Funds for Creek Study Considered
Camarillo officials will decide tonight whether to kick in $180,000 for a $1.8-million study that will examine ways to clean up Calleguas Creek.
The Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board recently listed all four branches of the Conejo and Calleguas creeks, downstream of the Camarillo Sanitary District, as “impaired”--meaning they contain evidence of treatment-plant discharge, including ammonia, nitrates, sulfates and chlorides.
The imposition of more stringent ammonia-discharge requirements would be delayed until the study’s findings were complete.
If the current contamination is not reduced, the discharge permit taking effect in May 2001 for Camarillo’s plant will contain more stringent limits.
Meeting those standards would cost the sanitary district millions of dollars. Camarillo officials hope data from the study will indicate that some of the discharge standards are too restrictive.
The Calleguas Municipal Water District will pay half the cost of the study for the creek, which runs from the Santa Susana Mountains to Point Mugu. Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, the Ventura County Waterworks District No. 1 and the Camrosa Water District are also expected to help pay.
Their contributions would be based on the capacity of their respective sewer plants.
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