Connect with us

Nevada

More sewage discharges reported: 76K gallons in Brevard, 54K at Sierra Nevada Brewing

Published

on

More sewage discharges reported: 76K gallons in Brevard, 54K at Sierra Nevada Brewing


Following reports of the recent untreated wastewater discharges into the French Broad River caused by the flooding in Western North Carolina on Jan. 9, the Times-News reached out to the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality and found out there were more reports of discharges in the area.

One of the largest in WNC was 76,350 gallons at 273 Gallimore Road in Brevard, discharged into the French Broad River. The second-largest was 54,000 gallons at 100 Sierra Nevada Way at Sierra Nevada Brewing in Fletcher, which also went into the French Broad, according to the NCDEQ’s wastewater discharge dashboard.

For the Sierra Nevada discharge, the NCDEQ reported the Metropolitan Sewerage District of Buncombe County investigated the incident and found the manhole leaking from around the top of the lid. After the flow subsided around 1 a.m. Jan. 10, fecal samples were taken upstream and downstream of the spill site.

Advertisement

“The area was remediated with lime and straw once the river had crested on Jan. 11,” the NCDEQ report said.

There were two more discharges in Transylvania County that discharged into the French Broad River: 287 College Plaza in Brevard (16,100 gallons) and 31 Burnette Drive in Brevard (10,650 gallons). Other WNC discharges previously reported by the Times-News were in Tryon (more than 35,000 gallons) and Hendersonville (more than 16,000 gallons).

More: More than 16K gallons of untreated wastewater discharged in Hendersonville; more than 35K in Tryon

NCDEQ public information officer for the Division of Water Services, Laura Oleniacz, told the Times-News on Jan. 12 residents didn’t need to be concerned.

Advertisement

“Sewer system overflows, called SSOs, are not unusual following a large rain event,” she said. “The NCDEQ Division of Water Resources staff will review the 24-hour and the five-day reports. They may request additional information, as needed, and will determine the next regulatory response, as appropriate.”

The Division of Water Resources requires sewer system operators to submit two reports: One within 24 hours and one within five days of any sewage spill that reaches surface water, or one that’s more than 1,000 gallons.

Oleniacz said discharges are typically caused by pumps and sewer lines being overwhelmed by the volume of rainwater entering sewers through inflow and infiltration. On Jan. 9, many parts of WNC received 4-6 inches of rain over a 12-hour period.

“Rainwater is not supposed to enter sanitary sewers, but it does through cracks and holes in the sewer collection. This is called infiltration,” Oleniacz said. “During flooding, water levels may submerge manholes and enter the sewer lines that way — this is called inflow.”

Advertisement

More rain of up to one-half to three-quarters of an inch was expected for WNC on Jan. 12, with precipitation to begin after 1 p.m. The National Weather Service issued a flood warning for Buncombe and Henderson counties that was set to expire at 7 p.m. Jan. 13.

Dean Hensley is the news editor for the Hendersonville Times-News. Email him with tips, questions and comments at DHensley@gannett.com. Please help support this kind of local journalism with a subscription to the Hendersonville Times-News.



Source link

Nevada

Oregon lands commitment from Nevada punter

Published

on

Oregon lands commitment from Nevada punter


Oregon has found its next Australian punter.

Bailey Ettridge, who averaged 44.66 yards on 47 punts at Nevada this season, committed to transfer to the Ducks on Sunday. He has three seasons of eligibility remaining.

From Lara, Australia, Ettridge had 15 punts over 50 yards and 18 inside opponents’ 20-yard lines this season. He also had two carries for 26 yards, both of which converted fourth downs.

Ettridge replaces James Ferguson-Reynolds, who is averaging 41.64 yards on 33 punts for UO this season. Ferguson-Reynolds and Ross James are both out of eligibility after the season.

Advertisement

Ettridge is the first scholarship transfer to Oregon this offseason and his addition gives the Ducks 81 projected scholarship players in 2026. He is the lone punter presently on the roster.



