The U.S. Environmental Protection agency must work harder to ensure stringent water quality standards are fully implemented across the Great Lakes region, according to a report released Friday."
  
  
• Learn more about our precious Great Lakes
  (Petoskey News Review, 8/27) "Most if not all of us realize we live in the midst of an international treasure. Our state is bordered by one of the world's most precious resources — fresh water."
  
  
• Look for creative, long-term solutions for supply, demand
  (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 8/27) Opinion. "Most of the letters printed regarding diversions of Lake Michigan water to Waukesha County and the Great Lakes Charter Annex of 2001 are from environmentalists, but there are other reasons to explore the issue."
  

—  Water

• Water crisis looms as Himalayan glaciers melt
  (Khaleej Times, 9/2) "Imagine a world without drinking water. It’s a scary thought, but scientists say the 40 percent of humanity living in South Asia and China could well be living with little drinking water within 50 years as global warming melts Himalayan glaciers, the region’s main water source."
  
  
• Are water wars a fantasy, or a future reality?
  (Inter Press News, 8/30) "The longstanding speculation among some political experts is that the world's future wars will be fought over water, not oil."
  
  
• Western water wars
  (Time, 8/29) "The valley below Nevada's Snake mountains should not have much to fear from Las Vegas. Its dun-colored terrain daubed with the green of shrubs, meadow grasses and crops lies some 200 miles north of the roaring, metastasizing metropolis for which the state is most famous. But the 1.7 million people of greater Las Vegas may have designs on the fewer than 1,000 people of Snake Valley — or rather, on their water."
  

—  Water Quality

• EPA unions call for nationwide moratorium on fluoridation
  (World Wire, 8/30) "Eleven EPA employee unions representing over 7000 environmental and public health professionals of the Civil Service have called for a moratorium on drinking water fluoridation programs across the country, and have asked EPA management to recognize fluoride as posing a serious risk of causing cancer in people."
  
  
• India at bottom of clean water index
  (Rediff, 8/30) "Take this: Every third person deprived of clean water in the world is an Indian. About 86 percent of all the diseases in the country are directly or indirectly related to the poor quality of drinking water, and 70 percent of India's water is polluted."
  
  
• Mississippi puts 49 counties under water alert
  (Clarion Ledger, 9/1) "Hurricane Katrina has made its way out of the Gulf Coast, but many residents of Mississippi are dealing with this tragedy without safe water."
  

—  Water Security

• EPA taps CSC for water protection work
  (Washington Technology, 8/29) "Computer Sciences Corp. has won a five-year, $86 million contract to provide support services to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Water’s Water Security Division, the company announced today."
  

—  Water Resources

• Curbing what goes down the drain
  (USDA, 9/1) "The underground drainage systems that criss-cross much of the U.S. Corn Belt are about to get a major overhaul to improve both farm efficiency and the environment."
  
  
• Governors form oceans council to manage environment
  (Boston Globe, 9/1) "The New England states agreed this week to create a regional oceans council to better manage the environment."
  
  
• EPA updates watershed relief efforts
  (EPA, 8/31) "Questions about managing pollution runoff and controlling invasive species in the nation's waterways are addressed in a new EPA handbook released at the White House Conference on Cooperative Conservation."
  
  
• Wetlands erosion raises hurricane risks
  (MSNBC, 8/31) "The very technology that protects New Orleans from flooding has backfired, environmental experts say."
  
  
• India moves on river plan, critics warn of disaster
  (ENN, 8/29) "Two key states have agreed to start the first stage of a $200 billion plan to link India's rivers, a scheme critics condemn as a recipe for ecological disaster and violence from those it will force from their homes."
  

—  Wastewater

• Ha Noi's first treatment stations inaugurated
  (Vietnam News Agency, 8/30) "Two wastewater treatment stations, the first of its kind in the capital city built under a water drainage project using the Japanese government's loans, were inaugurated today."
  

—  Toxic Waste/Pollution

• CMU researchers detoxify toxins
  (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, 8/30) "Carnegie Mellon University chemists say they have discovered a safe and environmentally friendly way to destroy toxic man-made pollutants released by the dye and pesticide industries."
  
