View allAll Photos Tagged cleanesting
Harnessing the wind is one of the cleanest, most sustainable ways to generate electricity. Wind power produces no toxic emissions and none of the heat trapping emissions that contribute to global warming. This, and the fact that wind power is one of the most abundant and increasingly cost-competitive energy resources, makes it a viable alternative to the fossil fuels that harm our health and threaten the environment.
Canon EOS 5D MKII + Canon EF 17-40 f/4 L @ 21 mm
ISO 50 - f/16 - 0.6s
Lee ProGlass ND 0.9 + Lee GND 0.6 HE + Heliopan CPL 105mm
As capital cities go this is just about the smallest, quietest, cleanest and friendliest I have ever visited. Albeit a picky point about being a capital city. The Faroes are a semi automonous region of Denmark and there was a Danish Frigate in the outer harbour.
The language is some form of early unfettered Norse (as spoken by Eric the Red) - One of the first Europeans to set foot on American soil.
The statue in the square is:
The statue represents a national hero of the Faroes, called Nólsoyar Páll after the island Nólsoy where he was born. He is a symbol of the struggle for independence from Denmark. There were no free trade in the beginning of the 19th century, only one monopoly store in Tórshavn. Nólsoyar Páll stood up against this, he built his own ship in Vágur on Suðuroy and sailed to Denmark and then to England, but his ship went missing and he was never seen again. He was also a poet, wrote "Fuglakvæði" (bird's ballad) where he gives the danish officials birds name.
Courtesey of Eileen Sanda
Martin Ball and I were walking along the alley which links Dowsett Road and Carew Road, Tottenham, N17. Wondering what we'd find dumped there.
Martin was sure there'd be at least a couple of bags, a mattress, or maybe an armchair.
I was in a good mood and felt less pessimistic. The morning was cold, but sunny. Overnight we'd had the first light sprinkling of snow in Tottenham. You can still spot some in the gutter on the right of the photo. But there wasn't a single dumped item or bag of rubbish. And hardly a scrap of litter.
Just a cat admiring the cleanliness. Oh, and the usual cans and other litter tucked neatly into the broken fence about halfway down the alley. (Scroll down the page.)
Surprising? Well, just a little. So congratulations to the Veolia street cleaners and Haringey's Enforcement staff.
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Anyway, hadn't Cllr Claire Kober, the Dear Leader of Haringey Council declared that "Our streets are among the cleanest in London and resident satisfaction is at its highest ever level?
No, really. I'm not making that up. Nor inventing that remarkable claim in one of her Leader's columns. In planning the worst cuts so far from the Council budget, Claire assured us we were "Building a Stronger Haringey Together". In fact she repeated the same smiling, upbeat, fatuous message several times.
Perhaps during the ten plagues, the ruling Pharoah (possibly Neferhotep) may have announced something similar after the diseased animals, flies and then boils. And again between the thunderstorm of hail and fire and waiting for the arrival of the plague of locusts.
"Bring it on guys! We're Building a Stronger Egypt Together!"
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Cart Marking showcases a truly unique collection of transport dating back from the horse and cart, to the latest, cleanest, greenest, and safest in use today.
The regulation of carts dates back over 750 years to the early days of The City with the ceremony of cart Marking evolving over time.
Today we bring all that history back to life with a modern twist. You will see vehicles ranging from handcarts and horse-drawn carts and carriages to steam engines, military vehicles and motorcycles. With historic, vintage and specialist vehicles – new and old – including the latest sustainably-powered vehicles on display.
The vehicles enter Guildhall Yard through the arch to be branded as part of this unique ceremony. As each one is presented, a commentator tells visitors about its history and relevance today. Once in position the Sheriffs, Master Carman, his two Wardens and the Master Glover, dressed in traditional robes will brand each vehicle with a red-hot iron, a ritual known as Cart Marking. It takes about two hours for all the vehicles (carts) to pass though Guildhall Yard, get marked and then process through again on a celebratory drive-past.
I think Pyongyang is the cleanest town i've seen in my life. There is a kind of obession about it. My guide told me that it was because the town is hosting tKim Il Sung, so to pay respect to his body, everything must be perfect. No car can enter the town with mud or dirt. It must be cleaned before on the highway. I saw it.
© Eric Lafforgue
The cleanest 340 I've seen for a long time, this one looked like it had just rolled off the production line.
