Environmental Study Backs Septic Facility

A recently released draft federal environmental study found that opening a contentious septic waste facility at the Donald C. Tillman Water Reclamation Plant would have no significant adverse impact on the surrounding human environment of the Sepulveda Basin Recreation Center in Van Nuys.

Most effects from opening the existing site at Tillman--including road construction or widening, an anticipated 114 additional trucks daily, aesthetic concerns and noise--could be easily minimized or were not found to be significant, according to the report prepared by ecologist Carvel Bass of the operations branch of the Army Corps of Engineers.

Since the facility--finished in 1993 but never opened--is on the site of a former sod farm, its impact is significantly lessened, Bass said. But Van Nuys homeowner activist Don Schultz called foul, saying the increased traffic would affect residents of Encino and Van Nuys and would despoil the surrounding recreation center, frequented by joggers, bicyclists and bird watchers. “I think this project is an environmental nightmare,” he said.

The city intends to centralize existing septic waste dumping, now scattered at six sites, into one or a combination of two of the following sites: Van Nuys, Chatsworth, Sun Valley and a Los Angeles site near Glendale.

The $2-million facility adjacent to Tillman has never opened because the city neglected to conduct the necessary environmental studies. Objections from residents, elected officials and environmentalists prompted the City Council to mandate an after-the-fact study.

The Board of Public Works will consider the final environmental impact report by the end of May, said Linda Reponen, the public works manager overseeing the study. The City Council has the final say on the matter.

A copy of the federal environment assessment can be viewed at the Tarzana-Encino branch of the public library. Public comment will be accepted until May 24 and should be directed to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, ATTN: CESPL-CO-O, P.O. Box 2711, Los Angeles, Calif. 90053.