City Learns From Sewage Leak Case
The sewer lines in downtown Huntington Beach are repaired, and there are no leaking sewers. Because of this, the City Council authorized the mayor to enter a guilty plea to committing a public offense and a misdemeanor, not a felony.
Why did the council decide to authorize the plea agreement? Simply put, the downtown sewers are repaired, and the City Council did not believe it was in the best interest of the community to spend in excess of $250,000 of taxpayer money to go to court to argue over what is, at this time, a nonissue.
The city has worked with the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board to address all issues regarding the repairs to the downtown sewer pipes and has kept it fully informed. The downtown sewer leaks did not cause or contribute to the ocean bacteria problems that have occurred along portions of the Huntington Beach coastline since June 1999. Studies were carried out using ground-water testing and sampling, to support our position.
The city is cognizant of its responsibilities for our coastal waters. Working with the county and the Orange County Sanitation District, the city has spent or will spend millions of dollars to study and identify the source of the ocean bacteria. From these studies will emerge plans to address any identified source of pollution. The city supports and actively participates in all efforts to address the bacteria problems that have plagued our coastal waters.
Lastly, the city began the $4-million sewer repair job in 1998 and concluded the repairs. In June 1998, the city began working with the Sanitation District on the development of a grant proposal. In December 1998, the city approved the grant application and in the spring of 1999, the city received a $1-million grant from the district.
From this experience, the city has learned that reporting sewer leaks to the proper authorities is important and is to be taken seriously. The city is hopeful that its experience will ignite a statewide public discussion about infrastructure systems and how those improvements are to be adequately funded in the future.
PAM JULIEN HOUCHEN
Mayor, Huntington Beach
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