Cart Marking showcases a truly unique collection of transport dating back from the horse and cart, to the latest, cleanest, greenest, and safest in use today.
The regulation of carts dates back over 750 years to the early days of The City with the ceremony of cart Marking evolving over time.
Today we bring all that history back to life with a modern twist. You will see vehicles ranging from handcarts and horse-drawn carts and carriages to steam engines, military vehicles and motorcycles. With historic, vintage and specialist vehicles – new and old – including the latest sustainably-powered vehicles on display.
The vehicles enter Guildhall Yard through the arch to be branded as part of this unique ceremony. As each one is presented, a commentator tells visitors about its history and relevance today. Once in position the Sheriffs, Master Carman, his two Wardens and the Master Glover, dressed in traditional robes will brand each vehicle with a red-hot iron, a ritual known as Cart Marking. It takes about two hours for all the vehicles (carts) to pass though Guildhall Yard, get marked and then process through again on a celebratory drive-past.
Kids enjoying & playing fun games while returning from school. Mawlynnong is a village in the East Khasi Hills district of the Meghalaya state, India. Mawlynnong is famous for its matrilineal society as well as having been dubbed Asia's cleanest village.
This is the cleanest it will ever be. I need another blast gate for the first port. The scroll saw and sanding machines will live here
Jaguar
Akron Zoo
These photos were tough to get because she was strongly backlit, and the Plexiglas was not the cleanest.
Affectionate Pet Care's outdoor exercise yards feature K9Grass, creating the cleanest and safest puppy playgrounds.
The cleanest R9 I've ever met. It was common in Romania, being a grey import, but now, they got extinct. Because of the name Cheverny, it means that it's a facelifted model and the GTL on the other hand, means it has a 1.4L petrol engine, making 68 HP! Kudos for the owner of the R9!
Mawlynnong Village has earned the distinction of being the cleanest village in India. It is situated 90 kms. from Shillong and besides the picturesque village, offers many interesting sights such as the living root bridge and another strange natural phenomenon of a boulder balancing on another rock.
Mawlynnong nestled in the pristine hill state of Meghalaya, is along the Indo-Bangla border. This cute and colourful little village is known for its cleanliness. The main occupation of the villagers is agriculture. They mostly grow betel nut. About 82 households live in Mawlynnong. Keeping the surrounding environment clean is an age old tradition. Discover India magazine declared the village as the cleanest in Asia in 2003.
For details - www.mawlynnong.com/
UNEDITED IMAGE
One of the cleanest & most elegant Barbara Barry/Baker designs. Fine fine quality, wonderful scale and size.
One of the cleanest and least holey short row techniques I've used so far. The short rows on the side where the slipped stitches are work from the wrong side of the fabric.
Must View Large!
This is a shot of Eagle Cap and Mirror Lake after we found our spot and set up camp. It was still pretty early in the day, so I decided to go wander around a bit and my first stop was down on the shores of Mirror Lake. I love how the lake looks at any time of day. Sunset is spectacular, but even mid afternoon, the lake is awesome. Mirror Lake is made up of some of the cleanest water I've ever seen.
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The Plan:
Ever since my 2009 trip to Eagle Cap and the Lakes Basin, I have wanted to go back. Finally my dad and I got a trip planned for the end of August 2011. It was going to be my dad, his friend Wade, and me. The plan was to drive up to the trailhead on August 25th, then camp there. On the morning of the 26th, we were to begin the hike to Mirror Lake, set up camp and relax. We would spend the night at the lake on the 26th. My dad and I were going to get up on the 27th to climb Eagle Cap while Wade relaxed and did some fishing. We would again camp at the lake on the night of the 27th. We would begin our journey out and home early on the morning of the 28th.
The Story:
Day One: It was about mid-afternoon on Thursday, August 25th, 2011 when my mom came and got me from the fairgrounds so that dad, Wade and I could begin our trip to Eagle Cap. I got home and dad and I packed up the Durango and went off to Wade’s house so he could pack his stuff in. From there, we headed off into the afternoon just like last time. This time was a little different though, because I was driving. :) I don’t know what it is, but I just love to drive everywhere. My parents hardly ever drive anymore because of me. :) We made good time and arrived in Lostine, Oregon late in the afternoon. We ate a big and delicious dinner at the Lostine Tavern and started up the road toward the trailhead. Let me tell you, that 11 miles of dirt road was just as rough as I remembered it. We arrived at the parking lot awhile after sunset, so it was getting dark fast. I scouted out a nice spot down on the East fork of the Lostine River…. Funny thing is, it was the same spot that we had intended to camp on last time… But don’t worry! This time we had the tent poles! :) We set up camp and I got a fire going… everything was a bit damp, so I had help from some lighter fluid. :) Before long, we were all tired and the fire was going out, so we hit the sack for the night.
