The Stream, April 30: Superstorm Sandy Dumped 11 Billion Gallons of Sewage

Superstorm Sandy dumped 11 billion gallons of sewage from East Coast treatment plants into Washington, D.C. waterways, a science journalism group reported.  One- third of the sewage was not treated, Wall Street Journal reported. Sewage leaks are becoming a major threat due to higher sea levels that may lead to coastal flooding.

Fukushima Power Plant Crisis
For two years the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has been struggling to recover from the 2011 disaster. One of the stabilizing methods is to pour groundwater at a rate of 75 gallons a minute to cool the plants damaged parts. The problem comes when trying to contain this contaminated water. Tepco is facing severe criticism that it has mishandled the tainted water, The New York Times reported. A regulation agency was added after several leaks were discovered, but experts say, “Tepco is clearly just hanging on day by day.”

Deal with Dallas
A deal with Dallas Water Utilities is easing pressure on Texas water restrictions that were heading to Stage 4, Dallas Morning News reported. North Texas will be pumping up to 60 million gallons a day from Dallas’ major lakes. This will not cause inconvenience to Dallas residents. Construction to extend pipelines is now a crucial job and conservation will still be important especially over the summer.

Crestwood’s tainted well 
Former Crestwood water official Theresa Neubauer was found guilty on all 11 counts in the case of contaminated well water. Over a twenty-year scheme, Crestwood officials drew water from their contaminated well and saved $380,000 a year. The crime was uncovered in 2009, the Chicago Tribune reported.

The Stream is a daily digest spotting global water trends. To get more water news, followCircle of Blue on Twitter and sign up for our newsletter.