Don't Flush Prescription Drugs Down the Drain

Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including the home medicine cabinet. Those who have accumulated unwanted or unused prescription drugs should safely dispose of those medications.

Drug Take-Back Programs, which collect leftover prescription drugs, are the safest method for disposing of prescription drugs. Visit the Attorney General of Virginia's website for more information on upcoming take-back programs.

Pharmaceutical contaminants can cause serious harm to fish and wildlife living near lakes and rivers. Humans can be exposed to these chemicals when they drink water drawn from a contaminated source or eat wild game or fish. The long-term human health risks from exposure to even small amounts of these chemicals is unknown.

Home disposal has risks, but when it is done correctly, it is still a viable option.

1. Remove medication from the original container and crush the pills or add water to them to dissolve them. Then mix the medication with kitty litter or coffee grounds to make it unattractive to children or pets and unrecognizable to drug abusers who may go through your trash.

2. Place the mixture in a container with a lid or in a sealable baggie and place it in your trash.

3. When discarding original pill bottles, scratch out or remove any identification on the bottle or package.

DO NOT dispose of medications in the toilet or sink.

DO NOT give medicine to friends or family. A drug that works for you could be dangerous to someone else, and it is also potentially illegal to share medicine.

If you have teenage children at home, keep your medications under lock and key as prescription drug abuse -- using stolen medications from home and the homes of friends for recreation -- is a leading contributor to teen drug abuse.

Up on the Roof -- The Green Roof

How often do you notice a roof? If it's the roof on the Richmond Department of Public Utilities' (DPU) Wastewater Treatment Plant effluent filtration building, you'll be sure to notice it because it is green and covered in plants.

A green roof is a permanent rooftop planting system that contains live plants. DPU installed this green roof in the fall of 2010. The building's existing roof is able to withstand the added weight of the plants.

Green roofs offer numerous benefits:

• Stormwater runoff reduction: Green roofs can absorb up to 99 percent of one inch of rainfall. Water is slightly filtered as it flows through the soil. Even during heavy rainfall, water is delayed running off the roof, allowing additional time for the sanitary sewer system to catch up.
• Energy savings: Green roofs provide natural insulation and can reduce heating and cooling costs. During summer months, the green roofs absorb sunlight and heat.
• Wildlife: Plants provide natural habitat for birds and small mammals.
• Noise reduction: Studies have shown that green roofs can reduce sound by as much as 40 decibels.
• Longer life than traditional roofs: Green roofs are better protected against ultraviolent radiation, large fluctuations in temperature, drying winds and punctures.

An added bonus is a roof covered in plants is attractive. They provide long-lasting blooms and a change of scenery for city workers. Plants on this green roof include sedum, alliums and euphorbia, all drought-tolerant, low-maintnenace varieties with a shallow root structure.

Green roofs are not new. They have existed for thousands of years and only now are experiencing a resurgence. Consult an engineer to install a green roof on your home or business for environmental and financial benefits, or just to have a peaceful place where the air is fresh and sweet "up on the roof."

Fix a Leak

Facts on Leaks

The average household's leaks accounts for more than 10,000 gallons of water wasted every year, enough water to wash nearly 10 months' worth of laundry.

Ten percent of homes have leaks that waste 90 gallons or more a day.

Common leaks include worn toilet flappers, dripping faucets, and leaking showerheads, all easily correctable.

Fixing these leaks can save homeowners more than 10 percent on their water bills.

Leak Detection

A good method to check for leaks is to review your winter water use. A family of four has a serious leak if winter water use exceeds 12,000 gallons per month.

Check your water meter before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used. If the meter does not read exactly the same, you probably have a leak.

Place a drop of food coloring in your toilet tank. If the color shows up in the bowl within 15 minutes, without flushing, you have a leak. (Flush immediately to avoid staining bowl once you see the color.)

A leaky faucet dripping one drip per second wastes more than 3,000 gallons per year.

Faucets and Showerheads

Fix leaky faucets by replacing washers and gaskets for wear.

A showerhead leaking 10 drips per minute wastes 500 gallons per year, enough to wash 60 loads of dishes in your dishwasher.

