City Weighs Its Options to Modernize Sewer System

Confronted with continued sewage spills into Santa Monica Bay, Mayor Tom Bradley’s Administration is considering actions ranging from more than doubling the present $5.40 residential sewer fee to the sale of revenue bonds to finance improvements in the antiquated sewage system.

The timeliness of moves to repair the system--now under study by Chief Administrative Officer Keith Comrie--was accented one week ago when a leak in a city line dumped raw sewage into the Pacific at Will Rogers State Beach, forcing its closure during the busy Labor Day weekend. The beach remains closed indefinitely.

The rupture occurred exactly one week after the city agreed to pay $30,050 in state fines for four prior spills elsewhere in the sewage system. Those spills, blamed on pipe overflows, poured raw sewage into Ballona Creek, which flows into the Pacific at Playa del Rey.

County Investigation

The city’s problems escalated Tuesday when the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to investigate whether any city official should be charged with a criminal complaint as a result of the recent sewage discharges.

The price tag for repairs for the entire system, including the Hyperion treatment plant, approaches $1 billion, and the city engineer’s office said improvements to the pipeline system alone will hit $100 million.

“It’s an old system running at or near capacity,” said Maureen Kindel, president of the Board of Public Works.

But any action, city officials say, could have consequences on the political front.

The debate over the city’s sewage system--and the pollutants it has dropped on the coastline--seems sure to occur as Bradley, an anticipated gubernatorial candidate, continues to criticize Gov. George Deukmejian for Deukmejian’s environmental positions.

In the past, Bradley has attacked Deukmejian on the toxic waste issue, accusing the governor of botching cleanup jobs at several Los Angeles toxic waste sites.

Council members have also raised concerns that financing the sewer system improvements could backfire on them as well, particularly if they are pressed to increase sewer service fees.

“It affects all of us,” said Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky. “Half the council is up (for reelection) in a year and a half--not just the mayor.”

City officials say there are four main financing ideas under discussion. Of the four, however, two are politically dicey and another is admittedly difficult to achieve.

In the past, cities have relied heavily on state and federal money to pay for sewer system repairs and expansions, making that option a logical one. But the chances of receiving those are less promising now. “We have been very much trying to maximize the federal or state grants, but they appear to be drying up,” said Deputy City Engineer Larry Lewis.

Revenue Bonds

Another option under discussion is floating revenue bonds--but city officials say that gaining voter approval of such a move would take a massive public information campaign. The last time voters were asked to approve a sewer bond, in 1976, it was turned down at the polls.

The quickest way to get money to rebuild the sewer system is to raise the standard fees charged to sewer users. The typical residential fee is currently $5.40, and the Department of Public Works’ staff has suggested that the fee would have to be raised beyond the $12 figure.

“It looks realistically that it’s going to come close to doubling and, in the worst case, tripling,” Lewis said.

At a recent closed session of the City Council, council members were told that the Department of Public Works was considering an increase to $12.50. That did not set well with most council members.

“In truth, I know what kind of reaction I’d get if fees went up to $12,” said Councilwoman Joy Picus. “I know that even though sewers are critical, people would oppose spending more money. Most people just don’t want to think about sewers.”

Most Palatable

Lewis and other city officials suggested that the most palatable financing would come from teaming a moderate fee increase with a revenue bond or the fourth option--selling grant anticipation notes. That technique, used successfully to pay for some public works projects during the Olympics, involves selling notes on grants that have been promised but not yet received--and repaying the notes when the grant money comes in.

City officials said the repairs are doubly necessary because little repair work has been done in recent years.