East County officials fear the $ 950 million waste recycling project could be dumped into the sewer because of the wrong pipeline agreement.
The leader who led the effort was to blame San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria – who signed to build such an eight -mile “brine line” last year but has since reneged on that commitment.
The pipeline will prevent the concentrated waste generated by the East County project’s reverse osmosis filtration system from entering the city’s own $ 5 billion pure water sewage recycling project currently under construction. Instead the side products will be diverted to the larger city wastewater system.
San Diego still wants the pipeline built, but is now calling on the East County Advanced Water Purification Program to reduce its bill by $ 35 million.
East County officials said the pipeline was not needed and that city demands could damage a fragile timeline for construction. Project costs, officials say, have ballooned in recent years from $ 640 million due to inflation, surging construction costs and supply chain disruptions.
“We face a very real risk of delay, major cost increases or even worse,” said Allen Carlisle, CEO and general manager of Padre Dam Municipal Water District and administrator for the East County recycling project. “Ultimately, the feasibility of this project is at stake.”
East County’s sewage recycling business – a partnership between San Diego County, El Cajon, Helix Water District and Padre Dam Municipal Water District – is scheduled to come online as soon as 2026. It will create about 2,500 local jobs and provide up to 30 percent. of East County’s drinking water supply.
Gloria’s office denied several interview requests for this story. But the city said in an email that it recently learned an agreement to pay for pipes would violate Prop 218, a state law that prohibits raising property taxes for services that do not directly benefit landowners. The city did not explain why it had to pay for the project with property taxes.
Carlisle said the pipeline – which will run from a pump station on the border of Santee through Mission Trails Regional Park – is not necessary. He said the city has demanded its construction despite several studies that indicate that the East County Advanced Water Purification Program can safely eliminate waste into the Clean Water system.
“We don’t know what the problem is for sure,” Carlisle said. “We spent about 18 months modeling this with city staff going back to 2018. Both teams couldn’t find an impact on the very small amount of residuals going into this massive system.”
The city argues that “strong waste … can disrupt the treatment process and compromise the water quality of recycled drinking water.” The result can be “disastrous, causing Pure Water to not work and stranded more than a billion dollars in investment payments.”
Carlisle said that as a result of the conflict, the city is now withdrawing from a long -standing agreement: to move the East Mission Gorge Pump Station. The city -owned property in Santee will be sold to the East County Advanced Water Purification Program for about $ 2 million.
East County officials said that ownership of the pump station is all that should be forwarded, but the city is now holding the agreement as a way to force them to pay for pipes.
“What the city is doing is unethical,” Steve Goble, an El Cajon board member and part of the government board that oversees the East County plant, proposed. “You can’t hold this thing hostage for trying to get a better deal on a deal that is fully executed.”
The city disputed that assumption, saying in an email: “The city has participated in mediation in good faith and is willing to transfer assets under a valid agreement that does not jeopardize the resilience of Pure Water.”
The government board of the recycling project is scheduled to discuss at a public hearing Thursday the idea of taking pump station property by a well -known domain. The move could prove controversial and trigger a court battle.
Journalist Blake Nelson contributed to this report.
4:25 p.m. May 17, 2022: This post has been updated with additional comments from San Diego officials.
4:25 p.m. May 17, 2022: This post has been updated with additional comments from San Diego officials.
Does California reclaim water?
Water reuse in California is the use of water that is reclaimed for beneficial use. As very dense conditions in the arid west are prone to drought, more use of water is growing as an integral part of water in California that allows the economy and population to grow.
Why does La use recycled water? A. The city of Los Angeles uses recycled water for many things. Recycled water is used for landscaping at City -owned golf courses. Recycled water also works for industrial use, with businesses in the Port area receiving recycled water.
What percentage of water is recycled in California?
KEY STATISTICS 2020 | |
---|---|
City Recycled Water Use: | 254,000 |
Direct Beverage Usage: | 169,000 |
What is an example of non-consumptive water use?
Water use is considered non -consumptive when water remains available or is directly returned back to a location in the stream or aquifer from which it was extracted. For example, hydroelectric power plants and recreational use are considered non-consumptive uses of water.
