LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. — The new Yellow River Water Reclamation Facility in Gwinnett, Ga. will help replace six old treatment plants that had become less efficient, according to The Weekly. Commissioners recently found out that these improvements would only cost $245 million, which is $5 million less than planned, stated the article. “The state’s Environmental Protection Division allowed us to consolidate these old plants into one and to reduce the overall pollutant load going to the Yellow River Watershed,” said Tyler Richards, deputy director for Operations of Water Resources.

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Financial assistance will be given to at least seven drinking water systems in Kentucky to improve their technical, managerial and financial capabilities, according to WFIE News. The aid will be given to small systems that serve less than 10,000 customers to improve drinking water standards in a cost effective way, stated the article. “Many small water treatment facilities are at a disadvantage because of their budget and personnel limitations, yet they face the same challenges as larger plants that have more money and specialized staff,” said Julie Smoak, supervisor of the DOW Drinking Water Capacity Development Section. “The goal of this funding program is to allow the smaller plants to complete critical, but non-regulatory projects they might not be able to pursue otherwise.”

SAN FRANCISCO — Republic Services of Southern Nevada has begun large-scale construction work under oversight by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at Sunrise Landfill, a 440-acre closed municipal solid waste landfill, located three miles outside of Las Vegas city limits in Clark County, according to a press release. The $25 million construction project, expected to last through 2012, was awarded to Las Vegas Paving Company and will employ 40 local construction workers, noted the release. The project stems from a 2008 Consent Decree requiring Republic, the landfill operator, to install extensive stormwater controls, an armored cover and landfill gas monitoring system; complete and monitor a groundwater monitoring system; and develop a long-term operation and maintenance strategy. “EPA is requiring this work to protect a vital drinking water source for communities from Las Vegas to Phoenix,” said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA’s Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. “This will prevent the release of over 17 million pounds of contaminants each year.”

VIENNA, Ohio. — The Brookside Village Mobile Home Park in Vienna, Ohio could be facing a legal suit from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency over the state’s drinking water regulations, according to the Springfield News-Sun. A request was sent to the attorney general to seek civil action against the mobile home park, saying they have failed to comply with the state’s drinking water regulations, noted the article. “Our office has two matters concerning (Brookside Mobile Home Park) ... I can’t speculate on when a decision will be made,” said Attorney General spokesman Dan Tierney.

GREAT FALLS, Mont. — Residents of a mobile home park in the Great Falls, Mont. area have been warned not to drink their tap water because it contains arsenic four times higher than what is considered safe for human consumption, according to the Great Falls Tribune. The mobile home park has also been dealing with poor quality water, a leak in the sewage treatment lagoon and low water pressure, noted the article. “The water and sewer system out there is just really messed up,” said Don Feist, president of the Trailer Terrace Co-op and a resident of the contaminated mobile home park. “If you wash your clothes in it, they turn orange because the water is orange. We've gone on for years with just a trickle of water and a year ago last Christmas we had no water at all. That's what we woke up to on Christmas morning. Then we got a notice Sunday that we cannot drink the water because it has arsenic in it. The problems just aren't getting any better out there.”

HARDIN, Ill. — Trustees are looking to fix a problem with the filters at a treatment plant in Hardin, Ill. that produced discolored water on West Main Street recently, according to The Telegraph. Bottles of tap water that held a distinct cloudy gray and brown color were brought to the latest Hardin Village Board meeting, stated the article. “We need to get this figured out,” Trustee Matt Haug said. “You shouldn't see anything this color coming through the filter.”

Request made for filtration plant in Indiana town CHARLESTOWN, Ind. — While the city of Charlestown, Ind. is in the middle of a project to clean it’s water lines, a request was made by a resident to construct a filtration plant, according to the News and Tribune. The current project, called Project Clean Lines, is using the chemical clearitas to break up the manganese in city’s water lines, stated the article. “The only concern that I have is it’s not going to treat the ongoing problem of the elevated manganese levels in the wells,” said resident Matt Burchett, who made the request. “The clearitas doesn’t do anything to remove that. I understand that we’re using sequestering agents to prevent it from populating in the lines and prevent sediment from forming, but it’s still coming into our homes. It’s still the water that we’re drinking and that’s not acceptable.”

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The city of Ann Arbor, Mich. is planning to completely rebuild half of the city’s wastewater treatment plant, which would be the largest capital improvement project in its history, according to the Ann Arbor. The project could cost around $120 million on top of another $50 million project that is currently being finished at the plant replacing worn out and inefficient residual solids processing equipment and other upgrades, stated the article. The City Council is being asked to approve a $92.9 million construction contract, noted the article.

JAKARTA, Indonesia — A 29-year-old Jakarta parking attendant was arrested for allegedly receiving methamphetamine smuggled from the United Arab Emirates, according to the Jakarta Globe. Customs officials at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport found the drugs hidden in a water filter and arrested the man, stated the article. Oza Olavia, head of the airport customs squad, said the powder was placed in the filter to where it looked like a filtration medium, noted the article.

SEAFORD, N.Y. — The U.S. Navy has plans to build a new water facility inside the Levittown School District to help improve drinking water in the area, according to Wantagh-Seaford Patch. A “moderate-sized building that will hold water-filtering equipment,” has been proposed by the Navy Facilities Engineering Command Mid-Atlantic, stated the article. The plan involves the installation of two water filters before the construction phase of a permanent building, noted the article.