Sewage-Pipe Negotiations Draw Fire

A spokesman for People for a Clean Ocean warned Wednesday that officials of Encinitas and Solana Beach “may be selling us out” to Escondido by allowing the inland city to continue dumping larger amounts of treated sewage into the ocean off Cardiff State Beach without extending the sewage pipeline farther out to sea.

Richard MacManus, an attorney and president of the Clean Ocean group, said the organization is calling on the two beach cities to issue an ultimatum to Escondido, the major user of the ocean sewage pipeline, to pledge to either cease using the sewage pipeline by the year 2000 or to extend it a mile, to the edge of the continental shelf.

Encinitas Mayor Pam Slater called MacManus’ statement “ridiculous.”

“We are in negotiations with Escondido about the ocean outfall, and our No. 1 priority is to protect the beach,” Slater said,

MacManus and Allen Crutcher, president of the San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy, held a joint press conference Wednesday on Cardiff beach, where the underwater outfall extends about 8,000 feet out to sea.

They said the San Elijo Joint Powers Authority is scheduled to vote next Thursday on whether to build a new and larger outfall line to handle treated sewage from the three cities.

Slater, Solana Beach Mayor Marion Dodson and Escondido Mayor Jerry Harmon have held one meeting and scheduled another to negotiate a compromise that will allow the larger inland city to continue to use the ocean outfall until it has started a water reclamation program that would sell highly treated sewage water to Escondido farmers at low prices to irrigate crops.

Slater said that Escondido has funds to implement its reclamation project or to pay for extension of the San Elijo ocean outfall, “but not enough money for both. To force them (Escondido officials) to pay for an ocean outfall extension, which they may never need to use, does not seem to be the logical answer.”

MacManus agreed that Escondido’s sewage water reclamation plan, which would result in using all the city’s sewage for agricultural and ground-water recharge, “is a fine concept and one that we do not want to discourage.”

But, he pointed out, Escondido is applying for the right to increase its use of the San Elijo ocean outfall from 18 million gallons a day to 40 million gallons, without committing itself to a deadline after which it would no longer dump sewage into the ocean off Cardiff.

He said that People for a Clean Ocean is calling on Solana Beach and Encinitas officials to require that the ocean pipeline be extended a mile or that Escondido be required to reclaim 100% of its sewage water by 2000. If Escondido is unable to reclaim that much water, then outfall should be extended at that time, MacManus said.

An extended outfall would virtually ensure that bacteria and other contaminants in the treated sewage would not reach the shore or contaminate the San Elijo Lagoon, MacManus and Crutcher said.

MacManus added that, if the beach city officials did allow Escondido to increase its sewage releases into the ocean without guaranteeing a future water reclamation program, “legal action is always an alternative.”

Five years ago, People for a Clean Ocean sued Escondido to prevent it from reducing the level of treatment for sewage disposed through the ocean outfall. The city dropped its application after other court decisions went against cities seeking similar reductions in sewage treatment, MacManus said.

“If we are to be the dumping grounds for their refuse, then we should have the right to dictate the terms,” MacManus said.

Slater said another negotiating session is scheduled Monday, and the San Elijo Joint Powers Authority is scheduled to meet at 4 p.m. next Thursday to consider the ocean outfall repair and expansion.

“I have a feeling that the local beach communities might be selling us out on this,” MacManus said.