Day Two: We were up bright and early on the 26th. It was time to begin the 7 and a half mile hike up the East fork of the Lostine River to the Lakes Basin. The hike started off pretty well. I’d say we were probably the first ones on the trail and were making good time. It seemed like no time and we were up into the meadow with Eagle Cap in our sights. We started to pass people who were on their way out. One lady we talked to had been up there for five days and she said she had had an interesting trip. She said that Wednesday night (the 24th) some massive thunderstorms had rolled in with tons of rain, lightning, thunder and howling winds. I remember that night I was at the fairgrounds and could see all the lightning to the south. It must have been quite a storm! We continued on and decided to take a lunch break at the little bridge that crosses the Lostine River, which at this point is little more than a creek. It is also at the fork of the trail. The old trail (which has big rocks and logs hastily thrown into it in attempt to keep hikers away) is to the right and the new one to the left. While eating our lunch, a group of friends from the Tri-Cities as well came up. It was a pretty cool surprise. After lunch, it was time for the final push. We decided that since we took the new trail last time, we would take the old one this time. Dad and Wade were slowing down, and I was given permission to go my own pace. So I started on up the trail and soon lost everyone behind me. It is quite something to be hiking alone down an old trail, eventually over a bunch a granite rocks, guessing where the trail goes over those rocks. I found it quite serene and enjoyable at that. It really puts life into perspective. I loved it and arrived at the lake about a half hour or so ahead of the others. I went and scouted out the camp we stayed at back in ’09 then went backwards on the trail until I met up with dad and Wade. We all went and set up camp, got the stove going and relaxed a bit. I was soon running to the outlet stream to go get water to clean. It was so clear. Not a single floater in sight. We used a UV filter and never got sick. While hanging out at camp, a forest ranger wandered into camp. He was a really nice guy. He was just making sure we were keeping our garbage and gear where it should be and making sure we had a stove and didn’t plan on have a fire close to the lake. We talked for about an hour just exchanging hiking stories and making fun of freeze dried meals. :) He soon had to move on and complete his rounds though. I then went down to the lake and broke out the camera. I love taking pictures. There are so many angles to take one from and each is so different. It is quite relaxing to me. It was soon sunset and Mirror Lake really took to its name and went glassy smooth. After the last glow faded, I went up to camp and make myself some hot chocolate and watched as the stars came out. The stars out there at 7200 feet, crystal clear night air, and no light pollution are indescribable. You really just have to see it to comprehend it. The pictures I have don’t do it justice. As night fell, I started clicking away. I did continuous shots for about 2 hours before calling it a night.
Day Three: The next morning (the 27th) was D-day. I got all set to head up the mountain early in the morning. My dad and I set off with light packs while Wade went down to the lake to try some fishing. I was feeling good with such a light load, which was still a lot more than anybody else we saw because I had four bottles of water, too many snacks and 8 or so pounds of camera gear, but it was still good for me. :) The climb up isn’t too bad. You start off with a lot of switchbacks up to the Horton Pass area where is flattens out a bit. Then you quickly start on up the back of Eagle Cap. By this point, I was ready to go for it, but dad wasn’t quite as ready. I was again given permission to go on up the mountain. I met up with a group of guys from Spokane and some of their friends from Georgia. They were a great group of guys and were moving at my pace so I climbed with them. The guy from Georgia was amazed at us crazy westerners climbing our crazy mountains. Apparently The Great Smoky Mountains aren’t very steep…. Haha I’m not a fan of much on the east coast. The Smokies failed to impress me on my visit entirely. Before long… okay, who am I kidding? It was a long haul… we summited. Let me tell you, the view from up there is incredible. You have a wonderful 360 degree view for miles and miles around. I started clicking off panoramas and everything else I felt necessary while munching on a Nature Valley bar. When my dad summited, he checked his phone to find that he had some service. So we both made calls and talked to my mom a bit. Then I decided to make a call to my girlfriend who was back in the Tri-Cities at the fair riding horses. Also, there are a ton of ground squirrels up at the summit….. They are cheap entertainment if you have a few almonds to spare. :) The hike back to camp actually wasn’t bad at all. And let me tell you, it was nice to go dip my feet in the freezing cold lake, seeing as it was in the mid 80’s or so the days we were there. It was good to be back at camp to relax again. After eating some dinner, I once again broke out the camera and spent the remaining daylight down by the lake. I was glad to have shot so many photos of the lake the previous night because the water was less smooth this time around. While I was shooting, Wade, who was about 70 feet down the shoreline from me, caught a fish. It was only about 6 or 7 inches long, but a cool catch nonetheless. When night fell, I was a little less enthusiastic about taking more night shots considering I had more than 250 of them from the previous night. But I still spent about an hour or so trying some light painting on the trees and stuff like that. After that, it was time to hit the sack.
