Carlsbad

A member of the committee that oversees operation of the Encina sewage treatment plant has asked that the group debate whether the facility should upgrade its treatment standards.

The plant is the only sewage treatment facility in North County that does not provide secondary treatment of the effluent it pumps into the Pacific.

Lois Humphreys, a member of the joint-powers committee that runs the plant, on Wednesday sent a letter to the panel asking that a discussion be held Nov. 26 in an effort to determine whether to drop a federal waiver that allows Encina to provide only primary treatment of waste water.

The request by Humphreys, who is running for the Carlsbad City Council, comes amid renewed interest in the waiver issue--prompted primarily by the election campaign. During recent debates, several candidates have criticized Humphreys because the Encina plant provides the less-intensive treatment of its sewage.

“It appears that we are faced with either the inevitability of operating Encina at a secondary treatment level because of the increasing public concern, or we must immediately plan for improving public education and communication concerning the waiver,” Humphreys said in the letter.

Encina, which pumps 14 million gallons of treated sewage into the ocean off Carlsbad each day, is operated jointly by the cities of Carlsbad and Vista, and the San Marcos County Water District, Buena Sanitation District, Leucadia County Water District and Encinitas Sanitary District.