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Monday, April 27, 2015

EVENT: Go underground and behind the scenes as we #FollowTheFlow during Infrastructure Week May 11


"Go with the flow" has a meaning of its own. "Follow the flow" is going to get a little more interesting.

May 11-15 marks the third year for Infrastructure Week, a national celebration of country’s infrastructure systems and the essential role they play in our economy. To celebrate Infrastructure Week 2015, the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District is planning a week-long series of behind-the-scenes tours for local media and elected officials, and you can #FollowTheFlow with the Sewer District all Infrastructure Week long and trace wastewater’s path from the sewer system to Lake Erie.

Here's what we're planning and we'll be covering it all week long on Twitter, Instagram and Periscope.

Friday, April 17, 2015

WATCH: Explosion in NY sewer sends manhole cover flying



Even for sewer professionals who spend their careers underground, there are countless unknowns lurking in the sewer system. Dangers are just as common.

As a Buffalo, NY news crew covers an underground fire, an explosion underground sends a manhole cover flying. Weighing in at least 100 pounds, it gives you an idea of the strength of the blast and the risks maintenance personnel take when they work underground.

Thanks to Scott Broski for the link.

Tuesday, April 7, 2015

VIDEO: What causes that wonderful after-the-rain smell? Slow-mo video reveals secrets.


That familiar scent has a name: Petrichor.

But since being named in a 1964 report, the actual cause of the after-the-storm "earthy fragrance" had been little more than theory.

That changed in January when MIT researchers captured a specific raindrop phenomena on video. Scientists observed raindrops trapping tiny air bubbles as they hit the ground. BBC explains:
They say the bubbles then shoot upwards through the raindrop and erupt into a fizz, producing extremely fine liquid droplets or solid particles that remain suspended in the air as fog or smoke, known as aerosols.


The authors suspect that the tiny particles that released into the environment release the wonderful aromatic elements from the soil along bacteria and viruses stored within.

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