Ran across this searchable database detailing enforcement actions taken by federal or state authorities against municipal sewer authorities and sewage treatment plants between January 2003 and February 2008 by state and county. Not sure how accurate the data is but

Quote:

Most of the data was compiled by the Environmental Protection Agency. Additional data was obtained from state and local officials or from official documents related to an enforcement action.

. If nothing else it is a quick way to learn about the treatment facilities and capacities in your area. I thought at the monthly meeting a couple times back the fella that came to discuss water quality said Fayette regularly discharges raw sewage when we get rain above an inch or so.. maybe I misunderstood. If they did or do this there's no record of any enforcement action that I could find.

Russell,
It was Ken Cooke that spoke to us that night about water quality and sewage. I think what Ken meant that night was that when a heavy rain hits Lexington the storm sewers are overwhelmed, that overflow water then gets into the sanitary sewers. When an area floods, there is nothing to keep the floodwater from entering the sanitary sewers via the manhole covers. At least that was my understanding of what was happening.

Allen

Allen, Lexington does not have a combined sanitary and storm sewer system. The problem is that many homes and businesses illegally connect downspouts, sumps and basement drains to the sanitary instead of stormwater drainage. When you get a big rain, the extra inflow overwelms the secondary biological treatment portion, which is designed and sensitive to the amount of inflow material, so the excess is diverted around that phase of the treatment and mixed with the maximum outflow from the secondary treatment. It all then goes through the third step, which in Lexington does include disinfecting. So it goes through the filters to remove all the chunkies, garbage and sediment, all that is possible though the biological filters, then all of it through the thrid stage sedimentation and disinfection.

At least in Lexington, they don't release "raw" sewage, but they do release partially treated sewage during high water events. If they aren't being violated, they are maintaining TDML at the discharge end during high water events. Some of the older plants like the old one in Wartburg didn't have a three stage treatment and did release raw sewage into the river.

I'm more concerned about the crap washing in from the roads, farms, yards etc during high water, which isn't treated at all.

Larry (see, the Army did teach me something besides how to blow shit up )