FOUNTAIN VALLEY : Sanitation Agency, City Reach Accord

After two years of conflict with the County Sanitation Districts of Orange County concerning the construction of a sewage treatment plant, the city and the special agency have resolved their differences.

The City Council last week approved a specific plan for the sanitation agency’s 108-acre site at 10844 Ellis Ave. It defines the rights and responsibilities of the two agencies for development of the property, said Andrew Perea, city planning services manager.

“This is the end of a long conflict between the two agencies,” Perea said of the adopted plan.

The city had contended that the sanitation agency was subject to Fountain Valley zoning laws, said Perea, while the sanitation agency maintained that the sewage treatment facility was exempt.

“State law clearly exempts them from building codes for waste-water treatment facilities but not from the zoning ordinances,” Perea said.

Mayor John Collins called the agreement between the two agencies a win-win situation.

“We avoided a costly litigation process and both sides got what they wanted,” said Collins, who is a member of the Sanitation Districts board of directors and chairman for District 2, which includes Fountain Valley.

Collins, who negotiated the agreement between the city and the sanitation agency, said that with the specific plan the city has created a mechanism as well as parameters within which the district will build.

Under the plan, the city will have review and approval authority over such buildings as administrative offices, laboratories and warehouses. The sanitation agency will maintain control of waste-water treatment facilities, he said.

The council also approved rezoning the property.

The sanitation agency’s plant has been in Fountain Valley since the 1950s. In 1989, the agency created a 30-year plan for development into the year 2020.