Day Four: The next morning, the 28th, everybody was a bit slow to get up and pack up. I didn’t really want to leave such a wonderful place, but it was time to reunite with civilization. The hike out went pretty smoothly and we were back to the Durango by midday. In the daylight, the dirt road was a little more fun too. The drive home was nice and it was also great to be home. I feel that we had a very successful trip.
Taken on August 26, 2011
Nikon D90
Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 lens
Tiffen UV filter
Exposure Bias: 0EV
Exposure: 1/500sec.
Aperture: f/8
ISO: 200
11mm
Why am I not allowed in your bed? I am the cleanest and most well behaved Giant in the country ( may be even world! )
As you can see, it isn't the cleanest example going either, those sun scorched headrests and faded paintwork suggest it could be on its last legs, but if it has survived 29 years so far, than nothing is impossible. I cannot imagine how amazingly modern these must have looked when new, they still haven't dated that much now, which says something about the person behind the design, Audis have a neat way of staying fresh looking for many years, long may this one continue to serve its owner.
This is, by far, the cleanest my office has ever been. One moving box
full of stuff was taken home this weekend, two phones eliminated
(still need two), and I found out what color my desk is. Not pictured
in other parts of the office: 40 old voip phones removed (shipped to a
liquidator) and 35 boxes the new phones came in also removed (sent to the recycling bin).
Take your wake surfing, wakeboarding and handling to extremes with the new SE450 and SE550 from Supra Boats @Supra_Boats. This 24-foot 6-inch wake boat cranks out the most massive cleanest custom shaped surf waves on either side thanks to 3200 pounds of ballast, precise hull design and the available Swell Surf System. The SE further exceeds high performance with wakeboard wakes that will be launching pros at the 2014 WWA Wakeboard World Championships presented by Supra Boats. The responsive handling and solid ride of the SE earned its spot on the Worlds stage as a large boat that excels in the precise maneuvering of a tournament tow boat. The interior refinement of the SE begins with the extremely wide bow and finishes with crowd-astonishing accommodation in all seating areas especially the new Convertible Rear-facing Bench seat. Enjoy the high torque efficient quiet power of the 440 6.2 liter Ford Raptor by Indmar standard with the instantaneous pull-up 427 foot pounds of torque provides. Opt for the SE550 and move up to the 575 6.2 liter Ford Raptor Supercharged with 580 ft lbs torque. Fuel your water sports passion with the precision of wake surfing, wakeboarding and overall ride at its most extreme in the new 2015 SE450 and SE550.
Accommodating Interior
As you move towards the SE’s main lounge you will get a clearer idea of the sheer size of this Supra. Rated for 18 passengers, this interior is extremely spacious and accommodating. When attentions are directed towards the back of the boat the SE interior accommodates with a number of rear-facing seat options. Pop-up the Triple-up seating along the passenger’s side of the lounge; a rear-facing leanback that flips-up to reveal two more cup holders. You can also back-up to the driver’s area in a rear-facing seat. The best seat in the house to witness the extreme action is the new Convertible Rear-facing Bench that unfolds out of the SE’s rear lounge. When you’re ready for a snack instead of a seat, the Convertible Bench folds to a table. Beneath almost all seats you will find storage areas that extend below floor level. The main enclosures are accessible through large top opening seat cushions hinged with strong 90-degree flipping stainless steel brackets. The SE lounge also conceals two Supra Boats ice chests. The soft-side American Outdoors cooler (AO) can be stored in just about any SE storage area while the 36-quart Igloo Marine cooler has a specially designed storage area to keep it secure. With plenty of drink storage on-board the SE is equipped with 36 cup holders so passengers can always have a beverage near-by. Hold on to those drinks when drive throttles-up!
