Scoop on the Poop, KCMO

JEFFERSON CITY, MO, APRIL 20, 2010 – At 4:45 p.m. today, the city of Kansas City reported a broken sewer pipe at 5220 N. Troost resulting in an estimated overflow of 5 to 10 gallons per minute of untreated wastewater. The overflow is entering a tributary to Rock Creek. The city is taking samples and estimates the problem will be fixed by Wednesday morning.
Clean water regulations require the city to submit a report detailing the release to the department within five days. The department will base future enforcement action on the city’s report.
The department considers discharges of wastewater from sanitary sewer collection systems to be potential threats to public health and the environment. Such discharges can contaminate lakes and streams, causing serious water quality problems.
Sanitary sewer overflows can be caused by obstructions in sewer lines, such as in this case, mechanical failure, infiltration of rainwater and snow melt into aging systems or undersized systems that cannot compensation for sudden increases in wastewater.
Communities across Missouri produce millions of gallons of wastewater that must be properly transported and treated before being released to waterways. However, some communities are facing challenges in accomplishing this.
In order to protect public health and the environment, the department requires communities to take appropriate action to eliminate their sanitary sewer overflow issues. To do this, communities should develop a system to track information about such incidents, including the date, time, location and size of the overflow, weather data, who notified them, when they notified the department and the measures taken to respond. The community can then use this data to aid in developing a plan to inspect the collection system, and plan and finance system upgrades.
For more information on sanitary sewer overflows or other water quality issues, contact the Department of Natural Resources’ Water Protection Program at 573-751-1300 or 800-361-4827 or visit the department Web site at www.dnr.mo.gov/env/wpp.
To report an environmental emergency, including sewage overflows, please contact the DNR spill line at 573-634-2436. For more information contact the department at 800-361-4827 or 573-751-3443, or visit the department's Web page at dnr.mo.gov

Oink!

JEFFERSON CITY, MO., APRIL 16, 2010 – A leaky line in a wastewater application system at a Platte County hog operation resulted in the runoff of potentially hundreds of thousands of gallons of wastewater, according to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.
The department was notified Wednesday by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regional office in Kansas City, Kan., of a call it had received concerning the land application of wastewater at A&A Farms, a hog production facility in Platte County, and possible runoff of wastewater into an unnamed tributary of Dick’s Creek.
An investigation by a staff member from the department’s Kansas City Regional Office discovered one of the supply lines to the farm’s application system was leaky, allowing the waste to enter the creek.
The wastewater application process began Monday and continued through the time the leak was discovered on Wednesday. The exact amount wastewater entering the creek is unknown. Based on the volume of wastewater in observed in the creek, the total is estimated to have been in the hundreds of thousands of gallons.
The department considers discharges of wastewater into waterways to be possible threats to public health and the environment. Such discharges have the potential to contaminate lakes and streams, causing serious water quality problems.
For more information on wastewater overflows or other water quality issues, contact the Department of Natural Resources’ Water Protection Program at 573-751-1300 or 800-361-4827 or visit the department’s Web site at dnr.mo.gov/env/wpp.
To report an environmental emergency, including wastewater overflows, please contact the DNR spill line at 573-634-2436. For more information contact the department at 800-361-4827 or 573-751-3443, or visit the department's Web page at dnr.mo.gov.

BSA Community Service Event-WL

Commemorating the 100th anniversary of Scouting, hundreds of Scouts, parents, grandparents and other volunteers congregated at Christhaven Park before working on various projects in the community. Major upgrades on the Brandon McPherson Trail were made, the Sand Volleyball court received a face lift and all of the fire hydrants in the city were painted (sorry Cubbies no pics, I was busy at the Cristhaven site...but your work is apparent to all as we drive). The event went off like clockwork, kudos to the planning committee, funding by the WL Park Board, support by the City and all those who participated.

Water, Water Everywhere

The Official Unofficial Minutes of the WL BOA13 April
The City received from Platte County a storm water grant ($12,000) which requires matching dollars for a project at Potomac and Wayland Drive. Quite few folks mentioned to me drainage issues around the City after the last big storm. Another problem area is from the soccer field by the CC and the residents south on Potomac. Big time problems in back yards. Apparently at least one resident elevated the problem. To quote Mary in her notes, "Weatherby Lake does not have a storm water system for removal of water..." Hmm, not sure what she is talking about, matter of fact there was a pretty aggressive program to address storm water issues in the not so distant past.
The other West Ward alderman, Vic DeJong, proudly stated in his campaign letter a month ago, "Redirected, with support of the Mayor and Board of Alderman, nearly half a million dollars in bond money from water run off projects to resurfacing streets." (I added the red for artistic reasons). As Vic stated, it was one of the "major accomplishments" in which he "played a major role". By the way, this "redirection" has left no money available for a project to remedy the problem she cites for the homeowners along Potomac.

NIckle and Dime

The Official Unofficial Minutes of the WL BOA
13 April

• Alderlady Hoy nominates Vic DeJong as Mayor Pro Tem, seconded by Finn, Vic DeJong is the Mayor Pro Tem for the next legislative year.
• Mayor negotiates with KCMO on Barry Road Improvements

And so it begins. The BOA authorized the Mayor to negotiate with KCMO to pay an additional $6,600 for texturing of the wall on the new Barry Road. You might recall we (read Mayor Jerry) negotiated a much ballyhooed cooperative agreement with KCMO, part of which was supposed to cover texturing of the wall (#3 section2), the idea being we would split the cost with KCMO. We (WL) agreed to pay $7,500 in the original agreement. So what happened? Well, things were said, promises were made, people moved on, but, in the end, there were no written notes or memos of understanding. Did the agreement mean wall or walls...? The pros at KCMO took us to school on this one, and the real road construction has just begun. Look for more "incidentals" to pop up. Just remember the Funk (Funkhouser) wants to be a good neighbor.

A loyal reader supplied the citation mentioned in my last post regarding RSMo 105.467, for your reading pleasure:

Discharge and discrimination prohibited, reasons--reinstatement.

105.467. 1. A governmental body, state agency or appointing authority shall not discharge, threaten, or otherwise discriminate against a person or state employee acting on behalf of a person regarding compensation, terms, conditions, location, or privileges of employment because:

(1) The person or state employee acting on behalf of the person reports or is about to report, verbally or in writing, a violation or a suspected violation of sections 105.450 to 105.498; or

(2) A person or state employee acting on behalf of the person is requested by the commission to participate in an investigation, hearing, or inquiry held by the commission or any related court action.

This subsection shall not apply to a person or state employee acting on behalf of a person who knowingly or recklessly makes a false report.

2. A person or state employee acting on behalf of a person who alleges a violation of subsection 1 of this section may bring a civil action for appropriate injunctive relief, or actual damages, or both.

3. A court, in rendering a judgment in an action brought pursuant to this section, shall order, as the court considers appropriate, reinstatement of the person or state employee acting on behalf of the person, the payment of back wages, full reinstatement of fringe benefits and seniority rights, actual damages, or any combination of these remedies. A court may also award such person all or a portion of the costs of litigation, including reasonable attorney's fees and witness fees, if the court determines that the award is appropriate.