Thanks to Michael for sending just after 7pm: “Hit a water main on north cap and m st”
Utilities
Ed. Note: If you see a swarm please call or text the DC Beekeepers Alliance at (202) 255-4318 or email [email protected]
Thanks to April Thompson for sending:
“Another Day at the Blue Plains Bee Orphanage
Of the many precious resources Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant captures, orphaned honeybees probably aren’t top of mind. Yet tucked behind behind the Bloom blending pit, a row of brightly painted hives serve as home to recovered bee colonies that produce a few hundreds of pounds of award-winning honey per year. The hives were installed five years ago under the auspices of the DC Beekeepers Alliance, with the help of registered beekeeper Chris Peot, DC Water’s Director of Resource Recovery.
As Peot explains of the photo above, “It is swarm season, as the hives transition out of the winter. In the fall the bees breed siblings that can live 5 months – the rest of the year they live an average of only 42 days. A healthy hive will begin breeding short-life workers as the weather warms, and sometimes they get overcrowded. (more…)
“Dear PoPville,
Interested to know if this is a weird fluke with my mail or a more general new problem with the local delivery system. I got this returned mail yesterday, but I’m pretty sure PEPCO puts the correct address on their payment slips, (more…)
Arielle recounts the brutal scene last night:
“Today an @PepcoConnect subcontractor installed the wrong transformer on our block (after handing out notices saying this would be happening in September). It created a power surge and blew out peoples appliances.
At my house, (more…)
priscilla asked on Sunday: “this utility pole in our alley cracked. Called Verizon but they dont come out til tomorrow. Any advice on how to escalate? I’m worried it will fall down today and damage property or hurt someone.”
Photo by Bekah Richards
From DC Water:
“From March 21 through May 9, 2022, the disinfectant in drinking water will temporarily switch from chloramine to chlorine. During this time, you may notice a slight change in the taste and smell of your drinking water. (more…)
photo by rosie dawn griffin
From the DC Office of the Attorney General’s Office:
“Attorney General Karl A. Racine today announced that the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) and the Office of the People’s Counsel (OPC) filed a complaint against Pepco for systemically mishandling community solar projects, potentially overcharging more than 6,800 District households on their monthly electric bills, and undermining the District’s efforts to meet its clean energy goals. (more…)
“Dear PoPville,
I live in a rowhouse that’s been converted into two condo units. Pepco runs three electrical meters to the property, one to each unit and the third to the common area, which is a small foyer with a single interior light fixture. We barely use this light (last month the actual usage was zero), but every month, the bill for the common meter includes a “Customer Charge” of $38.75. (more…)
4th and Massachusetts Ave, NW
Sunday morning APN wrote us around 7:45am: “I saw a massive explosion on 4th and Mass Ave NW this morning. Fireball as tall as the building. Maybe a manhole?”
Phil wrote: “I think we live in the same building. For reals shook it. I heard the concussion and then the secondary echo off nearby buildings. Massive.” (more…)
“Dear PoPville,
I have a question about overnight water shut offs. DC Water shut the water off Friday for 4 hours during the day for emergency repairs, which was fine because it’s easy enough to go to the office or use public bathrooms during the day, but now they’re going to shut it off for 8 hours overnight, (more…)