Bates to Push Bill to Fund Sewage Plant

Rep. Jim Bates (D-San Diego) announced Thursday that he will propose federal legislation seeking more than $800 million in government grants to help the city of San Diego build a $1.5-billion secondary sewage treatment project.

Bates, in a City Hall news conference with Mayor Maureen O’Connor, said he will introduce the “San Diego Sewage Treatment Improvement Act of 1988” when Congress reconvenes in September.

“I think it’s clear that the city has to go to secondary (sewage) treatment, but it’s not fair that they have to pay the full share,” Bates said.

Federal Requirement

Under the federal Clean Water Act, all U.S. cities were required to upgrade their sewage-treatment capabilities to secondary treatment, which removes 85% to 90% of solids from effluent, by July 1. The city’s “advanced primary” system removes 75% of the suspended solids.

San Diego and 422 other U.S. cities--all of them smaller--failed to meet the July 1 deadline. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sued the city July 27, seeking fines of as much as $25,000 for each day that it committed nearly 2,000 violations of the Clean Water Act by spilling raw sewage into the ocean and local waterways, or by dumping sewage sludge without authorization.

Fighting Lawsuit

The city is fighting the lawsuit, although O’Connor is adamant that the city make the move to secondary treatment. But she refuses to do it without federal assistance, which other major cities received when they undertook the costly public works program.

“We want assurances that the federal government is going to be with us,” O’Connor said Thursday, noting that New York City received $1.8 billion in assistance, Chicago $1.4 billion and the city and county of Los Angeles $733 million.

Federal aid grants ran out while San Diego delayed upgrading its sewage-treatment capabilities and sought an exemption from the requirements, a bid dropped when O’Connor persuaded the council in February, 1987, to make the move to secondary treatment.

With a cost estimated cost at $1.5 billion to $2.4 billion, construction of the facility could quadruple sewer bills for the sewage system’s 1.5 million users in the greater San Diego area, if they must pay the full cost of the system.

“We are expected to go it alone while many other cities received grants paying for up to 80% of their facilities,” O’Connor said.

Bates, hoping to get the federal government to pay for 55% of the project, said that a united council will be crucial to the effort, but at least three council members have suggested that the city renew its efforts to win a waiver of the secondary treatment requirement from the EPA.

Councilman Bruce Henderson, who says that research shows that the city’s current treatment system is not harming the ocean or marine life, insisted again Thursday that the city resume its bid for a waiver. Council members Ed Struiksma and Gloria McColl have also supported that idea.