Metropolitan Sewer District

Metropolitan Sewer District Fined $161,000 For Illegal Sewer Overflows

Erica Peterson — Thu, 30 May 2013 16:04:32 +0000

Unfortunately, sewer overflows aren’t really anything out of the ordinary in Louisville. There were 400 times in 2010 and 2011 when untreated waste flowed illegally into area waterways: more than 100 million gallons of sewage. Now the Metropolitan Sewer District has been fined $161,000 by state and federal environmental regulators.

MSD Reports 24,000 Gallons of Sewage Released into Beargrass Creek During Malfunction

Erica Peterson — Fri, 03 May 2013 16:58:19 +0000

About 24,000 gallons of untreated sewage was released this morning into the South Fork of Beargrass Creek.

The Metropolitan Sewer District reported a blockage in the sewer line around 11:00am. The waste would normally been diverted to the treatment plant, but the obstruction allowed the sewage to back up and rise over the dam around where Beargrass Creek crosses Lexington Road and Baxter Avenue.

The problem was fixed after about an hour and a half, but it’s recommended that the public avoid contact with the water for the next 48 hours.

Equipment Failure Spills 95 Million Gallons of Waste and Stormwater Into Mill, Pond Creeks

Erica Peterson — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 16:27:52 +0000

This weekend's rain has caused some major problems for Louisville's sewer system.

There were about three inches of rain Saturday evening and Sunday, causing overflows and backups all over Jefferson County. But the biggest problem is probably an equipment malfunction that leaked 95 million gallons of stormwater and waste into waterways.

From MSD:

Heitzman Appointed Permanent MSD Director

Erica Peterson — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 21:14:27 +0000

A year after a scathing audit exposed numerous managerial problems, Louisville’s Metropolitan Sewer District has finished addressing the deficiencies. Mayor Greg Fischer has also appointed Louisville Water CEO Greg Heitzman as permanent executive director of the agency.

Heitzman Named Permanent MSD Director

Rick Howlett — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 15:48:18 +0000

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer has appointed Greg Heitzman to be the permanent executive director of the Metropolitan Sewer District.

Heitzman, who’s also president of Louisville Water, has been MSD’s interim executive director since a leadership shakeup at the agency over the past year.

Fischer says Heitzman will oversee the potential merger of MSD and Louisville Water.

This story will be updated.

Buechel, Newburg Residents Protest New MSD Overflow Basin

Erica Peterson — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 20:59:35 +0000

Residents of Louisville’s Newburg and Buechel neighborhoods are protesting a planned sewage overflow basin in their area. They held a protest at City Hall today.

The Metropolitan Sewer District began constructing the basin on a 40 acre site near Poplar Level Road, Jennings Lane and Produce Road six months ago. It’s designed to hold 100 million gallons of water, but will only be put to use when rain causes the city’s sanitary sewer system to overflow. Without a catch basin, the water flows untreated into area streams and the Ohio River.

MSD Board Approves Rate Increase, Complying With EPA

Devin Katayama — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 17:39:02 +0000

The Metropolitan Sewer District has approved its forth consecutive 6.5 percent rate increase, adding $2.31 to customers' average monthly bill.

MSD is under a federal mandate to comply with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Clean Water Act and is responsible for nearly $850 million of repairs and upgrades to its sewage system.

Spokesman Steve Tedder said the consent decree plan devised by MSD in 2008 calls for rate increases over the next several years.

LIBOR Scandal Likely Affecting Revenues for Kentucky Agencies

Kenny Colston — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 16:03:51 +0000

Sewage Spill Kills Fish in Brush Run

Erica Peterson — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 17:04:13 +0000

Hundreds of small fish have been found dead after thousands of gallons of raw sewage was accidentally released into a waterway in the far eastern part of Jefferson County.

Brush Run is a small stream—less than a foot deep in most areas—that feeds into Floyds Fork. The sewage release affected half of a mile of it, and killed about a thousand one to two-inch fish.

Metropolitan Sewer District Regulatory Services Director Brian Bingham says a grease buildup caused a sewage pumping station to malfunction.

Volunteers From Six States Expected to Participate in River Cleanup Tomorrow

Erica Peterson — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 10:09:00 +0000

Volunteers from Pittsburgh to Cairo, Illinois will gather along the banks of the Ohio River tomorrow for a concentrated effort to clean the river.

This is the 23^rd annual Ohio River Sweep, and more than 15,000 volunteers from six states are expected to participate. The event is organized by the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission, and locally by the Metropolitan Sewer District.

There are six Louisville-area locations where volunteers will be gathering debris from the banks of the river from 9:00 a.m. to noon tomorrow. The sites are: