MEC&F Expert Engineers : 06/07/16

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

A massive transformer explosion rocked a Richmond power plant


Richmond power plant explosion causes train delays
Date June 7, 2016 - 10:03PM




Chloe Booker





Smoke can been seen billowing after a large explosion in Richmond on Tuesday afternoon. Photo: Channel Nine

Smoke could be seen billowing from a Richmond power plant after a massive explosion rocked the suburb on Tuesday afternoon.

Shocked residents and shoppers heard a large bang as fire engulfed a transformer at an electrical terminal station on Mary Street.

A Metropolitan Fire Brigade spokesman said firefighters arrived at the blaze, near the Monash Freeway, about 4.10pm.

"There is a lot of smoke, some fire and a big bang," he said.
Advertisement


Firefighters were forced to wait on standby as electrical experts worked to isolate power to the transformer, the spokesman said.

The power was isolated and the fire extinguished shortly after 5pm.

About 1000 litres of oil were contained within the transformer, the spokesman said.

He said the explosion was heard at the MFB training complex in nearby Burnley Street.

Metro Trains were reporting major delays to some outbound services on the Alamein, Belgrave, Lilydale and Glen Waverley lines due to a power surge.

Just after 5.30pm, the delays were listed as minor.

A VicRoads spokeswoman said there were minor traffic delays in nearby Coppin Street shortly after the explosion.






There were no injuries.

Speeding and drunk ex-astronaut James Halsell Jr. charged with murder in car colission that killed 2 teenage girls in Alabama









Updated 2 mins ago
BIRMINGHAM, AL -- Astronaut James Halsell Jr. seemed the very definition of someone with the right stuff. An Air Force Academy graduate and decorated test pilot, he commanded or piloted five space shuttle missions. NASA even turned to him for leadership as it was picking up the pieces after the Columbia disaster in 2003.

Now, a decade after his retirement from the space agency, the 59-year-old Halsell is facing a new test: He is charged with murder after an early-morning car wreck Monday killed two young sisters on a lonely stretch of highway in Alabama.

State police said alcohol and speed may have been factors in the crash.

Troopers said a Chrysler 300 driven by Halsell collided around 2:50 a.m. with a Ford Fiesta in which 11-year-old Niomi Deona James and 13-year-old Jayla Latrick Parler were riding. The girls were thrown from the car and died. Neither was wearing a seat belt.

Halsell, who lives in Huntsville, was arrested and released from jail on $150,000 bail. Court records weren't available Tuesday to show whether the retired Air Force colonel has a lawyer. A call to his home was not immediately returned.

The girls' father, Pernell James, 37, had driven to Texas to pick them up at their mother's home in Houston for a summer-long visit to Alabama, said Dennis Stripling, mayor of the town of Brent.

"It's very tragic, a sad thing that has happened," Stripling said. "They were like 20 minutes from home when this accident happened."

The father was expected to be released from a hospital Tuesday. A woman in his car, Shontel Latriva Cutts, 25, was listed in fair condition.

The crash happened in a remote, wooded area on the edge of Tuscaloosa County with no highway lampposts. A set of swerving skid marks could be seen, along with a patch of blackened pavement and grass on the tree-lined shoulder of the highway.

Halsell graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1978 and later finished first in his class at test-pilot school. He wanted to go to space so much he applied for every NASA astronaut class from 1978 to 1990, when he was accepted.

An online biography by NASA said Halsell went to work in the aerospace industry in 2006 after a career that included five shuttle flights starting in 1994. He spent more than 1,250 hours in space, serving as commander on three shuttle missions and pilot on two others.

He also led NASA's return-to-flight planning team after space shuttle Columbia disintegrated during re-entry in 2003.

3 Hurt in Fiery Crash on SR-78 near Santa Ysabel



SR-78 was initially closed in both directions and a medical helicopter was requested.
By R. Stickney



Getty Images


Three people were injured when two cars collided Tuesday along State Route 78 just west of the junction with State Route 79.

The head-on crash happened just before 8 a.m. near Dudley's Bakery.


A Nissan Altima was traveling eastbound on SR-78 when it crossed the double yellow line, according to California Highway Patrol officers.

The Altima crashed head-on into a BMW traveling westbound.


The BMW burst into flames, according to the CHP.

A 27-year-old man from Ridgecrest, California was driving the BMW. He was airlifted to UCSD Medical center with what was described by CHP as life-threatening injuries.


His passenger, a 20-year-old Julian woman, was driven to Sharp Memorial Hospital.

The driver of the Altima, described by CHP as a 45-year-old Julian woman was also injured and taken to Sharp Memorial Hospital.


One person was trapped in a fiery crash along State Route 78 in Santa Ysabel.

California Highway Patrol officers and Cal Fire crews responded to find a major injury accident with one car on fire.


SR-78 was closed in both directions and a medical helicopter was requested.

As of 9:30 a.m., there was one-way traffic in the area.


No other information was immediately available.