  
• EPA offers protection to spur cleanups
  (Morning Call, 8/30) "Environmental groups that volunteer to help government and businesses clean up waste from mine drainage in the West won't be held liable if there are future disputes over the pollution, the Environmental Protection Agency said Tuesday."
  

—  Meetings

• Wastewater association plans fall expo
  (Water Tech Online, 8/27) OCT. 10-13: "The National Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association (NOWRA) will be holding its annual conference Oct. 10 to 13, and is currently offering a promotional rate for the event."
  

—  Everything Else

• Global warming may have triggered worst mass extinction
  (Mongabay, 8/29) "A dramatic rise in carbon dioxide 250 million years ago may have caused global temperatures to soar and result in Earth's greatest mass extinction, according to a study published in the September issue of Geology."
  
  
• Customer Acceptance of Water Main Structural Reliability
  (AWWA, 8/31) "This book reports on an evaluation approach for utilities to use to assess customer perceptions, attitudes, and expectations for water system reliability; their tolerance to service disruptions and construction impacts; and their willingness to pay for expected levels of service."
  

Illinois

—  Water Supply

• State agency giving free water tests in Hampshire
  (Elgin Courier News, 9/2) "Is your drinking water safe? Water testing is free right now through a state study. As housing developments start changing Hampshire, one thing should never change: the quality of your drinking water. Most of rural Hampshire draws its water from the shallow Bloomington Aquifer."
  
  

• Lake Forest ends water ban
  (Lake Forester News, 9/1) "Water plant employees in Lake Forest have a long-awaited job today: Removing the 12 yellow 'Severe Drought Alert' signs that have dotted the city for the last two months, warning residents against watering during peak hours."
  

• Homer Glen urging residents to complain about water service
  (Chicago Daily Southtown, 9/1) "Homer Glen officials want to make sure that residents' complaints of skyrocketing water bills get to the village's water utility."
  

• Pedersen zeroes in on Northlake water board
  (Northlake Herald Journal, 8/31) "Barrett Pedersen, a Franklin Park attorney who also is the Democratic committeeman of Leyden Township, is planning to run in 2006 for one of three six-year commissioner positions of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District."
  
  
• Skepticism about plans to bring Wauconda water to township
  (Waukegan News Sun, 8/30) "There is still some skepticism in Wauconda Township on the plan to bring village water to township residents. While Wauconda and health officials explained the plan last week to about 250 people at a special meeting in the Wauconda High School cafeteria, some residents objected to the idea."
  
  
• Another grant awarded for Long Point Water District
  (Pontiac Daily Leader, 8/29) "The village of Long Point received a $395,430 state grant to extend water lines this week, part of a project to run a water line from Woodland school to Dana and deliver more, and safer, water to residents and business in that rural corner of Livingston County."
  
  
• Tough to forecast if drought will drag on
  (Bloomington Pantagraph, 8/27) "Rainfall has rebounded in August, but forecasters are hard pressed to know if autumn will bring an end to the drought of 2005."
  

—  Water Resources

• Danville storm sewers not for waste, group paints
  (Champaign News Gazette, 8/29) "During walks through her neighborhood, Brenda Dwiggens occasionally noticed grass clippings, motor oil, even pet waste, that people had dumped down the storm sewer drains."
  
  
• Drought a bonanza for state wetlands
  (Bellville News Democrat, 8/29) "A lingering drought that stymied Illinois' grain crop has helped wetlands thrive along the Illinois River and that could mean bigger flocks of waterfowl during hunting season, officials said."
  
  
• 47th District communities receive CDAP grants
  (Monmouth Daily Review Atlas, 8/29) "State Senator John Sullivan (D-Rushville) has announced that several communities throughout the 47th District that applied for Community Development Assistance Program grants will receive over $1.5 million in economic assistance to fund new sanitation and water drainage improvement projects."
  

—  Wastewater

• Kane panel recommends sewer easement in preserve
  (Elgin Courier News, 8/29) "Kane County Forest Preserve officials have recommended giving Fox Metro Water Reclamation District an easement through the Hannaford Woods preserve in Sugar Grove."
  

