MWRA

Hazmat situation at Deer Island sewage plant

By adamg - 8/28/11 - 7:45 pm

The Boston Fire Department reports it sent hazmat crews to the MWRA's Deer Island treatment plant tonight when up to 200 gallons of toxic sulfuric acid spilled around 7:45 p.m.

BFD says the acid "overflowed from a holding tank to a containment area made for overflows" outdoors. The acid, used to help break down sewage, caused no injuries and posed no threats to the public, the department says.

BFD declared the situation under control around 9 p.m.; some fire crews remained on scene to monitor the cleanup by a company called Haz Mat Techs.

Did the MWRA blow out water mains all over Belmont?

By adamg - 8/20/11 - 6:22 pm

Call it Mini-Aquapocalypse: Many Belmont residents were without water today due to multiple water-main breaks across town.

Belmont resident Rob Sama reports on a conversation with a guy working on the main down the street from his house this afternoon:

Apparently the MWRA has a water pressure spike of 20%!!! This spike has caused blow outs all over the place. He thought there were like three or four on my street alone. I asked him how many people were without water, and he said he worked for a private contractor and wasn’t sure. But he had no idea as to when they’d be done with repairs. He said they were literally fabricating parts for the water mains as they went, because these pipes were so old nobody made parts for them any more. Sounded like a real cluster fuck.

Shades of the Big Dig: Report blames aquapocalypse on crappy bolts, bad glue job

By adamg - 5/25/11 - 9:54 am

Failed boltFailed boltA panel of experts assembled by the MWRA blames last spring's catastrophic collapse of the main aqueduct feeding Boston on poorly constructed studs holding together a connection between two parts of the giant water pipe.

The failure of the aquaduct in Weston left much of the Boston area without potable water for several days.

In a report released today, the panel said cracked studs, inadequately protected from corrosion and subjected to greater than designed pressure gave way, lead to a sudden rupture of the coupling. It didn't help, the report adds, that rubber O-rings in the coupling were apparently glued in place with the equivalent of Super Glue, rather than using a factory vulcanization process.

While the stud material hardness was consistent with those specified for the coupling they exhibited characteristics that suggest poor fabrication. Cracks were present on essentially all of the thread "crowns." Additionally, cracks were present at many of the thread "roots." Upon further examination it was determined that the root cracks were located within 9 threads of the fracture surfaces. This location is consistent with the location of the highest stud load.

MWRA to sue over Aquapocalypse

By adamg - 5/2/11 - 7:48 am

The Globe reports the MWRA is preparing a lawsuit against the companies responsible for the failed coupling that left us all boiling water and scrambling for loose Aquafina bottles at the supermarket.

Aquapocalypse Jr.: MWRA investigates bubbling in Weston

By adamg - 8/26/10 - 1:10 pm

The Globe reports water's bubbling up near where water erupted into a full-blown torrent this past spring.

We do not have the best tasting tap water in America

By adamg - 6/23/10 - 10:37 am

Stevens Point, WI has the tastiest water in the country, according to a taste test by municipal water professionals (and some random reporter) at the annual American Water Works Association meeting in Chicago. MWRA water wasn't even in the top three (was the sample from Aquapocalypse or something?):

Stevens Point Water Department, now known throughout North America for its tasty water, has reliably provided Stevens Point residents with groundwater since 1922.

Second place in the competition was awarded to the New York City Department of Environmental Protection while Lincoln Water System of Nebraska and Silverdale Water District of Washington tied for third place.

Via Watershed Post.

10-foot steel coupling ring? What 10-foot steel coupling ring?

By Kaz - 6/9/10 - 3:02 pm

After spending $137,000 attempting to locate the 10-foot diameter steel coupling that broke causing the multi-day boil water order for 2 million people in the Boston area in May, the MWRA is regrouping because it can't find a trace of the giant steel ring anywhere.

Of course, there's always my theory that it was never there in the first place...

What - and who - was to blame?

By adamg - 5/5/10 - 7:02 am

The Globe reports on the search for the giant steel collar that blew off the aqueduct - and that the water flowing through backup aqueducts from long dormant emergency reservoirs turned out to be safe after all (just we couldn't know that for sure until Monday).

The Herald, meanwhile, concentrates its mighty editorial firepower on a class designed to help judges concentrate better or something.