1 MAR 06: A STINKY SITUATION

Columbus Water Works admitted Tuesday it spilled some sewage into Bull Creek. Yes, Bull Creek has sewage. I will avoid the obvious punch line, because I don't use that sort of language....

A short news release from Columbus Water Works admitted a sewage spill occurred Monday, but it didn't say how big the spill was. Was it bigger than a breadbox -- or perhaps more appropriate, than a pig farmer's feed bucket?

Yes, it WAS a much bigger spill than that. A spokesman for Georgia's Environmental Protection Division revealed 159,000 gallons of sewage wound up in Bull Creek. That computes to almost 2,900 barrels of oil - and if that much oil spilled, imagine how fast gas prices would jump.

How much sewage is 159,000 gallons? Your blog wanted to know, so we checked an online calculator for swimming pools - and found that amount would come close to filling the pool at the downtown YMCA. In this case, the FIRST one in would be a rotten egg.

A Georgia state environmental official says any sewage spill of more than 10,000 gallons is considered "major." So a spill of 159,000 gallons in Columbus might go beyond major - it's BRAC-sized.

But Columbus Riverkeeper Bill Edwards said late Tuesday the large-sounding sewage spill was a "small blip" in the Chattahoochee River. OK, if he says so - but somehow I think bottled water will be hard to find in Eufaula for a few days.

Bill Edwards explained a wet February helped raise the level of the Chattahoochee River, so a big sewage spill would dilute easily. He admitted during summer, things might be different - and people along Bull Creek would smell the difference.

Columbus Water Works claims the sewage spill happened because a contractor doing renovation work near the Riverwalk made a mistake. The phone companies warn you should "call before you dig" -- and maybe you also should sniff before you drill.

Columbus Water Works spokesman Cliff Arnett says a state fine is likely for Monday's sewage spill. But he says the contractor which caused the spill likely will be told to pay it. Tap into the wrong line, and we tap into your bank account....

Tuesday's news reminded me of the 1990's, when reports came out all the time of Chattahoochee River sewage spills in the Atlanta area. You don't hear much about spills there anymore. So either the problems have been solved, or the news media are too busy looking for teenage husbands with middle-aged wives.

Remember Mitch Skandalakis? He was the Fulton County Commission Chair who ran for Georgia Lieutenant Governor in 1998 - and came to Columbus one day complaining about Atlanta city sewage spills. The reporters apparently didn't think to ask him about Fulton County's own sewage spills - and it had some.

E-MAIL UPDATE: Your blog had a scary moment Tuesday, when we checked the InBox and found a message with the title "From Frank Myers." What city official hired him as an attorney - and how much in punitive damages did he or she want?

Weeks of blog entries flashed before our eyes - but then we opened the e-mail, and found it was about something very different:

Richard:

I don't read your blog very often, but one of the things I've read in the past (and appreciated) is the fact that you try to track local gas prices and pass than information on to your readers ("consumers").

My sister sent me the link.... which allegedly tracks gas prices by zip code. I was skeptical. I filled up today, double-checked the website, and they were right on the mark with the price per gallon and location.

Test this yourself, but I think it might be a good resource for you to use.

Frank

Thanks for your help, sir - but to be honest, I've never thought of a blog reader as a "consumer" before. I suppose many people are like me, though, and eat at the computer....

Frank Myers's link is to a branch of the "Microsoft Network" web site. I put in my zip code Tuesday night, and the gas prices in the Columbus area seemed accurate. The average was $2.10 a gallon, with a low price of $2.05. If a couple of store owners from Tifton would move here, things might be even better.

But there's one low-priced "gas station" which didn't show up when I checked this gas price web site. It's Dolly Madison on Victory Drive, which often has the lowest price in Columbus. Does anyone have a bread price comparison site to offer?

We invite others to try Frank Myers's resource - but only after we check other Tuesday headlines:

+ Don Ford of Phenix City told reporters his convenience store has closed and his health is failing, since he was shot several weeks ago. Another person plans to reopen Don's Fine Foods - but the key question is: will the foods still be fine? Or will caviar finally be brought in?

+ The Georgia Senate approved a child support bill written by Midland's Seth Harp. People who win large lottery prizes would have their winnings reduced, depending on how much back child support they owe. So if you "Win for Life" tonight, it really may be for someone else's.

(Oh yes -- did you buy a Mega Millions ticket, and try to win Tuesday night's $256 million jackpot? If a child support deadbeat wins that, the issue would be settled immediately. A broke and jilted lover would want to give their marriage another chance.)

+ Arnold Middle School hosted an annual "teacher idea fair." I thought I saw a CB&T table in the videotape WRBL showed - so maybe that's for math teachers with ideas about making more money as accountants.

+ The Columbus RiverCenter hosted a performance of the ballet "Swan Lake." A short walk down Broadway, clubs held a Mardi Gras pub crawl - and some customers may have tried to do a swan dive onto the sidewalk.

+ Winn-Dixie spared Columbus in a second round of store closings, announcing a store on Pepperell Parkway will close. The strategy for this company is becoming clearer every day - stay as far away from Wal-Mart SuperCenters as possible.

+ Instant Message to Robbie Watson of WRCG's "TalkLine": Best wishes in your effort to stop drinking coffee. Some of your callers probably are wild enough to get the blood circulating at 7:15 a.m., anyway.

Your PayPal donations can build a better blog, and keep it independent-minded. To make a donation, offer a story tip or comment on this blog, write me - but be warned, I may post a reply.

BURKARD BULK MAIL INDEX: 5524 (+ 161, 3.0%)

If you quote from this in public somewhere, please be polite enough to let me know.

© 2003-06 Richard Burkard, All Rights Reserved.