—  Toxic Waste

• Madigan accuses Illinois EPA of ignoring pollution violations
  (Bellville News Democrat, 8/29) "The state attorney general is accusing Illinois environmental regulators of ignoring repeated pollution violations by coal-burning power plants."
  

—  Everything Else

• United Water seeks budget solution
  (Freeport Journal Standard, 8/29) "Four United Water officials arrived in Freeport from New Jersey, Wisconsin and Oklahoma to take a hard look at Freeport's Water and Sewer Department in an effort to find a solution to the sanitary sewer's growing deficit."
  
  
• Orland Township: Exorbitant water bills here to stay
  (Chicago Star, 8/28) "The eye-popping water bills some Illinois American Water customers got this month are the norm now, their private water supplier said Thursday."
  

Indiana

—  Water Supply

• Georgetown gathers information for a water line grant
  (New Albany Tribune, 8/31) "With less than a week to go, Georgetown Town Manager Ken Griffin is working at a furious pace to collect information needed to get a $500,000 grant from the state to replace 50-year-old water lines in the downtown area."
  
  
• Water main break causes low pressure in New Albany
  (New Albany Tribune, 8/31) "A break in a 12-inch water main pipe caused low pressure throughout downtown New Albany yesterday morning."
  
  
• Judge weighs arguments in Lawrence water case
  (Indianapolis Star, 8/27) "Lawrence officials told a Marion County judge Friday that he should invalidate a contract with a private water company run by political associates of the city's former mayor because the pact was signed illegally."
   

—  Water Resources

• Public ideas sought for use of Limberlost watershed grant
  (Decatur Daily Democrat, 9/1) "The grant will be used to develop a watershed management plan for three streams — Limberlost Creek, Bear Creek, and Loblolly Creek — in northern Jay and southern Adams and Wells Counties."
  
  
• Watershed pollution meetings planned
  (Muncie Star Press, 8/27) "The White River Watershed Project, a voluntary pollution-reduction program overseen by the Delaware County Soil and Water Conservation District, is inviting residents and property owners in three watersheds to learn about the project and how to get involved."
  
  
• Warsaw Drainage Board raises taxes on two drains
  (Warsaw Times Union, 8/27) "Taxes were raised on two drains Thursday during the county drainage board meeting. The Joshua Garber drain has a watershed of 412 acres and is northeast of James Lake."
  

—  Wastewater

• Crown Point might tie into Merrillville sewer service
  (Munster Times, 9/1) "The city gave an early nod Wednesday to a request to have the Merrillville Conservancy District provide sanitary sewer services to a new Crown Point subdivision."
  
  
• Unincorporated Clark County areas could receive sewer service
  (New Albany Tribune, 8/30) "In a month, Clark County and a local company could approve a pact that will allow the county to provide sewer service to its unincorporated areas."
  
  
• Sewage upgrades result in Muncie utility increase
  (Ball State Daily News, 8/30) "Some Ball State University students who live off campus will end up paying a little more on sewage utilities if Muncie follows through with a $17.1 million upgrade to its Water Pollution Control Facility, city officials said."
  
  
• VX wastewater plan meets growing resistance
  (Indianapolis Star, 8/29) "Sara Morgan and Jane Nogaki live about 800 miles apart, but share one goal. They want to derail a U.S. Army plan to truck millions of gallons of toxic wastewater, created during destruction of the deadly nerve agent VX, from Indiana to New Jersey."
  

Michigan

—  Water Supply

• Lapeer School District digs deep for cleaner water
  (Flint Journal, 8/30) "The Lapeer School District is reducing the amount of arsenic in its schools' drinking water by digging deeper to solve the problem."
  
  
• Pittsfield bans outdoor watering
  (Ann Arbor News, 8/28) "A broken pump means that Pittsfield Township residents who use municipal water may not irrigate their lawns or wash their cars until further notice under an outdoor watering ban issued this weekend."
  

—  Water Resources

• Shelby car wash is blamed for slick
  (Detroit News, 9/2) "A do-it-yourself car wash has been blamed for oil pollution on the Kingsbury Drain, a waterway that empties into the middle branch of the Clinton River."
  
