EPA to Seek Order for New S.D. Sewage Plant

A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency official said Tuesday that a federal court order will be sought against the City of San Diego to force compliance with federal regulations in resolving the regional sewage treatment crisis.

Dave Jones, an EPA regional branch chief, assured members of the Metropolitan Sewer Task Force that the agency would not act “in an adversarial manner” but would work with city utilities officials in the planning and designing of a new $1.5-billion regional sewage plant and secondary sewage treatment system required by federal law.

Jones said that regional EPA officials are now conferring on the terms of a federal consent decree “which both sides can live with” that would put the city on a strict schedule of deadlines to complete the initial planning and design of the project within 2 1/2 to 3 years.

Until early this year, San Diego had sought a waiver from the expensive but environmentally preferred secondary treatment requirement, as have most coastal cities that dispose of treated sewage waste through pipelines extending miles out to sea. The final EPA deadline for compliance is July 1, 1988, “and only a federal judge can grant an extension to a federal deadline,” Jones said.

The consent decree will provide that time extension, he said, but will contain provisions for “reasonable” penalties against the city if federal officials feel that local decision-makers are dragging their feet and refusing to make timely decisions.

San Diego “is embarking on a real planning odyssey,” Jones said, stressing that controversial decisions lie ahead. The selection of a site for a new sewage plant is not the hottest issue that the city must face, he said, rather it is “deciding the capacity of the new plant is the most controversial.”

Speaking from experience gained in dealing with other western cities, Jones predicted that the sewage plant capacity issue will become the center of a future debate over growth control.

Increasing sewage treatment capacity in order to accommodate growth must be balanced by the impacts of growth, such as increased air pollution and freeway congestion, Jones said, adding that some groups likely will try to seize on the issue as a means of controlling future growth.

Tougher Stance

Such issues “can divide a community in two,” he said. “I can only offer you the hope that every other city has gotten through this.”

Since 1983, the EPA has been tougher on local governments that fail to meet its standards because, under a “good guy” approach, only about half of the cities and counties have complied with federal environmental laws, Jones said. In contrast, Jones pointed out that 95% of private industries “which we have cracked down on, are in compliance,” without the incentive of federal grants given only to public agencies.

The task force also heard from state water quality officials, who outlined possible grant funds available to the city if action is taken quickly. By next year, state grants for sewage treatment projects will be converted into a loan program.

The local citizens’ group, headed by lawyer E. Miles Harvey, is charged with hiring an outside consultant, establishing a schedule for the system’s improvements and monitoring the progress.