Source: http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/

1 Dead After Semis Collide in Fiery Crash on Indiana Toll Road



Indiana State Police said one semi rear-ended another semi just after 3 p.m. at mile marker 42 causing one of the semis to catch fire
By Dick Johnson



A semi accident on the Indiana Toll Road was causing major traffic backups in the area Monday. Sky 5 reports. (Published Monday, June 6, 2016)


One person was killed and all eastbound lanes of the Indiana Toll Road were shut down Monday afternoon in LaPorte County after two semis collided in a fiery crash on the roadway.

Indiana State Police said one semi rear-ended another semi just after 3 p.m. at mile marker 42 causing one of the semis to catch fire.

The 36-year-old driver became trapped inside the burning semi and was killed as flames were fueled by paper towels being hauled inside the truck, police said.

"It was all paper towels from the semi truck," said LaPorte County Hazmat Director Jeff Hamilton. "It was all pretty difficult to get out with it all packed into the semi."

All eastbound lanes of the toll road were shut down and traffic was diverted at mile markers 31 and 39.

Long delays and major traffic backups up to 9 miles long were reported in the area.

Check back for details on this developing story

Coroner: 2nd teen dies after single-vehicle Greenville Co. crash onto a tree


 Posted: Jun 05, 2016 10:12 PM EST Updated: Jun 05, 2016 10:12 PM
By Heather Carpenter


Rojas (Source: School officials)
TAYLORS, SC (FOX Carolina) -

The coroner said Monday a second person has died from injuries from a crash that occurred on Friday.

The accident happened at 10:22 p.m. Friday on Tanner Road.

Troopers say the driver was not wearing a seat belt and was trapped after the 2010 Nissan Sentra he was driving went off the right shoulder, over corrected, went back off the left shoulder and struck a tree.

The driver was taken to Greenville Memorial Hospital and was pronounced dead on Sunday, troopers say. The coroner identified the driver as 18-year-old William Barksdale of View Circle.

His cause of death is pending an external examination, the coroner said.

On Monday, the coroner said a 17-year-old passenger in the vehicle, Valentina Rojas of Edwards Road, also succumbed to her injuries. Rojas died just after 10:30 p.m. Sunday at the hospital.

Rojas graduated from Wade Hampton High School on Wednesday, June 1. Rojas was active in Wade Hampton’s ROTC program and had enlisted in the Air Force, according to school officials.

Officials said William Barksdale, 18, who was also killed in the wreck, was enrolled in Greenville County Schools Satellite Diploma program through January 2016.

Another passenger was also taken to Greenville Memorial Hospital.

A car wash fundraiser will be held on Saturday for the teens' families. More information here.

The crash remains under investigation.  Typically these types of accidents occur when the driver is speeding or is under the influence of alcohol or drugs.  Unless of course it was a medical emergency.

Copyright 2016 FOX Carolina (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved.

a 33-year-old pedestrian man hit by a vehicle late Saturday night on White Horse Road has died from his injuries.



Pedestrian struck crossing White Horse Road dies from injuries Posted: Jun 05, 2016 10:21 PM EST Updated: Jun 07, 2016 8:04 AM EST

(FOX Carolina/File)
GREENVILLE, SC (FOX Carolina) -

Authorities say a 33-year-old man hit by a vehicle late Saturday night on White Horse Road has died from his injuries.

Greenville County Coroner Parks Evans said that the man was crossing the north bound lanes of White Horse Road when he was struck.

Troopers say a woman was driving north on the road when she struck the man. The driver was not hurt in the crash, troopers say.

The man was taken to the Greenville Memorial Trauma Center where he was pronounced dead at 10:54 a.m. Sunday. The victim was identified as William Aaron Aloia of Oak Park Drive.

After an exam, the coroner said Aloia suffered blunt force trauma to the torso. His death was ruled an accident.

The case is under investigation by the S.C. Highway Patrol and the Greenville County Coroner's Office.

Copyright 2016 FOX Carolina (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved.

Motorcyclist killed in Anderson Co. crash with a deer and another vehicle


 Jun 06, 2016 12:36 PM EST
By Dal Kalsi

Scene of deadly crash on Princeton Highway (FOX Carolina/ June 6, 2016)
HONEA PATH, SC (FOX Carolina) -

The coroner says a motorcyclist was killed in a crash involving a deer and another vehicle in Anderson County Monday morning.

The crash happened just before 5:30 a.m. near Horseshoe Road, according to troopers with the SC Highway Patrol.

Deputy Coroner Don McCown said 38-year-old Charles Anthony Mattison was riding his Suzuki motorcycle to work when he struck a deer and was thrown into the opposite lane, where he was then hit by an oncoming pickup.

Mattison died at the scene.

The road was blocked for several hours as troopers investigated and crews worked to clear the wreckage.

Mattison is survived by a wife and a 6-year-old child.

Copyright 2016 FOX Carolina (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved.

A firefighter died Monday during a search for a man who went missing on Lake Norman over the weekend. Two other divers were also injured.

 
























Firefighter dies during search for man on Lake Norman Posted: Jun 06, 2016 5:26 PM EST Updated: Jun 07, 2016 12:31 PM EST
By WBTV Web Staff


(Christian Flores | WBTV)

A procession transported the fallen firefighter's body to the hospital. (Steve Ohnesorge | WBTV)
MOORESVILLE, NC (WBTV) -

A firefighter died Monday during a search for a man who went missing on Lake Norman over the weekend. Two other divers were also injured.

Officials have not said exactly what happened during the search, but confirmed that 28-year-old firefighter Bradley Long, who went into the water earlier Monday searching for a missing 29-year-old man, died.

Long, who worked at the Newton Fire Department, was a volunteer with Sherrills Ford-Terrell Fire and Rescue. He was working with Sherrills Ford during the search. WBTV was told he was recently named Firefighter of the Year.

“Today, Sherrills Ford-Terrell Fire and Rescue suffered a tremendous loss during our efforts to recover a drowning victim from the waters of Lake Norman,” said Sherrills Ford-Terrell Fire Chief Rick Davis. "This afternoon three divers from our department encountered an emergency during the recovery effort. Unfortunately however, one of our firefighters, Bradley Long, age 28, did not surface and was later recovered and pronounced dead at the scene.”


Rescue crews had been searching the lake since Sunday afternoon. Officials said the missing swimmer jumped off a boat Sunday with two other people. The boat wasn't anchored and started to float away. The three tried to swim and catch up with the boat, but the missing man wasn't able to make it back to the boat.


After suspending the search around 9:30 Sunday evening due to darkness, crews started searching again 8:30 Monday morning.

The names of the divers injured have not been released, but officials said they are also from Sherrills Ford-Terrell Fire and Rescue. They suffered minor injuries. Officials said they were responsive when they were taken to the hospital.

The search for the missing man was suspended once Long went missing in the water. Officials confirmed the body of the missing man was recovered along with Long.

“I just can’t believe that it happened right here. I just really can’t. It’s a sad thing. I mean all these people here-it’s like a big family,” said Lake Norman neighbor Bobby Christensen about the deaths.

Family of the missing man said they are thinking about Long's family as well as their own, stating "the family considers that man a hero."

Copyright 2016 WBTV. All rights reserved.

HazMat crews respond to 1,4-Butynediol chemical spill in Spartanburg Co., SC


 Jun 07, 2016 10:04 AM EST
By Amanda Shaw


Authorities respond to the reported chemical spill. (June 7, 2016/FOX Carolina)
GREER, SC (FOX Carolina) -

Firefighters were called to a reported chemical spill on Tuesday morning.

Dispatchers said the Pelham-Batesville Fire Department responded to a commercial building on Airport Road.

David Probo, HazMat coordinator for Spartanburg County, said a truck began leaking the chemical 1,4-Butynediol.

The chemical is corrosive to the touch and is not safe for consumption.

It was leaking when doors to the truck were opened at the site around 6:15 a.m., he said. Probo said the truck was first loaded in Atlanta and they are unsure how long it was leaking during its route to Charlotte.

The main spill area, which was approximately 30 feet, was believed to be located in the lot on Airport Road.

One person was transported to the hospital as a precaution but was later released.

Probo said there is no threat to the general public.

Bayou Lafourche oil spill believed to have come from Assumption Parish car wash







by David J. Mitchell| dmitchell@theadvocate.com

June 6, 2016; 7:55 p.m.


Contractors finished Monday cleaning up some 20 gallons of suspected motor oil that wound up in Bayou Lafourche sometime Sunday, a spill that’s being blamed on a northern Assumption Parish car wash, parish officials said.

Never posing a serious threat to drinking water systems a few miles downstream, the oil was removed Sunday from the water’s surface while waterside vegetation with oil sheen on it was removed and bagged by midafternoon Monday, officials said.

John Boudreaux, director of the parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, said the oil was discovered about noon Sunday, and crews dredging the bayou downstream laid out containment booms in the Bertrandville area north of Napoleonville to prevent the oil from spreading.

Boudreaux said the oil is believed to have come from the Bayou Lafourche Carwash at 5734 La. 1, Napoleonville, which is in the unincorporated community of Plattenville.

“Looks like it was dumped down a car wash drain,” Boudreaux said.

La. 1 runs along the west bank of Bayou Lafourche, and, Boudreaux said, the car wash drain empties into the bayou without treatment for the wastewater. By some estimates, the bayou is the drinking water source for more than 300,000 people in four parishes.

Roman Rivere, who manages the car wash for his elderly mother, said Monday the wash has existed since 1975. He admitted the car wash does not treat its discharge, but he said the soapy wastewater dissolves somewhat before it reaches the bayou.

Rivere said he also has been informed by authorities that someone must have dumped the oil down the drain at his car wash, though he doesn’t know who.

“It’s never happened before in the 30-something years” his family has operated the car wash, he added.

Rivere said the state Department of Environmental Quality has permitted the car wash’s normal discharges into the bayou.

Online DEQ records show inspectors found the car wash did not have a wastewater permit in 2007, but the wash received a back-dated permit in December 2007 with discharge limits.

DEQ renewed the five-year permit in 2009 and again in 2014. DEQ also began requiring the car wash to use biodegradable detergents in 2009.

The latest report available from online DEQ records regarding the car wash’s required wastewater discharge monitoring, however, dates from the first quarter of 2011.

Boudreaux said the oil spill happened about four to five miles upstream of the nearest drinking water intake.

He said he believed Assumption Parish sheriff’s deputies were investigating who dumped the oil, but a spokesman for the sheriff said he had not been made aware of such a probe.

DEQ officials were not able to comment immediately about the spill but suggested it would be violation of agency rules.

Fatal two-vehicle collision closes WB lanes of W. Mount Houston in Texas








At least one person is dead in a two-vehicle crash in the westbound lanes of W. Mount Houston in northwest Harris County. (KTRK)





Updated 1 hr 12 mins ago
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- At least one person is dead in a two-vehicle crash in the westbound lanes of W. Mount Houston in northwest Harris County.

The accident has closed the westbound lanes of W. Mount Houston. The eastbound lanes remain open.

Nothing but an angel: Angelika Graswald admitted that she removed a plug on his kayak and manipulated his paddle causing her fiance's drowning


Investigator: Woman confessed to pulling plug on fiance's kayak





Eyewitness News
Updated 2 hrs 45 mins ago
GOSHEN, New York (WABC) -- A New York State Police investigator says a woman accused of fatally sabotaging her fiance's kayak on the Hudson River admitted that she removed a plug on his kayak and manipulated his paddle.

Authorities say Angelika Graswald removed a drain plug from Vincent Viafore's kayak in April 2015 and pushed a floating paddle away from him after his kayak capsized.

A Cornwall police officer testified Monday that Graswald appeared calm and emotionless after she was rescued.

State Police Senior Investigator Aniello Moscato also testified Graswald told another investigator she had pulled a plug on the kayak and manipulated the ring on Viafore's paddle.

Neither prosecutors nor the defense can comment due to a gag order.

Graswald has denied murder and manslaughter charges and her lawyer has argued that Viafore died accidentally after having had a few beers and falling into the cold water.

The drowning death was ruled a homicide by a medical examiner who wrote in an autopsy report obtained by The New York Times that Viafore's death was the result of a "kayak drain plug intentionally removed by other."

Defense attorney Richard Portale told the newspaper the medical examiner's ruling was ill-informed and lacked medical evidence.

Graswald told ABC News in an interview broadcast in November that she loved Viafore and wouldn't have done anything to kill him. She said she's a good person, not a killer.

Coastal Building Systems of Amelia, a roofing contractor, again fails federal safety inspection, putting workers at risk of dangerous, deadly falls at Florida work site; faces $108,500 in penalties

Coastal Building Systems of Amelia, a roofing contractor, again fails federal safety inspection, putting workers at risk of dangerous, deadly falls at Florida work site; faces $108,500 in penalties
Coastal Building Systems of Amelia cited 8 times since 2010


Employer name: Coastal Building Systems of Amelia Inc.

Inspection site: 32157 Juniper Parke Drive, Fernandina Beach, Florida 32034

Citations issued: Citations were issued to the employer on June 3.

Investigation findings: Inspectors with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration observed employees of Coastal Building Systems, Inc. not properly protected from falls as they did roofing work at a residence in the Flora Parke subdivision. OSHA cited the company with one willful and one repeated safety violation. This inspection fell under OSHA’s Regional Emphasis Program on Falls in Construction.

The willful citation was issued to the employer for not ensuring workers were properly protected from falls up to 8 feet. OSHA requires the use of a guardrail, safety net, or personal fall arrest systems when workers are working at heights of 6 feet or more above a lower level.

The repeat violation was cited for allowing workers to use powered nail guns without eye protection. OSHA cited the employer for this same violation in June 2012 at a work site in Saint Johns.

After its latest violations, OSHA is considering placement of Coastal Building Systems in its Severe Violators Enforcement Program. The program focuses on recalcitrant employers that endanger workers by committing willful, repeat or failure-to-abate violations. Under the program, OSHA may inspect any of the employer’s facilities if it has reasonable grounds to believe there are similar violations.

Proposed penalties: $108,500

Background: The agency has inspected the company 12 times since 2010 and eight of those inspections resulted in willful, repeat and serious citations for a lack of fall protection and other hazards.

Quote: “Despite previous citations and penalties, Coast Building Systems continues to willfully and repeatedly ignore worker safety,” said Brian Sturtecky, OSHA’s area director in Jacksonville. “The company’s management corrects hazards while inspectors are at the job site, but allows hazards that put workers at risk of serious injury or death to return once inspectors leave.”

The citations can be viewed at: https://www.dol.gov/sites/default/files/newsroom/newsreleases/CoastalBuildingSystemsOfAmelia_0.pdf

Based in Amelia Island, Coastal Building Systems is a roofing and siding contractor. The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and proposed penalties to comply, request a conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

To ask questions; obtain compliance assistance; file a complaint or report amputations, eye loss, workplace hospitalizations, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, the public should call OSHA’s toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742) or the agency’s Jacksonville Area Office at 904-232-2895.

Penobscot McCrum, a Belfast, Maine company that runs an ammonia refrigeration system at its potato processing plant has agreed to pay $60,500 in civil penalties and to spend $83,400 on equipment for emergency responders


Belfast, Maine Processor Provides Emergency Response Equipment to Community under EPA Settlement
06/03/2016
Contact Information:
Dave Deegan (deegan.dave@epa.gov)
617-918-1017

BOSTON – A Belfast, Maine company that runs an ammonia refrigeration system at its potato processing plant has agreed to pay $60,500 in civil penalties and to spend $83,400 on equipment for emergency responders and on public safety improvements at its facility to resolve claims by the US Environmental Protection Agency that it violated federal clean air laws in its use of ammonia.

According to an agreement with EPA's New England office, Penobscot McCrum will ensure that trained emergency responders are available to respond quickly to any ammonia release at the facility to limit the consequences of any ammonia release that might occur.

Penobscot McCrum agreed to provide emergency response equipment to the Belfast Fire Department and state Department of Environmental Protection to improve their abilities to detect and safely respond to releases of ammonia and other toxic substances. The company will also install an enhanced ammonia detection system, alarm system, and a security system at the plant, which will provide early identification of ammonia releases and early notification to first responders, employees, and the local population.

This case stems from an October 2014 inspection where EPA found eight potential violations of the Clean Air Act and its Risk Management Plan regulations. Among the alleged violations, inspectors found that the manner in which the facility was maintained undermined the facility's ability to prevent or respond to a potential ammonia release in several ways, including: failure to maintain the ammonia refrigeration system in a manner consistent with recognized and generally accepted good engineering practices and failing to have an adequate emergency response program.

"EPA's biggest concern was that the closest emergency responders specially trained to respond to ammonia releases were located about an hour away, yet the facility was in a downtown location where a release of this toxic gas could quickly injure people," said Curt Spalding, regional administrator of EPA's New England office. "Ammonia is a useful refrigerant with some environmental advantages, but companies must operate safely and follow federal regulations."

Anhydrous ammonia is corrosive to the skin, eyes, and lungs. Exposure at high concentrations is immediately dangerous to life and health. Ammonia is flammable at certain concentrations in air and can explode if released in an enclosed space with a source of ignition present, or if a vessel containing anhydrous ammonia is exposed to fire.

Facilities operating systems with more than 10,000 pounds of anhydrous ammonia are subject to the Risk Management Plan regulations of the Clean Air Act, while smaller refrigeration systems are subject to the "General Duty Clause" of the Clean Air Act.

More information:
Clean Air Act Section 112(r) RMP regulations (www.epa.gov/rmp)
Detailed information for facilities to help prevent ammonia releases from refrigeration systems (PDF) (75 pp, 2.9 MB, About PDF) (www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-05/documents/accident_prevention_ammonia_refrigeration_5-20-15.pdf)
EPA enforcement alert regarding ammonia refrigeration systems (go.usa.gov/3CWQw)

EPA Region 7 has reached a proposed settlement of Clean Water Act violations by the Majestic C Team LLC, owner and operator of the Majestic Pointe residential construction site in Omaha, Neb.


PA and Majestic C Team Reach Settlement on Clean Water Act Violations at Construction Site in Omaha, Neb.
06/06/2016
Contact Information:
Angela Brees (brees.angela@epa.gov)
913-551-7940

Environmental News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Lenexa, Kan., June 6, 2016) - EPA Region 7 has reached a proposed settlement of Clean Water Act violations by the Majestic C Team LLC, owner and operator of the Majestic Pointe residential construction site in Omaha, Neb. As part of the settlement, the company has agreed to pay a cash penalty of $10,750 and perform a Supplemental Environmental Project (SEP) at a projected cost of $42,500.

An EPA inspection, conducted in November 2015, determined that Majestic C Team LLC violated the terms of its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) stormwater permit issued by the State of Nebraska. The NPDES permitting program in Nebraska requires controls be in place to reduce stormwater runoff and prevent stormwater from coming into contact with pollutants. Inspections indicated significant amounts of sediment leaving the site and discharging into an unnamed tributary of Big Papillion Creek, which is currently on Nebraska’s list of impaired waters for bacteria.

Majestic C Team LLC NPDES permit violations observed during the EPA inspection included: failure to properly operate and maintain best management practices at the site and failure to ensure that discharges from the site do not contribute to an excursion of water quality standards. An administrative compliance order was issued to the company to correct these violations and come into compliance with its permit.

In addition to the $10,750 cash penalty, Majestic C Team LLC has agreed to perform a Supplemental Environmental Project. The project includes the construction of a water quality swale adjacent to the existing water detention basin. The swale is designed to reduce the velocity of, and pollutants in, the stormwater leaving the site and discharging into a stormwater retention basin.

The Clean Water Act seeks to protect streams and wetlands that form the foundation of the nation’s water resources. Runoff from rainfall or snowmelt that comes from construction sites can pick up pollutants, including sediment, and transport them directly to a nearby river or lake, or indirectly via a storm sewer and degrade water quality. Protecting streams and wetlands is also part of adapting to climate change impacts like drought, stronger storms, and warmer temperatures.

The settlement is subject to a 40-day public comment period before it becomes final. Information on how to submit comments is available online.

Sea lice are popping up all over Gulf Coast beaches causing skin rash


Sea lice invading Gulf Coast beaches





Sea lice invading Gulf Coast beaches and causing seabather's eruption (Florida.gov)





Updated 1 hr 7 mins ago 

Sea lice are popping up all over Gulf Coast beaches. Sea lice, also known as beach lice outbreaks have been reported mainly along the Florida panhandle. However, biologists say they expect to start seeing more sea lice move along the coastline to warmer waters.

Sea lice are virtually impossible to see underwater, making them difficult to track. They are known to get stuck underneath bathing suits and irritate the skin, causing a rash known as seabather's eruption.

Rashes may include elevated skin with a reddish tint and some small blisters. Severe reactions can cause fever, chills, nausea and headache.

Officials say the best form of treatment is to rub the affected area with sand or the edge of a credit card and flush the skin with hot water. Your natural reaction may be to flush the affected area with cold water, but don't - hot water is the key, experts say.

Sea lice, also known as beach lice, have been confirmed in Florida's South Walton and Santa Rosa Beaches. Experts say sea lice appear particularly in areas with warmer climates, such as the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean.

While they can be found throughout the year, sea lice are most active from the months of April through August.

To learn more about sea lice, click here.

Days after oil train derailment and oil fire and water leak, normal seems far away in scenic Mosier, Oregon










Union Pacific crews work Sunday, June 5, 2016, to get oil out of rail cars after Friday's derailment near Mosier. (Carli Brosseau/staff)
Carli Brosseau | The Oregonian/OregonLive

  By Carli Brosseau | The Oregonian/OregonLive
  on June 05, 2016 at 7:14 PM, updated June 06, 2016 at 1:02 AM



 
Updated at 8 p.m. and 1 a.m. with further details from a community meeting.

On most June weekends, Mosier is filled with pleasure seekers -- drivers, cyclists and other outdoors enthusiasts who come to appreciate the majestic beauty of the Columbia River Gorge.

But two days after a 96-car oil train partially derailed while passing through this city of 400, the traffic on Sunday was mostly industrial. Trucks hauled water, gravel and mobile toilets in big batches.

A Portland Fire & Rescue engine circled near the police checkpoint in front of Mosier Fruit Growers, which is preparing for an early cherry harvest, brought on by the warm weather.

Volunteers set up a shade tent to pass out water, granola bars and flyers for a community meeting in the evening. Neighbors braved temperatures above 90 degrees to hear the latest on the water system. They feared contamination. What they wanted most was news.





Acting mayor of Mosier responds to first train to pass through town since oil train derailed Acting Mayor Emily Reed was visibly upset Sunday, June 5, when she heard the horn of the first train to pass through Mosier since an oil train derailed Friday. She explains her safety concerns.

They got some big news during the community meeting at the Mosier Grange Sunday evening. The Interstate 84 exit to Mosier reopened, and the two-day-long evacuation of about a quarter of the city's residents was declared over. Wasco County Sheriff Lane Magill said everyone was free to return home.

People who live in Mosier Manor -- earlier told to evacuate -- were cautioned that they should be ready and set to go should there be a new emergency, the sheriff said. The rest of the city's residents and people who live up to about a mile outside of town should also remain vigilant and ready to go, Magill said.

Mosier residents were told they could now flush their toilets, but the water treatment plant remained closed. Waste will be collected and trucked to Hood River while repairs to the plant continue, the sheriff said.

About 10,000 gallons of crude oil leaked from damaged rail cars into the plant after three manholes were sheared off during the derailment, said Mike Renz, who was coordinating the hazardous materials response for the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.

That oil has been removed, Renz said. The plant was shut down Friday shortly after 14 cars full of Bakken crude oil from North Dakota derailed and four caught on fire -- three rupturing, he said.

The sheriff said Sunday there was no estimated date for reopening the water treatment plant but he was impressed with the capacity and monitoring of the temporary waste collection system.





Mosier's acting mayor describes hearing news that an oil train had derailed Acting Mayor Emily Reed was out of town when she heard an oil train had derailed in Mosier. She describes thinking that a derailment was inevitable.

The city is using cameras to study the extent of the damage, Acting Mayor Emily Reed said. Mosier is now using a backup well because its primary water source was drained dousing the flames.

The city is pumping water to homes, but asking residents to boil it because the well hasn't been recently tested. Officials don't believe the water has been contaminated, but they want to double check, Reed said.

The city sent three samples for testing Sunday, and all had a chlorine residual, indicating that the water is likely OK, said Matthew Koerner, the city water operator. Results are expected about noon Monday.

While the sewerage system in Mosier proper was unusable, many people used the bathroom at the homes of neighbors who live further from the river and have their own wells and septic systems.

Ray Abanto is one of them. "It's just an inconvenience right now," he said Sunday.

He swam in the river as a kind of temporary bathing replacement, then later showered at a friend's home.

But Abanto is grateful he doesn't have to be at work on Monday. "That would be a bit more difficult," he said.

Other Mosier residents say calling the derailment an inconvenience is an uncomfortable understatement.

When a Union Pacific spokesman used the word "inconvenience" in an early press conference, "I think it kind of stung for a lot of people," said Lisa Gee, who spent hours passing out water and flyers Sunday.

"It's a little bit more than an inconvenience," she said. "It's a community that was hit very hard."

Gee's 8-year-old son was in reading class when the train derailed about 200 feet from his school, Gee said.

"Kids heard the explosion and started crying," she said. "They saw the smoke."

She said several of the children were panicked, as were parents who didn't know where to find their children after they were evacuated. "For some people, it was pretty traumatic," she said.





Mosier business owner says oil train derailment sounded like a missile Stephen Demosthenes owns Route 30 Classics in Mosier, near where an oil train derailed Friday, June 3. "The thing that saved us was that there was no wind that day," he said Sunday, June 5.

There were many signs of raw emotion at the community meeting Sunday evening and shortly afterward, when the horns of the first train to pass through Mosier since the derailment could be heard from the Grange.

Tears welled in the acting mayor's eyes as she stopped walking to listen. "I trusted them," she said. Reed later explained, "I was really hoping that our process, when they said that they would do everything they could for our safety, I was hoping that that meant that they would stop train traffic until the fuel was gone."

The Mosier City Council held an emergency meeting earlier in the day to formally object to Union Pacific allowing trains to pass through before draining the 11 remaining cars that have fuel in them.

"I understand the calculations of possibilities and the math behind it, but frankly, we've just seen that it can happen, and they're asking us to risk one more time with fuel on the side of the tracks, so when I heard the train, that they actually were going through, I was very disappointed," Reed said.

Union Pacific officials said they were aware of local safety concerns and the track was inspected to standard before the first train was allowed to travel through about 8:30 p.m.

Inspections will continue throughout the night, and trains passing through Mosier will be limited to 10 miles per hour, Union Pacific spokesman Justin Jacobs said. The speed limit rounding the bend east of Mosier is usually 30 miles per hour, he said.

"We want citizens to feel safe," Jacobs said. "We want to oil out of Mosier. We also have a requirement and responsibility to our customers to get their goods across the country."

There is no restriction on what cargo types pass through Mosier, he said.

Workers will continue to drain the remaining rail cars and move the oil in them onto trucks, Union Pacific spokeswoman Raquel Espinoza said. She said it takes six trucks to move the oil in one rail car, and the transfer process takes special equipment and specially trained drivers.

Experts in all parts of the cleanup and repair process have been brought in from around the country, and Union Pacific will work 24 hours a day until all parts of the process are finished, several Union Pacific officials said.

Preliminary findings of the investigation into the cause of the derailment show that a fastener that held a railroad tie to the rail could be to blame, Espinoza said. The investigation is not complete.

The track through Mosier is inspected twice a week, more often than federal regulators require, Espinoza said. The last inspection was May 31, and a joint inspection with federal regulators took place April 25-26.

"No issues were identified at that time," she said.

Officials were not able to estimate Sunday how much oil spilled or the cost of the cleanup. The earth around where the cars derailed will eventually be excavated, they said.

Some oil traveled through pipes from the wastewater treatment plant into the Columbia River, but only a slight sheen could be seen in a containment area Sunday, said Renz, of the Department of Environmental Quality. A containment boom will stay in the river Monday, he said.

Despite signs of friction among officials of various allegiances and residents Sunday, everyone seemed to agree that the derailment could have been much worse.

"We couldn't have had better weather conditions," said Mike Igo, a longtime resident who used to train Portland airport firefighters to respond to plane crashes. "Twenty-four hours earlier the wind was 25 miles per hour. It would have driven the fire to the east, to the rest of the cars."

Mosier Fire Chief Jim Appleton underscored that point.

"I don't want anyone to leave with the impression of a fairy tale ending," Appleton said at the community meeting, where he received repeated praise and loud applause. "This was a horrible, horrible event that almost destroyed our community."

