At this stage, lots of details are unknown about Spring Lake Improvement District's idea to buy the 36-hole Spring Lake Golf Resort. ...more

January 28, 2009

With snowbirds on the move, flushing out a deal between the city, the Department of Environmental Protection and Highlands County on the purchase of Landmark Utilities will be met with an increasing sense of urgency. ...more

November 23, 2008

The city of Sebring took the first step to plunge deeper into the sewer business Tuesday night; about $1.55 million deeper. ...more

October 23, 2008

Tampa Bay Water officials say they want to protect water quality in the Alafia River by changing the river's classification so it must meet drinking water standards. ...more

December 14, 2007

SEBRING — Here's the upshot of Tuesday's Highlands County Commission meeting: the Thunderbird Hills South wastewater treatment plant has operated without a Department of Environmental Protection permit since 2001, it needs hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of repairs, and by January, Highlands County may be forced by state law to take over. ...more

November 21, 2007

Wastewater Carries Signs Of Drug Problems A city's sewer plant doesn't just treat human waste; it also can tip off law enforcement officials about a local drug problem. Using just a teaspoon of wastewater, Oregon State University researchers recently measured levels of everything from caffeine, cotinine (a break-down product of nicotine from cigarette smoke) and prescription drugs to methamphetamines, cocaine and Ecstasy. The community urinalysis wouldn't flush out single users but could eventually help officials track the spread of drugs, the researchers said. When drugs break down in the body, their byproducts end up in excrement and urine. That waste flows from toilets to treatment plants. Caffeine is the ingredient Americans consume and excrete the most. The scientists also found higher concentrations of "recreational" drugs such as cocaine on weekends. Levels of prescription drugs and meth were constant. Chicago Tribune ...more

October 18, 2007