Regional Water Board to Hold Hearing on Wastewater Permit Wednesday

On Wednesday, Dec. 14, the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board will hold a hearing on the reissuance for a variance from secondary treatment requirements for the City of San Diego’s Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant and the tentative approval decision pursuant to Clean Water Act section 301(h).

The hearing is set for 11 a.m. Wednesday at the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board, Board Meeting Room, 2375 Northside Drive, Suite 108, San Diego, California 92108. WRC members are encouraged to attend.

The proposed new permit requires the City to complete the planning, design, and environmental review for the infrastructure to implement the Pure Water San Diego program. Construction of advanced water treatment facilities will enable the City to begin reusing highly treated wastewater within 10 years.

The hearing will include a joint presentation from the USEPA and Regional Board staff on the merits of the application and the justification for the tentative approval. The City will also present to the San Diego Water Board on the status of the Pure Water San Diego program and its connection to the reduction of ocean discharges at Pt. Loma.

The San Diego Water Board will not act on the tentative decision at the public hearing Wednesday, but will formally act at a subsequent Board meeting in early 2017. The public comment period for this tentative decision will remain open until 5 p.m. Dec. 21, and all written comments submitted by the deadline will be considered by USEPA-Region IX, and the San Diego Water Board before taking action at that future meeting.

“Building on previous work by the City, U.S. EPA and the San Diego Water Board, this permit and the Pure Water Program measures it includes represent a major step forward in protecting the health of our coastal waters while also increasing our community’s drought resilience,” said David Gibson, executive officer for the San Diego Water Board. “In terms of its development with the community, its goals, and specific requirements, this permit is a model for an outcome-based regulatory approach in California and the nation.”

For more information on Wednesday’s hearing, click here.