San Diego Waiver to Forgo Sewage Plant Gets 1st OK

San Diego’s chances for saving $1.5 billion in sewage treatment costs took a big step forward Monday when regulators announced “preliminary approval” on waiving certain federal wastewater-treatment requirements.

The move has been years in the making, said Rep. Bob Filner (D-Chula Vista), who along with Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), pushed legislation through Congress last year that allowed San Diego to petition for a waiver from provisions of the Clean Water Act.

Should the waiver receive final approval, it will allow San Diego to forgo building a secondary waste-treatment system. The city’s present system is only slightly below federal standards and will be supplemented with a 4.5-mile coastal pipeline at a depth of 320 feet, Filner said.

Passing out copies of a letter from Environmental Protection Agency head Carol Browner, Boxer expressed confidence that San Diego will receive final approval sometime in August. “This is the go-ahead,” Boxer said. “This is the green light that’s flashing before it goes on permanently.”