What is irrigation water consumption?
Water with a regular sprinkler using a standard 5/8 “garden hose for an hour with 1,020 gallons of water; if you water three times a week, that’s around 12,240 gallons per month.
Does California recycle toilet water?
But business is booming in California’s Orange County Water District (OCWD), through pioneering wastewater treatment facilities that recycle water – or waste – and return it to the drinking supply.
Does California recycle sewage water?
In fact, few people in southern California have been drinking recycled wastewater for years, thanks to a pilot project in Orange County. And the governor of the $ 5.1 billion drought response package Gavin Newsom announced last week he is very interested in making these sustainable resources more.
Does our sewage water get recycled?
Once you have used the water, we collect it using our sewer network, transport it to our treatment facilities and recycle it safely to the environment. This forms part of a larger process called the water cycle.
How many water treatment plants are in Los Angeles?
LA Sanitation (LASAN) operates four water reclamation plants that serve more than four million people in two service areas that span 600 square miles. These plants effectively eliminate pollutants from waste to produce recycled water, protect our river and marine environment as well as public health.
How many wastewater treatment plants are there in Los Angeles? Through the operation of 11 wastewater treatment facilities, approximately 510 million gallons per day (MGD) of wastewater is treated at these facilities and 165 MGD is available for reuse.
How many water treatment plants are in California?
In California, wastewater treatment takes place through 100,000 miles of sanitary sewer lines and at more than 900 wastewater treatment plants that manage approximately 4 billion gallons of wastewater generated in the state each day.
How many water treatment plants are in the US?
Today, more than 16,000 publicly owned wastewater treatment plants operate in the United States and its territories.
How does California treat their water?
In some areas, we operate very sophisticated facilities, including microfiltration, advanced oxidation, and ultraviolet units; in other areas, we use very simple, straightforward treatment techniques, such as granular-activated carbon filtration.
How is water treated in Los Angeles?
Wastewater came to the City’s reclamation and water treatment facilities through the sewer system. Most come from inside the house – from sinks, dishwashers, bathtubs, toilets and washing machines. Some of the treated water comes from commercial and industrial users.
Does La dump sewage into the ocean?
Los Angeles Beach reopened nearly three days after 17 million gallons of waste flooded into the Santa Monica Bay. Mechanical failures “cause untreated waste to be dumped into the ocean,” said Los Angeles County Superintendent Janice Hahn.
What happened to the waste in the ocean? Worldwide, untreated dirt flows into coastal waters, carrying organic waste and nutrients that can lead to oxygen depletion, as well as disease -causing bacteria and parasites that require closing beaches and shell beds §.
Why is sewage being dumped in the ocean?
During periods of large rains or storms, wastewater is released into rivers and coastal areas as a way to prevent sewers from becoming overloaded with dirt and rain and then backed up to homes and businesses.
What is the problem with sewage in the ocean?
Dirt attracts bacteria that then break down the waste and in the process, absorb large amounts of oxygen that can lead to oxygen -deficient local oceans. When this happens, fish and other creatures struggle to evolve and in some extreme cases can lead to a ‘death zone’ where little can grow or survive.
Who dumps sewage into the ocean?
Cruise ships throw large amounts of waste into the ocean. It is estimated that 95,000 cubic meters of waste from toilets and 5,420,000 cubic meters of waste from sinks, galleys and showers are released into the ocean each day.
Does the US dump sewage into the ocean?
The Ocean Dumping Prohibition Act 1988 amended the MPRSA and now prohibits the disposal of marine sludge municipal waste and industrial waste, such as waste from plastics and pharmaceutical plant factories and from petrochemical plants. The 1988 amendment also prohibits the dumping of “medical waste.”
Does New York City still dump their garbage in the ocean?
The City of New York had ratified the terms of an agreement to stop transporting and dumping its sludge in the ocean by June 30, 1992, marking the cessation of this practice by all cities in the nation.
Do cruise ships still dump garbage in the ocean?
Yes. Cruise ships pollute the ocean. Cruise ships not only dispose of waste and food waste, but also dispose of waste fuel that is harmful to the ocean as well.