Council Backs Sewer System Improvements : Government: Approval of $1.3-billion upgrade plan falls short of matching consent decree issued by federal judge.

Steered by a warning from a federal judge, the San Diego City Council gave conceptual approval Tuesday to $1.3 billion in improvements to the city’s sewer system that would extend a previously approved 6% annual rate increase through 1997.

The council’s vote falls short of the requirements outlined in a consent decree that acts as the key component in a massive lawsuit facing the city in federal court. Therefore, Tuesday’s actions cannot be implemented unless U.S. District Judge Rudi M. Brewster grants an interim order allowing the city to proceed with debt financing and the awarding of construction bids.

Had the council approved all items called for in the consent decree, the total cost to ratepayers would have been $2.5 billion and would have doubled sewer rates by the year 2003. Thus, Tuesday’s vote is a net savings of more than $1.2 billion.

The vote gives tentative approval to the following items:

* Extending the Point Loma outfall pipe from the present 2.2 miles at a depth of 220 feet to 4.5 miles at 330 feet.

The outfall pipe, which ruptured in early February, fouling the coastline from the international border to Ocean Beach for two months, would, when improved, “be one of the longest, deepest ocean outfalls in the world,” City Manager Jack McGrory said.

* Improving the E. W. Blom Wastewater Treatment Plant on Point Loma, but not to the level of full “secondary” treatment, which is mandated by the consent decree. The city’s sewer system, which serves 1.7 million of San Diego County’s residents, uses advanced primary treatment, which removes 75% to 80% of the suspended solids in the effluent.

Secondary treatment, which removes 90% or more of solids, is a key element in the federally mandated Clean Water Act. The gist of the lawsuit in federal court is to force San Diego to comply with the act, which is being enforced by federal and state agencies. The Sierra Club is also a party to the suit, which lists the city of San Diego as sole defendant.

Tuesday’s vote would enable the city to upgrade the Point Loma plant to what McGrory called a level of “modified secondary,” handling a flow of up to 240 million gallons of effluent daily. The current flow is about 180 million gallons a day.

* Building a North City reclamation plant in University City, capable of processing up to 30 million gallons a day of reclaimed water, at what McGrory called the “Eastgate site.” Such water would be sold and distributed for use in agriculture and industry.

* Relocating existing sludge beds from Fiesta Island to a new site on Navy property near Miramar Naval Air Station. McGrory said the plan, scheduled to be implemented by 1995, has the Navy’s cooperation.

* Building a backup sludge-drying facility in South San Diego.

* Building additional water-reclamation plants in Mission Valley and Otay Mesa.

What the council’s recommendations omit, but the consent decree requires, are an upgrading of the Point Loma plant to full secondary status, the construction of a new secondary-treatment facility in the South Bay and the addition of seven other water-reclamation plants.

Council members had balked in recent weeks at the notion of strapping ratepayers with the bill for such federally mandated improvements, without federal subsidies.

On Tuesday, Councilman George Stevens--the member most opposed to the consent decree’s dictates--was a lone voice against several of McGrory’s recommendations that other members adopted.

“We’re being more sensitive here to a federal judge than we are to our own people,” Stevens said angrily. “And we’re proposing to do a lot of this on the backs of poor people, like the ones in my district. And I won’t stand for it. The (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) wants all of this done, and quick, but they’re not willing to pay for it. No, that’s up to us.”

On Friday, Judge Brewster indicated he would be willing to compromise on various aspects of the consent decree, even saying at one point that, in some respects, the decree is unfair. He listed secondary treatment as being potentially negotiable.

But Brewster was adamant about certain items, one being a rapid upgrade of the city’s municipal collection system, which he termed “decrepit” in blaming it for the raw-sewage overflows that often besiege Pacific Beach, La Jolla and other areas.

City officials say they need to incur about $118 million in bonded indebtedness almost immediately to finance the improvements Brewster labeled imperative. McGrory said that, even with an interim court order, it would take three to four months to sell bonds and award bids for the collection system upgrade.

“We’re optimistic he’ll be receptive,” McGrory said, adding that the city plans to approach Brewster well before the next scheduled federal court hearing July 10. “We need that interim court order to begin to pay for the cost of constructing these facilities. We need that real quick to go into financial markets. Otherwise, we’re going to run out of cash real quick.

“This is a modification of the consent decree--no question,” McGrory said. “And right now, we have a cloud hanging over our heads. We’re under a federal order to comply with all aspects of a consent decree. So we can’t go into a financial market with a program that’s inconsistent with a federal court order, which is what we’d be doing.

“The interim court order would direct us to do certain projects--such as the ones we voted on (Tuesday)--and that gets us moving forward. I think what we’ve done here shows a good-faith effort on the part of the city.”

The current monthly sewer service charge is about $19. That would jump to $20.39 in 1993, $21.61 in ‘94, $22.91 in ‘95, $24.28 in ’96 and $25.65 in ’97.