Source link

Continue Reading

Nevada

‘Winnemucca Day’ helps fuel Backus, Wolf Pack to 58-40 win over Utah State

Published

on

‘Winnemucca Day’ helps fuel Backus, Wolf Pack to 58-40 win over Utah State


RENO, Nev. (Nevada Athletics) – Nevada Women’s Basketball returned to Lawlor for the first game of 2026, hosting Utah State.

The Pack picked up its first conference win of the season with the 58-40 victory over the Aggies.

Freshmen showed out for the Pack (5-9, 1-3 MW) with Skylar Durley nearly recording a double-double, dropping 12 points and grabbing nine rebounds. Britain Backus had five points to go along with two rebounds and a season high four steals.

Junior Izzy Sullivan also had an impactful game with 17 points, going 6-for-11 from the paint and grabbing five boards. She also knocked down Nevada’s only two makes from beyond the arc, putting her within one for 100 career threes.

Advertisement

The Pack opened up scoring the first four points, setting the tone for the game. It was a close battle through the first 10 as Utah State (6-7, 2-2 MW) closed the gap to one.

However, Nevada never let them in front for the entire 40 minutes.

Nevada turned up the pressure in the second quarter, holding Utah State to a shooting drought for over four minutes. Meanwhile, a 5-0 scoring run pushed the Pack to a 10-point lead.

For the entire first 20, Nevada held Utah State to just 26.7 percent from the floor and only nine percent from the arc, going only 1-for-11.

For the Pack offense, it shot 48 percent from the paint. Nevada fell into a slump coming out of the break, only scoring eight points.

Advertisement

It was the only quarter where the Pack was outscored.

The fourth quarter saw the Pack get back into rhythm with a 6-0 run and forcing the Aggies into another long scoring drought of just under four and a half minutes.

Durley had a layup and jumper to help with securing the win.

Nevada will remain at home to face Wyoming on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Nevada

EDITORIAL: Nevada’s House Democrats oppose permitting reform

Published

on

EDITORIAL: Nevada’s House Democrats oppose permitting reform


Politicians of both parties have promised to fix the nation’s broken permitting system. But those promises have not been kept, and the status quo prevails: longer timelines, higher costs and a regulatory maze that makes it nearly impossible to build major projects on schedule.

Last week, the House finally cut through the fog by passing the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development Act. As Jeff Luse reported for Reason, the legislation is the clearest chance in years to overhaul a system that has spun out of control.

Notably, virtually every House Democrat — including Reps. Dina Titus, Susie Lee and Steven Horsford from Nevada — opted for the current regulatory morass.

The proposal addressed problems with the National Environmental Policy Act, which passed in the 1970s to promote transparency, but has grown into an anchor that drags down public and private investment. Mr. Luse notes that even after Congress streamlined the act in 2021, the average environmental impact statement takes 2.4 years to complete. That number speaks for itself and does not reflect the many reviews that stretch far beyond that already unreasonable timeline.

Advertisement

The SPEED Act tackles these failures head on. It would codify recent Supreme Court guidance, expand the projects that do not require exhaustive review and set real expectations for federal agencies that too often slow-walk approvals. Most important, it puts long-overdue limits on litigation. Mr. Luse highlights the absurdity of the current six-year window for filing a lawsuit under the Environmental Policy Act. Between 2013 and 2022, these lawsuits delayed projects an average of 4.2 years.

While opponents insist the bill would silence communities, Mr. Luse notes that NEPA already includes multiple public hearings and comment periods. Also, the vast majority of lawsuits are not filed by members of the people who live near the projects. According to the Breakthrough Institute, 72 percent of NEPA lawsuits over the past decade came from national nonprofits. Only 16 percent were filed by local communities. The SPEED Act does not shut out the public. It reins in well-funded groups that can afford to stall projects indefinitely.

Some Democrats claim the bill panders to fossil fuel companies, while some Republicans fear it will accelerate renewable projects. As Mr. Luse explains, NEPA bottlenecks have held back wind, solar and transmission lines as often as they have slowed oil and gas. That is why the original SPEED Act won support from green energy groups and traditional energy producers.

Permitting reform is overdue, and lawmakers claim to understand that endless red tape hurts economic growth and environmental progress alike. The SPEED Act is the strongest permitting reform proposal in years. The Senate should approve it.

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending