EL SEGUNDO : Chevron Wins Permit to Dump Waste Into Bay
The Chevron oil refinery in El Segundo won permission Monday to continue releasing 7.9 million gallons of treated waste water daily into Santa Monica Bay within 100 yards of shore.
Despite objections from environmentalists, the state Regional Water Quality Control Board granted Chevron a new five-year permit allowing the discharges. The permit requires more intensive treatment of the water, some of which is used in the refining process and carries oil-based pollutants.
But environmental groups, including Heal the Bay and the Natural Resources Defense Council, said the waste water might represent a health threat because it is pumped into the ocean within 100 yards of the El Porto area, a popular swimming and surfing spot.
However, the board ordered the oil company to study its discharges further and consider lengthening its ocean disposal pipe.
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