No Water Contamination Observed After Oil Spill On Long Island

A tanker truck explosion in Rockville Center last week led to concerns of water contamination in the Mill River on Long Island. But New York State Department of Environmental Conservation officials “said drone footage showed no ‘visible impact’ of gasoline on the Mill River or waters downstream from the containment area,” according to WSHU Public Radio.

After the explosion, the Spill Response Unit protected the Mill River by laying down absorbent material to catch the gasoline before it reached the water. State officials will continue to clean up and restore the area.

Lawmakers in Wisconsin Advance Bill to Avoid Water Pollution

In a rare bipartisan move, the  Wisconsin Legislature’s budget committee voted unanimously to advance two bills to protect water quality in the state. Madison.com reports that the companion bills “would provide up to $1.4 million per year to help farmers keep fertilizer on their fields and out of lakes, rivers and groundwater, and fund a new position within the University of Wisconsin System to monitor groundwater quality.”

The main target of the bills is nitrate, which is the most common groundwater contaminant in the state’s water supply. Approximately 1.7 million Wisconsin citizens get their drinking water from private wells, and “at least one in 10 Wisconsin wells has high levels of nitrate” according to the state Department of Health Services.

City of Gulf Breeze Explores Options for In-Kind Penalty Project After Water Contamination Incident

After a mistake led to cross-contamination of a neighborhood water supply, the city of Gulf Breeze, Florida is looking into funding options for an in-kind project instead of paying a $1 million penalty. The Gulf Breeze Regional Water System Board’s “favored projects include a lift station in the Bergren Road area and a septic-to-sewer conversion project in the Woodlawn Beach area,” according to the Pensacola News Journal.

The value of the project must equal 1.5 times the value of the penalty, which would total $1.5 million. The proposed projects are estimated to cost around $750,000 and $795,000 which would fulfill the requirement.

Boil Water Advisory Issued for Parts of Louisiana, Michigan, & Kentucky

Several areas of New Orleans, Louisiana were put under a boil water advisory this week. The entire lakefront area of Gentilly as well as a couple other neighborhoods were affected when water pressure fell due to repair work on a large water main. The advisory will remain in effect for at least 24 hours, but other areas of the city do not need to boil their water.

A boil water advisory was issued for a neighborhood in Kalamazoo, Michigan during infrastructure repairs to the water system. The repair work could cause a drop in water pressure which could lead to contamination of the water supply.

A water main break in Henderson, Kentucky led to a water outage while crews worked to repair the issue. Once the work is completed and water is restored, the affected areas will be under a boil water advisory until testing can be done to ensure the water is free from contamination.