This is the cleanest and most organized it's ever been. I thought I better take some photos before total pandemonium breaks out again.
Cart Marking showcases a truly unique collection of transport dating back from the horse and cart, to the latest, cleanest, greenest, and safest in use today.
The regulation of carts dates back over 750 years to the early days of The City with the ceremony of cart Marking evolving over time.
Today we bring all that history back to life with a modern twist. You will see vehicles ranging from handcarts and horse-drawn carts and carriages to steam engines, military vehicles and motorcycles. With historic, vintage and specialist vehicles – new and old – including the latest sustainably-powered vehicles on display.
The vehicles enter Guildhall Yard through the arch to be branded as part of this unique ceremony. As each one is presented, a commentator tells visitors about its history and relevance today. Once in position the Sheriffs, Master Carman, his two Wardens and the Master Glover, dressed in traditional robes will brand each vehicle with a red-hot iron, a ritual known as Cart Marking. It takes about two hours for all the vehicles (carts) to pass though Guildhall Yard, get marked and then process through again on a celebratory drive-past.
Pushed the furniture aside, put on a gigantic t-shirt and hospital pants, tied rags to my feet, and let Murphy's Oil and Pledge spray turn my living/dining room into a skating rink. I kept falling, but it was worth it. I'll feel it tomorrow, guaranteed!!!
Lighting setup: one sb-600, camera left with CTO gel, bounced off the ceiling at 1/4 power. Another sb-600 behind the white bowl on the floor, pointed at foot level to light the floor (no gel or diffuser) at full power. Fired by Pocket Weasel in my right hand.
3" exposure, flashes fired once while I polished the floor with the rags on my feet.
Not even a really good photo, but it was my first attempt with both Pocket Weasels (I can't bring myself to call them "wizards." "Weasel" is just too good of a word.
The Adriatic Sea is the cleanest, clearest water I have ever seen. This is the view pulling into port...doesn't everyone have a castle in their hometown?
Mawlynnong Village has earned the distinction of being the cleanest village in India. It is situated 90 kms. from Shillong and besides the picturesque village, offers many interesting sights such as the living root bridge and another strange natural phenomenon of a boulder balancing on another rock.
Mawlynnong nestled in the pristine hill state of Meghalaya, is along the Indo-Bangla border. This cute and colourful little village is known for its cleanliness. The main occupation of the villagers is agriculture. They mostly grow betel nut. About 82 households live in Mawlynnong. Keeping the surrounding environment clean is an age old tradition. Discover India magazine declared the village as the cleanest in Asia in 2003.
For details - www.mawlynnong.com/
UNEDITED IMAGE
Is it the cleanest and most original Monza in the world? Clearly somebody loves it, and it's the first one I've ever seen in the flesh. (All American Car Show - Gembrook, Victoria AUS Feb 2013)
Take your wake surfing, wakeboarding and handling to extremes with the new SE450 and SE550 from Supra Boats @Supra_Boats. This 24-foot 6-inch wake boat cranks out the most massive cleanest custom shaped surf waves on either side thanks to 3200 pounds of ballast, precise hull design and the available Swell Surf System. The SE further exceeds high performance with wakeboard wakes that will be launching pros at the 2014 WWA Wakeboard World Championships presented by Supra Boats. The responsive handling and solid ride of the SE earned its spot on the Worlds stage as a large boat that excels in the precise maneuvering of a tournament tow boat. The interior refinement of the SE begins with the extremely wide bow and finishes with crowd-astonishing accommodation in all seating areas especially the new Convertible Rear-facing Bench seat. Enjoy the high torque efficient quiet power of the 440 6.2 liter Ford Raptor by Indmar standard with the instantaneous pull-up 427 foot pounds of torque provides. Opt for the SE550 and move up to the 575 6.2 liter Ford Raptor Supercharged with 580 ft lbs torque. Fuel your water sports passion with the precision of wake surfing, wakeboarding and overall ride at its most extreme in the new 2015 SE450 and SE550.