Appleton said he plans to negotiate with Union Pacific for safety improvements. "I want them to help us materially to make our community a lot safer," he said.

So far, there is no contract in place, he said.

-- Carli Brosseau

A 23-year-old man was critically injured when the car he was driving on North Broadway in St. Louis crashed into a bridge pillar


Driver critically injured after crashing into bridge pillar in St. Louis

From staff reports
19 hrs ago


ST. LOUIS • A 23-year-old man was critically injured when the car he was driving on North Broadway crashed into a bridge pillar Sunday morning.

The man's name has not been released. Police say he was critical and unstable at a hospital.



The crash happened at about 1 a.m. Sunday at North Broadway and Switzer Avenue, near Calvary Cemetery.

The driver was heading south in a Mercury Grand Marquis at high speed. After traveling through the intersection, the car veered to the left and hit the bridge pillar.

Motorcyclist heading to work killed in collision with deer and crashed by truck in South Carolina



UPDATED 2:10 PM EDT Jun 06, 2016



 


ANDERSON COUNTY, S.C. —The Anderson County coroner's office is investigating a deadly wreck involving a motorcyclist and a deer.

Anderson County Deputy Coroner Don McCown said Charles Anthony Madison, 38, died after hitting a deer, being thrown from his motorcycle into oncoming traffic and being struck by a truck Monday morning.

McCown said Madison died at the scene. Madison was heading to work at Spectrum Engineering Solutions in Greenville around 5:30 a.m. when he wrecked, McCown said.

The crash happened on Princeton Highway near Horseshoe Road.

The wreck left a section of Princeton Highway blocked.

McCown said Madison was riding a Suzuki.

2 injured after truck crashes into Colorado Convention Center



Posted 9:35 pm, June 6, 2016, by Web Staff, Updated at 05:54am, June 7, 2016


 

DENVER — A pickup truck plowed into the Colorado Convention Center Monday night, injuring two.

The vehicle went through the center doors of the convention center.

Two people were transported, in the same ambulance, with minor laceration injuries after the crash.

The driver may have been taken tot he hospital by police to be examined, but he was not injured according to Denver Police.

Police did not have much information about what caused the crash.

6 Range Rovers were damaged by fire early Tuesday morning in the Bucktown neighborhood in Chicago


Range Rovers damaged by fire in Bucktown



A Range Rover damaged in an early morning fire Tuesday.




Updated 4 mins ago

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Chicago police are investigating after as many as six Range Rovers were damaged by fire early Tuesday morning in the Bucktown neighborhood.

The SUVs were in what appears to be an overflow lot for the Howard Orloff dealership in the 1800 block of North Marshfield.

No one was hurt. The cause of the fire is under investigation.






Range Rovers in Bucktown damaged by fire.

1 truck driver killed in fiery semi crash on Illinois Tollway








Monday, June 06, 2016 09:03PM
LAPORTE COUNTY, Ind. (WLS) -- One person was killed in a fiery semi truck crash Monday afternoon on the Indiana Tollway in LaPorte County in northwest Indiana, according to Indiana State Police.

A 38-year-old Florida man driving a semi truck carrying brownies was stopped in the eastbound lanes of the tollway due to construction ahead that reduced lanes from two to one, near Wozniak Road.

At about 3:15 p.m., a second semi truck driver failed to slow down and rear-ended the semi full of brownies, which was traveling from Joliet to Maryland.

The second semi caught fire and engulfed in flames, trapping the driver inside.

The deceased driver has not been notified, pending family notification. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The semi that caught fire was carrying paper products.

The driver of the first semi sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

Lanes were closed for several hours, but have reopened.

Family members say a gas leak and the flip of a light switch contributed to the deadly blast at a home in north Houston.


Only on 13: Family says gas leak led to deadly explosion in north Houston





Family members say a gas leak and the flip of a light switch contributed to the deadly blast at a home in north Houston.





By Pooja Lodhia
Monday, June 06, 2016 09:49PM

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A northeast Houston family says their home exploded in flames last week after one of them turned on the light. All four people inside the home were severely injured.

"There was a gas leak and it was smelling on and off," explained relative Wanda Davenport. "At the time they thought it was gone, and she smelled it overnight but they cut the air conditioner on. They thought it was over with and they didn't smell it anymore. In the morning, my mother in her bedroom put on the light switch and it just exploded."

RELATED: Four injured in massive gas explosion in north Houston

Last night, 46-year-old Janice Davenport Hamlett died from her injuries. Demontrond Hamlett, 26, has third degree burns over 74 percent of his body. Kevineshia Adams, 19, and 73-year-old Annie Gray remain in the hospital.











Sky Eye coverage of north Houston explosion

"They'll never be the same. When I saw them I couldn't even recognize them. I just collapsed," said Relative Anna Smith.

The Houston Fire Department is still investigating exactly what happened, but firefighters did confirm there was a gas leak.

The family has set up a GoFundMe account.