FDA Renews Permit for Waste Water Dumping

To the dismay of environmentalists, Orange County’s sanitation districts, which for years have been using the ocean as a dump site for waste water treated at a level below that required by federal law, have won permission to continue the practice.

“Our analysis of scientific data has confirmed that the discharge at current levels will not have a detrimental effect on the ocean environment,” said Dave Schmidt, a spokesman for the Environmental Protection Agency, which took the action Wednesday.

The county has been operating since 1985 under a waiver, renewable every five years, that exempts it from provisions of the national Clean Water Act requiring sewage water to be treated at the maximum level. In renewing the county’s waiver, Schmidt said, the EPA was confirming that the level of treatment is satisfactory.

“The county’s current sewage treatment is sufficient to maintain water quality in the ocean to protect shellfish, other wildlife and recreational activities,” Schmidt said.

Some environmentalists, however, disagree sharply.

“We see no reason why Orange County should continue to dump partially treated sewage into the ocean,” said Gordon LaBedz, a spokesman for the Surfrider Foundation. “The ocean is not a dump. Why not take their sewage and dump it on the Board of Supervisors’ plaza or on somebody’s front lawn who thinks this is a good idea?”

Nancy Wheatley, director of technical services for the Orange County Sanitation Service, said that any potentially negative effect on the environment is mitigated by the fact that the sewage water is dumped at a depth of about 190 feet and 4.5 miles offshore from the Santa Ana River in an area with swift currents.

“The monitoring data in the waters offshore have shown that the marine environment is really very healthy,” she said. “Even if we spent more money for more treatment, we wouldn’t be getting any additional environmental benefit.”