The Region : L.A. Opts to Pay Fine for Sewage Spill

The City of Los Angeles, preparing for an inquiry by the state attorney general’s office into a rash of sewage spills, will pay a $10,000 fine for one of the incidents, the City Council decided. The council, reacting to the penalty imposed July 27 by the state Regional Water Quality Control Board, agreed to waive appeals and pay “up to $10,000” for failure to promptly notify the regulatory board of the June 6 spillage of 30,000 gallons of untreated effluent from the Hyperion treatment plant into Santa Monica Bay. Deputy City Atty. Christopher Westhoff said it was clear that city employees were at fault in the incident, adding, “Economically, you don’t want to fight certain battles.” The water quality board asked the attorney general’s office to conduct further investigations of the rash of breakdowns at the Hyperion plant that since May 25 have led to the diversion of more than 4 million gallons of untreated or partially treated sewage into Santa Monica Bay and the Ballona Wetlands.