  
• Mott Lake woes continue
  (Flint Journal, 9/1) "Summer is going out with a fizzle at Mott Lake's Bluebell Beach, which has been closed three weeks in a row because of dangerously high bacteria levels."
  
  
• Michigan to clean up the Galien River
  (Detroit News, 8/31) "The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality has started attacking the myriad of problems facing the Galien River, including bacterial contamination, agricultural pollution and the debris that is choking stretches of the 25-mile waterway."
  
  
• DEQ attacks Galien River watershed pollution woes
  (South Bend Tribune, 8/30) "The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality has started attacking the many problems facing the Galien River, including bacterial contamination, agricultural pollution and the debris that is choking stretches of the 25-mile waterway."
  
  
• Lake Nepessing clear after sewage spill
  (Flint Journal, 8/30) "Weekend water tests showed no elevated E. coli levels in Lake Nepessing after a broken sewage line spilled up to 3,900 gallons of partially treated sewage into the lake Friday."
  
  
• Public hearing will focus on Shiawassee River issues
  (Detroit Free Press, 8/29) "How best to protect the water quality in the Shiawassee River watershed will be the main focus of a public hearing Wednesday night at Howell Township Hall."
  
  
• Clinton River cleanup clears the way
  (Detroit News, 8/27) "The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers soon will dig out the first bucket of slimy sludge from the Clinton River, and that's welcome news for Capt. Paul Gallas, whose cruise ship has been suffering from pain in the propeller because of low spots in the waterway."
   

—  Wastewater

• Milan sewer deal would share development taxes
  (Ann Arbor News, 8/30) "Milan would supply the water and sewer service for a 300-home development just outside its borders in Milan and London townships under a proposal under discussion by the municipalities."
  
  
• Sewer makes good neighbors for Handy, Fowlerville
  (Detroit News, 8/30) "Instead of a turf battle over annexation, Fowlerville and Handy Township are collaborating on a joint sanitary sewer project that will allow the village to finance a new wastewater treatment plant and the township to bring sewer systems to a pair of large housing developments."
  
  
• Canadian sewage spilled in St. Marys
  (Sault Ste. Marie Evening News, 8/29) "A substantial sewage overflow from Canada has put the north end of Sugar Island directly in the crosshairs, according to local officials."
  
  
• Sewer work closes Port Huron street
  (Port Huron Times Herald, 8/29) "Brandywine Lane in Port Huron between Pine Grove Avenue and Riverside Drive will be closed starting today through the end of October for ongoing sewer-separation work."
  

—  Everything Else

• MIOSHA fines city $6,200 over trench cave-in
  (Bay City Times, 8/27) "The state of Michigan has fined Bay City $6,200 for violations in connection with a July 6 cave-in of a trench that was being dug for repair of a sewer."
  

Minnesota

—  Water Resources

• Proctor storm sewer construction public improvement project
  (Proctor Journal, 9/1) "Notice is hereby given that the City Council of the City of Proctor, Minnesota will meet on Tuesday, September 6, 2005, 5:30 p.m., in the Proctor Area Community Center, 100 Pionk Drive, Proctor, to consider the construction of the Thirteenth Street project. General nature of the Improvement: Road construction (subsurface, new storm sewer, curb, gutter)."
  
  
• Centex Homes to pay penalty for runoff
  (St. Paul Pioneer Press, 8/30) "Centex Homes, one of the largest home builders in the United States, has agreed to pay a $40,000 penalty for stormwater and sediment runoff that damaged Seidl's Lake in Inver Grove Heights in 2002."
  
  
• Ramsey man almost single-handedly creates Veterans Lake
  (Coon Rapids Hometown Source, 8/30) "Minnesota and its undoubtedly more than 100,000 veterans will be adding another lake to the state’s more than 10,000 majestic bodies of water because of 28 years of commitment and work on the part of one non-veteran."
  
