Sewage Plant Plans Hit New Twist

In the latest twist in San Diego’s sewage treatment dilemma, the city attorney’s office said Wednesday that it will ask City Council to consider urging the federal government to drop its demand for San Diego to upgrade its sewage treatment.

Meanwhile, opponents of the federally required sewage treatment plan for San Diego proposed alternative ways to discharge treated sewage into the ocean off Point Loma.

Ted Bromfield, chief deputy city attorney, said he will meet privately Tuesday with council members to review a federal judge’s comments last week questioning spending $2.6 billion to $2.8 billion to upgrade and convert the Point Loma sewage treatment plant to secondary-treatment capacity.

Bromfield said he would discuss whether the city could reverse its 1987 decision to comply with the Clean Water Act and instead regain a waiver from the federal requirements.

Several cities have been granted five-year waivers after showing that their sewage discharges do not harm the ocean, but Bromfield said San Diego, if successful, would be the first city to win back a waiver from the strict federal environmental law.

“There is no guidance in the statute or (EPA) regulations regarding the reinstating of the application for waiver,” said James Dragna, a private attorney retained by the city to handle the case.

Following an EPA lawsuit accusing San Diego of violating the Clean Water Act, the city agreed in 1987 to not seek a renewal of its 1981 waiver and to adopt the secondary treatment program at the Point Loma sewage plant.

The plant treats 190 million gallons of waste water daily, using advanced primary sewage treatment to remove about 80% of suspended solids. Treated effluent is pumped 2.5 miles out to sea. Secondary treatment would remove 90% of solids.

Most of the project would be paid for through increases in sewage rates, which the city raised last month to help pay anticipated costs.

During a hearing Aug. 29, U.S. District Judge Rudi Brewster expressed concern that the massive conversion of the plant to secondary treatment might not be necessary.

Brewster said his doubts were renewed after some marine scientists repeated their contentions that the ocean off Point Loma is being enhanced--not endangered--by existing sewage discharge and that secondary treatment could harm the marine ecosystem.

The judge asked lawyers for both sides to submit arguments on whether he has the legal authority to review whether the city must meet Clean Water Act requirements. EPA and Sierra Club attorneys contend that the judge does not have that power.

A hearing has been tentatively set for Oct. 1 on the question.

Councilman Bruce Henderson and Scripps Institution of Oceanography scientists Roger Revelle, Ed Goldberg and Mia Tegner on Wednesday ridiculed the project as a waste of money and environmentally harmful to kelp beds, water quality and the shore.

The scientists called a press conference to advocate maintaining the present sewage treatment; extending the discharge pipe farther into the ocean or adopting chemical secondary treatment, which they said is less expensive and as efficient as the proposed biological secondary treatment.