S.D. Officials, EPA Confer on Plant Upgrade : Environment: Scripps scientists argue the city’s case that mandatory changes in the sewage system are unnecessary.
A group of San Diego officials met Thursday with a representative of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to argue against the mandatory upgrading of the city’s sewage plant.
The meeting, organized by Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Coronado), gave scientists from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography a chance to make their case that the city’s current level of sewage treatment does not harm the environment and that the costly improvements to the plant required by the federal Clean Water Act may be unneeded.
LaJuana S. Wilcher, the EPA’s assistant administrator for water, agreed to set up meetings between Scripps and EPA scientists to discuss the data.
San Diego has fought the federal government on the sewage plant upgrading, which was supposed to be completed by July, 1988. After being sued by three state and federal agencies when the deadline expired, the city approved an out-of-court settlement and promised to finish the sewage system improvements by the end of 2003.
City officials are still trying to obtain a waiver on the requirement.
Waste water reaching the city’s main sewage plant at Point Loma now receives “advanced primary” treatment. Federal law requires upgrading to “secondary” standards, which are about 10% more effective in cleaning waste water.
The San Diego officials included City Council members Valerie Stallings and Tom Behr, deputy city manager Roger Frauenfelder and clean water program assistant director Susan Hamilton.
Also attending were representatives of Reps. Bill Lowery (R-San Diego), Ron Packard (R-Oceanside) and Randy (Duke) Cunningham (R-Chula Vista).
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