  
• ConAgra to pay for water violations
  (St. Paul Pioneer Press, 8/30) "ConAgra Foods is expected to plead guilty this week to violating the federal Clean Water Act for not reporting warm water discharges from its Hastings flour mill near the Vermillion River, a trophy trout stream."
  
  
• Lamprey population jumps in Lake Superior
  (Detroit News, 8/27) "Lake Superior's population of bloodsucking, fish-killing sea lamprey is exploding, and scientists are trying to determine if it's a temporary spike or a permanent problem."
  

—  Wastewater

• Sewer services expand in Albert Lea
  (Austin Daily Herald, 9/1) "Congressman Gil Gutknecht joined officials from Rural Development in the U.S. Department of Agriculture Friday to present a $300,000 check to Freeborn-Mower Cooperative Services in Albert Lea."
  
  
• St. Paul wastewater dispute headed to Minnesota Supreme Court
  (Duluth News Tribune, 8/28) "A case that has put a large number of community and industrial development projects on hold is headed for the Minnesota Supreme Court."
  

—  Solid/Toxic Waste

• EPA cites Minneapolis shop for hazardous waste violations
  (U.S. Newswire, 8/31) "EPA Region 5 has filed an administrative complaint and compliance order against Minnesota Metal Finishing Inc. of Minneapolis for violations of the state of Minnesota's hazardous waste regulations. A $300,000 penalty is proposed."
  
  
• Cleaning meth's toxic trail
  (Minneapolis Star Tribune, 8/30) "Methamphetamine, Minnesota's biggest drug problem, can reach out and harm you, even if you never had anything to do with the illegal drug. That is because making meth leaves behind a toxic trail."
  

—  Everything Else

• Anoka County airport expansion: All systems go!
  (Anoka County Union, 9/2) "The improvements planned at the airport include: Construction of a new northwest building area of new hangars and commercial space, including site grading, sanitary sewer, watermain, access road, associated storm sewer and storm water ponds and wetland mitigation."
  

Ohio

—  Water Supply

• Streets closed in Columbus after water main breaks
  (NBC Columbus, 8/27) "Before the remnants of Hurricane Katrina reached Central Ohio, one intersection was already under water Tuesday morning, NBC 4's Kyle Anderson reported."
  

—  Water Resources

• Ohio River at 'unhealthful' bacteria level
  (WCPO Cincinnati, 9/1) "Bacterial contamination in the Ohio River is at an 'unhealthful' level right now, according to the Cincinnati Board of Health."
  
  
• Miami agency to receive $1 million grant to help water quality
  (Dayton Business Journal, 9/1) "The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service granted $1 million to The Miami Conservancy District to help restore water quality, the local organization announced late Thursday."
  
  
• Low river levels to lessen storm's effect in Ohio
  (Cleveland Plain Dealer, 8/31) "Across Ohio, communities in the path of what's left of Hurricane Katrina kept an eye on creeks and rivers Tuesday, although few expected problems."
  
  
• Knox County discusses stormwater management plan
  (Mount Vernon Times, 8/30) "The Knox County Board of Commissioners was given copies for review of the proposed Comprehensive Storm Water Management Plan for Major Subdivisions on Monday."
  
  
• Portage Lakes residents are part of 18-county watershed tax plan
  (Akron Beacon Journal, 8/27) "Landowners in 18 Ohio counties — including most of the Portage Lakes area in Summit County — would face a $12 annual charge as part of the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District's plan to raise $270 million by assessing landowners."
  

—  Wastewater

• Fostoria looking for new wastewater plant superintendent
  (Tiffin Advertiser, 9/2) "The city will be looking for a new superintendent for the wastewater treatment plant. Mike Ritter, a 17-year city employee, is leaving his post as head of the sewer plant effective Sept. 9."
  
  
• Massillon wastewater plant working to clear air
  (Massillon Independent, 8/27) "'The smell' has plagued the southwestern sector of town near Ohio 21 since December 1995, when two huge digesters blew their 46-ton lids."
  
  
• Elmira, Burlington: Sewer system plans progress
  (Toledo Blade, 8/27) "With funding promised for the sanitary-sewer system for Elmira and Burlington, the project has moved into the design phase."
  