Accommodating Interior
As you move towards the SE’s main lounge you will get a clearer idea of the sheer size of this Supra. Rated for 18 passengers, this interior is extremely spacious and accommodating. When attentions are directed towards the back of the boat the SE interior accommodates with a number of rear-facing seat options. Pop-up the Triple-up seating along the passenger’s side of the lounge; a rear-facing leanback that flips-up to reveal two more cup holders. You can also back-up to the driver’s area in a rear-facing seat. The best seat in the house to witness the extreme action is the new Convertible Rear-facing Bench that unfolds out of the SE’s rear lounge. When you’re ready for a snack instead of a seat, the Convertible Bench folds to a table. Beneath almost all seats you will find storage areas that extend below floor level. The main enclosures are accessible through large top opening seat cushions hinged with strong 90-degree flipping stainless steel brackets. The SE lounge also conceals two Supra Boats ice chests. The soft-side American Outdoors cooler (AO) can be stored in just about any SE storage area while the 36-quart Igloo Marine cooler has a specially designed storage area to keep it secure. With plenty of drink storage on-board the SE is equipped with 36 cup holders so passengers can always have a beverage near-by. Hold on to those drinks when drive throttles-up!
Unknown builder but one of the cleanest frame -lug work I had ever have a chance to restore.
My job was to restore, add bottle - fork crown - gear bosses, seat cluster cable stop, stainless rack - decalleur and front cable hanger
Spotted previously, but its the cleanest MKII I have seen for a long time. Quite an unusual colour, but it works quite well in my opinion. As you can no doubt tell, the amount of frost on this day was fairly substantial, nothing compared to the snowfall which followed however.
Nice to see a SERCK plate, looks barely legal now though.
13 April 2014. Exhibits at the western end of Forster Road, Tottenham N17.
Part of the Art in the Open Festival, which showcases several outstanding Tottenham artists for wider public appreciation.
On the left of the photo one of Woodsy's unique, elegant and thought provoking street installations. They are rarely seen these days. Unfortunately her popularity means that Woodsy's pieces tend to be quickly snaffled by art dealers eager to auction someone else's work DIY enthusiasts who mistake them for discarded IKEA bookshelves.
On the right : Alongside is the breathtakingly beautiful piece created by her partner Bouncy and called simply: Blue, Blue and Blue. Always accessible, his apparently simple geometric shapes conceal many layers of meaning and materials. As Bouncy explains:
"People ask me if they've correctly interpreted this work
as some homely everyday object. Perhaps a large iPad
for viewing Imax movies; or a collapsible tent; a blow-up
piano, or a gigantic Belgian waffle-maker. They are
astonished when I tell them it is none of these things".
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Art in the Open Festival runs until 22 May 2014 at locations round Tottenham. It celebrates Haringey's current Ionesco status as "International Cleanest World Heritage Streets on the Planet".
Puri Beach , Orissa – The beach has a splendid view with all goodfacilities right from the accommodation (hotels), transportation and to all the other facilities. The beach is cleaned regularly by concerned authority and therefore it is properly maintained.If you are fond of the sea beaches, then Jagannath puri beaches in Orissa are best beaches in India with crystal clear water after Andaman and Nicobar.
Jesse Seymour's Mk1 VW GTI VR6 on BBS RS Wheels is one of the cleanest around, despite a little rain. Click here to read the full article!
To order a custom 2x4' photo banner of this image, please note the title and number and Click Here!
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Sam Dobbins Instagram (@iamsamdobbins)
Tall floodplain herbs like Indian Cup Plant and Jerusalem Artichoke attract wildlife and also maintain an upright visually pleasing form the public doesn't perceive as untidy. They sequester sewage and filter it appropriately. Olmsted utilized the same approach in managing Boston's sewage lagoons. Boston now has among the cleanest drinking water in the nation. The amount of gallons of combined sewage/road runoff through this area of Louisville's Beargrass Creek Watershed is in the billions of gallons annually.
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SOURCE: EPA/Department of Justice. (Washington, D.C.-- 04/25/05) The U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and Commonwealth of Kentucky's Environmental and Public Protection Cabinet (EPPC) jointly announced today a comprehensive Clean Water Act settlement with the Louisville and Jefferson County Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD). The settlement ensures that MSD will make extensive improvements to its sewer systems to eliminate unauthorized discharges of untreated sewage and to address problems of overflows from sewers that carry a combination of untreated sewage and storm water at a cost likely to exceed $500 million. Throughout the year, MSD's sewer systems are overwhelmed by rainfall resulting in unlawful discharges of untreated sewage and overflows of combined sewage into the Ohio River and its tributaries
totaling billions of gallons each year.
