Federal government sues San Francisco over unauthorized stormwater, sewer system discharges

(UI) – The federal government has filed a lawsuit against San Francisco, accusing the city of failing to properly manage its stormwater-sewer systems and sewage treatment plants, resulting in the discharge of untreated sewage into the ocean and waterways during heavy rains.

According to the federal complaint, San Francisco’s sewer system "discharges of billions of gallons of combined sewage each year onto the beaches of San Francisco and into San Francisco Bay and its tributaries."

Environmental groups have also raised concerns about the city's wastewater treatment, citing significant volumes of combined stormwater runoff and sewage being released, including raw sewage and trash.

"In a typical year, the agency discharges 1.2 billion gallons of combined stormwater runoff and sewage, which contains feces, bacteria, viruses, chemicals, and trash. In a wet year, the volume of discharge can exceed 2 billion gallons," Baykeeper, a nonprofit, said in a statement. 6% of that 2 billion gallons is raw sewage, which is enough to fill 180 Olympic-size swimming pools.

San Francisco officials argue that the lawsuit is costly and unnecessary, emphasizing efforts to address water quality challenges and infrastructure needs due to climate change.

Despite over $2 billion in investments to improve sewer systems since 1976, challenges persist due to the sheer volume of stormwater during heavy rains.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has previously affirmed the EPA's authority to enforce water quality standards on cities like San Francisco.

This story was originally reported by Courthouse News Service.

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