Doug Schoene, left, of Rainier Steel calls for more reinforcing rod for one of the giant tanks under construction in the new advanced treatment facility at the Coeur d'Alene Wastewater Treatment Plant in June. (SR photo: Kathy Plonka)

From Renata McLeod's draft minutes of the City Council meeting Tuesday: In 1999, Coeur d’Alene wastewater utility superintendent Sid Fredrickson set out to write a brief 3 to 4 page history/profile on the sewage plant.  The project evolved into significantly more than a summary.  Nearly 15 years later, Fredrickson recently completed a Comprehensive History of the Wastewater Department for the City of Coeur d’Alene.  Fredrickson spent countless hours over the years researching old newspaper articles, wastewater department archives, City Council minutes, and old photos and illustrations to compile an 89-page history of the 75-year-old treatment plant.  The treatment plant history can be accessed online at cdaid.org/wastewater.  There are also hard copies at City hall, the Wastewater Treatment Plant, Coeur d’Alene Public Library, and the Molstead Library on the North Idaho College campus.

Question: The only thing I've ever read about sewers is that long section toward the end of "Les Miserables," in which Victor Hugo describes the sewers of Paris, France, in the early 1800s. How about you?