Underground Infrastructure - March 2023 - 11

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rain, while three other spills sent more than
50,000 gallons into three areas of the county
and closed beaches around a state marine
conservation area, authorities said.
More than six miles of shoreline were closed
or posted with warning signs after the spill sent
untreated wastewater fl owing out of manholes
and into storm drains downtown and in the
Midway area instead of going to a treatment
plant, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported.
A sensor malfunction caused pumps to
shut down for about a half-hour, backing up
wastewater which then spilled in areas leading
to the bay, city spokesperson Arian Collins said.
Beach closures remained in eff ect until tests
for bacterial levels showed the water is safe,
offi cials said.
Flint, Plaintiff s Agree
on New Date to Replace
Lead Water Lines
After again missing the court-approved date for
the replacement of lead water lines last fall, the
city of Flint, Mich., and a group of plaintiff s who
sued the city have agreed to set a new timetable.
An updated agreement submitted to a
federal court in Ann Arbor now calls for the
city to fi nish excavations and replacements at
31,758 eligible residences by Aug.1, according
to an ENR Midwest report.
Homes that have previously undergone
replacements and those that are fi nished by
March 1 must have all restoration work done by
June 30. Restoration must be completed within
four months following excavations for houses
where replacements were made after March 2.
The plaintiff s, which also include the
organizations Concerned Pastors for Social
Action, American Civil Liberties Union of
Michigan, and Natural Resources Defense
Council, as well as Melissa Mays, a Flint resident
and operations manager for community
advocacy group Flint Rising, are also entitled to
weekly progress reports from the city.
Mays has accused the city of unnecessarily
Bore_Spacer-Ad_UC_2020.pdf 1 2/24/2020 10:40:27 AM
delaying construction while Flint Rising has
been working to educate homeowners about
their right to new water service lines and
property restoration.
Vermont's Wastewater
Infrastructure Deemed
" Mediocre " by Engineering Group
The Vermont section of the American
Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has graded
Vermont a " C " overall for the quality of
its infrastructure, a grade that equates to
" mediocre, " according to the group.
The New England State fared worse in
some of the nine categories on which
ASCE regularly grades. Wastewater received
the lowest grade in the report card with a D+,
which the organization defi nes as " Poor. "
Only half of Vermont's population is
served by public wastewater systems, while
the rest depend on septic systems that
can cause public health hazards and water
pollution if they fail. In 2021, Vermont spent
just $12 million on wastewater infrastructure,
compared to $29 million in 2018, ASCE said.
The Society also noted that many of Vermont's
wastewater systems are more than century
old and in need repairs. Old infrastructure and
operations led to 144 combined sewer overfl ows
from 2020 through 2022, it said. UI
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UndergroundInfrastructure.com | MARCH 2023 11
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Underground Infrastructure - March 2023

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