Most leaky showerheads can be fixed by retightening the connection using pipe tape and a wrench.

Toilets

If the toilet is leaking, try replacing the flapper. Over time, this inexpensive rubber part decays or gets mineral build-up.

Watersense toilets can save more than 16,000 gallons of water per year for a family of four.

Outdoors

Irrigation systems should be checked each spring to ensure they were not damaged by frost or freezing.

An irrigation system that has a leak barely the thickness of a dime can waste 6,300 gallons per month.

Check garden hoses for leaks at its connection to the spigot. If it leaks when you run the hose, replace the nylon or rubber hose washer and use pipe tape and a wrench for a tighter connection.

Dig with C.A.R.E.

Respect the Marks

Every digging project requires a call to 811. Calling 811 a few days prior to digging gives utility and cable companies time to mark and protect their lines.

Just call 8-1-1. A representative will take your address and the location on your property where you plan to dig. The affected utility companies will be notified and send a professional locator to the digging site to mark the approximate location of the underground lines. Sometimes, just by looking at maps, they'll be able to tell it is safe to dig and you'll receive an email telling you no marking is necessary and you can begin your project.

If lines are marked, you should respect the marks and dig carefully around them.

Have lines remarked for each separate project. A foot one way or another can make a difference.

Even if you have hired a contractor, make sure they called 8-1-1 before beginning your project. Ask them. Ask to see the all-clear email if no one has come out to mark lines.

There are more than 170,000 unintentional hits of underground lines annually across the country, and one out of every three of those incidents are the result of not calling 811. Hitting an underground utility line can cause serious injuries, disrupt service to entire neighborhoods, and potentially result in fines and repair costs to you.

Visit www.va811.com for more information

City's Green Roof

Green Roof on the Effluent Filtration Building

The green roof on the top of the Effluent Filtration Building at the Wastewater Treatment Plant was installed in the fall of 2010. It cost $80,000 to install the plants on the 6,000 square foot roof.

The plants are sedum, alliums, and euphorbia, selected for their ability to withstand drought, wind and sun. They have shallow root structure, making them ideal for roof landscaping where a deep soil is not possible. The plants also provide many months of flowering blooms.

Green roofs reduce urban heat from roof top reflections, reduce stormwater run-off, absorb air pollution, protect the roof from UV ray degradation, provide a natural habitat for birds and small animals, reduce the heat load to the building in the summer and provide additional insulation in the winter.

The next goal is to install a green roof on the new Ultraviolet Disinfection Facility, a 2,000 square foot surface, for an estimated cost of $35,000. This project is scheduled for fall 2012. The project construction manager is Arcadis and engineers are Greeley and Hansen.

Meter Reading - It's All Done Electronically Now

Imagine driving by every single home, apartment and business in the city of Richmond, Henrico County all the way to the Goochland county line, and parts of Hanover every single month – at 20 mph?

That’s what the employees of the city of Richmond Department of Public Utilities’ Meter Reading Department do in order to electronically collect the data necessary to send out accurate water and gas bills to customers.

Years ago, it was an even more daunting task when meters were manually read by gas and water service technicians who had to walk into every yard to read the meter. With the advent of computers, a city vehicle equipped with a mobile data collector can record the readings transmitted by antennas on gas and water meters as the vehicle slowly passes the location.

As each neighborhood is scanned block by block, the computer shows the meters that were missed and each missed location is immediately revisited. If the meter still doesn’t register, a gas and water service technician visits the location the following day to investigate and fix the problem. Typical problems include old antenna batteries – they have an average lifespan of 7-10 years, the water meter well is flooded from a recent rain, or the customer has cut or damaged the wire to the antenna.

A typical day’s route might drive by anywhere from 5,000 to 20,000 meters and take as long as 10 hours to complete. On some routes, it’s necessary to drive through alleyways behind houses or pull into driveways in order to pick up the signal.

Typical types of antennas found on water and gas meters.

A service technician loads a computer with the day's route on it into the data collector strapped to the passenger seat.

Instead of a service technician in your yard, you're more likely to catch a glimpse of a city vehicle driving slowly down your street on meter-reading day.