California IN BRIEF : TEMECULA : Tribal Officials Sue Over Sewage Plan

Tribal officials on the Pechanga Indian Reservation near Temecula have filed a lawsuit to block a water district’s plan to pump treated sewage into the area’s underground aquifer. The suit, filed by the Temecula Band of Luiseno Mission Indians in Riverside County Superior Court, charges that the Rancho California Water District violated state environmental laws by approving the sewage project without adequately assessing its impact. The district plans to blend treated sewage with lake water and discharge 4.6 million gallons daily into the ground water.