The Commonwealth filed a civil suit against MSD in state court in February, 2004 and has been negotiating since that time with MSD to reach an agreement. A consent decree, filed today in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky in Louisville, represents the combined efforts of both the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the United States, which have entered into this settlement as plaintiff and intervening plaintiff, respectively.
The consent decree will require MSD to: propose and implement specific corrective action plans to bring overflows from its combined sewers that carry a combination of both untreated sewage and storm water into compliance with water quality standards; propose and implement specific corrective action plans to eliminate unauthorized discharges from its sanitary sewers that carry just untreated sewage (the worst discharges, representing approximately 75 percent of the total, must be addressed by no later than 2013); improve its management, operation and maintenance programs to prevent future overflows; and respond
to overflows when they occur.
"This settlement represents a monumental step forward in improving water quality in the Commonwealth of Kentucky," Governor Ernie Fletcher said. "These issues have never been addressed in a meaningful way in Kentucky, and the cooperation of federal, state and local entities was key to moving forward expeditiously. It's a win win win."
"Old sewage systems across our nation allow significant water pollution to occur," said Thomas V. Skinner, EPA's Acting Assistant Administrator for the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. "The Louisville settlement is a great example of the progress that can be made when federal, state and local governments work together. Collaboration like this can be a model for other cities to achieve cleaner
water, faster."
"This joint enforcement action represents tremendous team work between federal and state partners that will bring long-term, significant environmental improvements to the Louisville area and the Ohio River system," said Kelly Johnson, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division. "This case is another outstanding example of how federal and state agencies can work together to achieve compliance with our environmental regulations."
MSD was created to provide sanitary sewer and storm water drainage service for residential, commercial, and industrial entities throughout the City of Louisville and Jefferson County, Kentucky. MSD is responsible for the operation and maintenance of six major regional wastewater treatment facilities, 21 minor treatment plants, and approximately 3,000 miles of sewer lines. Approximately 23 percent of these sewer lines are served by a combined system of single pipes that carry both untreated sewage and storm water to the Morris Forman Waste Water Treatment Plant. The remaining 77 percent of MSD's system carries untreated sewage separate from storm water. The capacity of MSD's sewer systems can be overwhelmed after rainfall, resulting in unauthorized discharges averaging 175 million gallons of untreated sewage from the separated system annually. In 2004 alone, however, MSD's separated system experienced over 500 million gallons of unauthorized discharges of untreated sewage. In addition, rainfall events cause combined sewer overflows (or CSOs) of untreated sewage and storm water totaling an average of 4.5 billion gallons annually. These unauthorized discharges and CSOs have affected water quality in the Ohio River and its tributaries, including Beargrass Creek.
The consent decree also requires MSD to pay a civil penalty of $1 million to the Commonwealth of Kentucky and, under Commonwealth supervision, perform $2.25 million in Supplemental Environmental Projects (SEPs). The purposes of the SEPs are to provide public health screenings for residents of neighborhoods adjacent to the industrialized areas of the western portion of Louisville; perform, or provide funding for groups that will perform, efforts to raise environmental awareness and stewardship for the local and regional community; and convert and reclaim the former Lee's Lane Landfill into an area for public
use.
"This settlement reflects our commitment to work with state and local agencies to resolve legal disputes cooperatively and in the best interests of the public," commented Jimmy Palmer, EPA Regional Administrator in Atlanta. "We are pleased that EPA and the Commonwealth of Kentucky are collaborating as plaintiffs in this settlement, as it will go a long way toward improving the health of the Ohio River and its tributaries in the Louisville area."
"Protecting the Commonwealth's waters is one of the top priorities of our Cabinet," added Kentucky EPPC secretary LaJuana Wilcher. "We plan to continue working with other communities on wet weather issues such as CSOs and storm water. That's vital to improving our water quality."
In the past, the United States has reached similar agreements with numerous municipal entities across the country including Mobile; Jefferson County (Birmingham), Alabama; Atlanta; Knoxville; Miami; New Orleans; Toledo; Hamilton County (Cincinnati), Ohio; Baltimore; and Los Angeles.
The proposed consent decree with MSD is subject to a 30-day public comment period and final court approval before becoming effective.