September 2014, Vol. 69, No. 9
Newsline
Deal Set To Keep Sewage Out Of San Francisco Bay
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced a Clean Water Act (CWA) settlement requiring the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) and seven East Bay communities to conduct extensive system repairs aimed at eliminating millions of gallons of sewage discharges into the San Francisco Bay.
Under the agreement, EBMUD and the communities will assess and upgrade their 1,500-mile-long sewer system infrastructure over a 21-year period. The work is expected to cost approximately $1.5 billion. The entities will pay civil penalties of $1.5 million for past sewage discharges that violated federal environmental law. The settlement is the result of a CWA enforcement action brought by the EPA, U.S. Department of Justice, State Water Resources Control Board, San Francisco Bay Regional Water Board, San Francisco Baykeeper, and Our Children’s Earth Foundation.
As part of the agreement, EBMUD and the seven East Bay communities will:
• Repair and rehabilitate old and cracked sewer pipes
• Regularly clean and inspect sewer pipes to prevent overflows of raw sewage
• Identify and eliminate illegal sewer connections
• Continue to enforce private sewer lateral ordinances
• Ensure proactive renewal of existing sanitary sewer infrastructure
EBMUD will also immediately begin work to offset the environmental harm caused by the sewage discharges, which are expected to continue until these sewer upgrades are completed, by capturing and treating urban runoff and contaminated water that currently flows to the Bay untreated during dry weather. The proposed settlement is subject to a 30-day public comment period and final court approval.
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