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City Approves Water Reclamation Plan

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TIMES STAFF WRITER

San Diego City Council adopted a water reclamation plan Monday that includes the building of plants that will turn millions of gallons of sewage into water for use in irrigation throughout the county.

Acting in advance of a Feb. 15 deadline imposed by a federal court judge, council members approved an ordinance that will require new housing developments to include reclaimed water distribution systems. The ordinance also prohibits the use of potable water for irrigating lawns and greenbelts when reclaimed water is available.

The plan, part of a $2.4-billion upgrading of the city’s sewage treatment system, was adopted 6 to 2, with Councilmen Bruce Henderson and John Hartley opposed. Councilman Ron Roberts was excused from Monday’s meeting because he was attending a conference in Washington. The council split 4 to 4 on sites for two reclamation plants, defeating the proposals when it failed to muster the five votes needed for approval. A proposed Mission Valley site was defeated on a tie vote after it was strongly opposed by Councilwoman Linda Bernhardt, who expressed concern that the plant would threaten endangered species in the area.

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Council members also split--and defeated--a proposal to build a reclamation plant in Otay Valley.

As part of a settlement last year in a lawsuit against the city brought by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. District Court Judge Rudi Brewster has set a timetable for completion of key parts of the city’s new sewage-treatment system.

Two other aspects of the lawsuit--whether the city must upgrade treatment levels and pay the federal government $10 million in fines for past violations--are the subject of a trial now under way in Brewster’s courtroom.

Plans for reclamation plants in North City and Santee were adopted 5 to 3. The North City facility is designed to produce as much as 45 million gallons of reclaimed water daily, while the Santee plant will process up to 24 million gallons daily. The plants are designed to treat and store waste water and to process sludge.

Mayor Maureen O’Connor scheduled a special meeting for Thursday, when Roberts is scheduled to return from his Washington trip, to deal with the deadlock on the Otay and Mission Valley facilities.

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