—  Toxic Waste

• Cincinnati Railcar chemical leak causes evacuations
  (Science Daily, 8/30) "Thousands remained out of their homes Tuesday as officials tried to find out why a tanker car of chemicals sat for months in a Cincinnati rail yard."
  
  
• No permanent damage to environment expected
  (Cincinnati Enquirer, 8/30) "The environmental impact of the styrene leak on Cincinnati's East End should be limited, as long as the rail car does not rupture or explode."
  
  
• Environmental investigation begins at ARMCO site
  (EPA, 8/30) "U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 announced that an environmental investigation, which is the first stage of a cleanup project, has begun at the Hamilton ARMCO site, 401 Augsberger Road, New Miami, Ohio."
   

—  Everything Else

• Outbreak of crypto being investigated
  (Cincinnati Post, 9/1) "Health departments in Southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky are investigating an outbreak of about 200 confirmed and probable cases of cryptosporidiosis."
  

Wisconsin

—  Water Supply

• Should Waukesha be allowed to hook up to Lake Michigan water?
  (Waukesha Freeman, 8/27) "Waukesha will probably know in the next few months whether it will be allowed to connect to Lake Michigan for its drinking water."
  

—  Water Resources

• Little Plover River: Residents discuss ways to increase flow
  (Stevens Point Journal, 9/1) "Bob Konopacky remembers the days when he could plunk his children into an inner tube at the Springville dam and they would shoot down the cascading water of the stream running through his property."
  
  
• Two sides fight over Fox River cleanup
  (Appleton Post Crescent, 8/27) "Insurance companies tried to coax legislators Tuesday into killing a proposal that could force the industry to pay hundreds of millions of dollars to papermakers for cleaning the Fox River."
  
  
• Despite low Lake Mendota levels, algae problem persists
  (Madison Daily Cardinal, 8/31) "Biological pollution problems in Lake Mendota and Monona can be difficult to avoid with a bustling city nearby, but one potential health hazard to lake-goers, blue-green algae, has not been a significant problem this summer."
  
  
• It's time for La Crosse to make good on marshland deal
  (La Crosse Tribune, 8/31) "Eight years ago, the city signed an agreement to eventually turn over 500 acres of marshland to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources."
  
  
• Ashwaubenon residents offer views on future of Great Lakes
  (Green Bay Press Gazette, 8/30) "It’s the grapefruit tree that really bothers Curt Andersen. That’s why Andersen came to a meeting Monday night about the Great Lakes. Like many others in the crowd of 60 people, Andersen wants policies to protect lake water from being siphoned off by other states."
  
  
• New Watersheds Selected for CSP Program
  (Wisconsin Ag Connection, 8/29) "Two Wisconsin watersheds have been selected for the 2006 Conservation Security Program. The selected watersheds are the Grant/Maquoketa in southwest Wisconsin, and the Lake DuBay in north Central Wisconsin."
  
  
• Rush Lake work begins
  (Oshkosh Northwestern, 8/29) "After years of planning and meetings, work to refurbish Rush Lake is slated to begin this week. The 3,000-acre deep water marsh located west of Oshkosh will get a new look, which is expected to bring back migratory birds and aquatic vegetation, said Tim Lizotte, wildlife biologist for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources in Oshkosh."
  
  
• A virtual visit to the Racine sewer plant
  (Racine Journal, 8/28) "The $85 million expansion to the wastewater treatment facility finished up this year. Staff opened the plant up to the public on Saturday, Aug. 27 for tours throughout the day."
  

—  Wastewater

• Marshfield wastewater plant earns runner-up award from EPA
  (Marshfield News Herald, 9/1) "Wastewater officials often say their work goes unnoticed. Flush the toilet - out of sight, out of mind. Ron Dickrell, Marshfield's wastewater utility superintendent, pointed out Wednesday that without the often-forgot convenience, society would be headed back to the days of the outhouse."
  

—  Everything Else

• Statewide conservation agenda
  (Dunn County News, 9/1) "The budget crisis has raised havoc to a host of important programs here in Wisconsin and has threatened numerous important conservation issues. Environmental issues that, when lost, are gone forever."