War Over City’s Sewage System Not Worth Cost

Complacency about sewage problems over the past decade has cost the city of San Diego too much already--financially and environmentally. Fighting an expensive legal battle with the federal Environmental Protection Agency will only compound the injuries.

The Clean Water Act, passed in 1972, required the city to upgrade the treatment of sewage before dumping it into the ocean. The deadline was July 1. There was no way the city could meet that deadline because, until February, 1987, it was still trying to get a waiver of the requirement. To grant an extension, EPA wanted a new deadline of 1997 for completion of the plant--not an unreasonable demand.

But the city is still trying to recoup what it lost during the battle for a waiver, namely federal funds to help build the $1.5-billion secondary sewage treatment plant. So it refused to agree to the 1997 date, saying 2010 was more realistic.

As a result, EPA and the state sued the city, seeking fines of up to $25,000 a day for more than 1,800 spills and for failure to meet the July 1 deadline.

Given San Diego’s history in sewage matters, the city does not appear to be in a very good bargaining position. Raw sewage was regularly spilling into the bays and ocean before the city embarked on a program to renovate the current system. The city has repeatedly been fined for the spills or for missing deadlines for improvements.

Asking for an extension until 2010 just invites more fines, not to mention hefty legal costs and a probable escalation in the cost of building the plant.

Mayor Maureen O’Connor took a bold step last year when she urged the council to discontinue the futile quest for a waiver. Some people were surprised that there was no public uproar over the decision, even though the city predicted a quadrupling of sewer bills, which were unusually low. Since then, sewer bills have increased from $8 a month to $13.52 a month to pay for improvements, and still there has been no public outcry.

That doesn’t mean that homeowners won’t squeal with pain as the rates continue to climb. But perhaps San Diegans value their beaches and the ocean highly enough to be willing to pay the price to keep them clean.

After all, for many people--resident and tourist--the ocean is what drew them to San Diego in the first place. Also, San Diegans have seen firsthand the results of inadequate sewer systems, both here and in Tijuana.

Certainly the city should continue to seek federal and state funds to defray the costs of building the secondary treatment plant, but it shouldn’t count on them, given the federal deficit. And it shouldn’t allow the cost of the plant to be further escalated by delays and legal fees required to fight the lawsuit.