Pacifica property owners will pay the 1/2009 $1.7 million sewer spill fine, sewer lateral replacement where needed, and the cost of a 10 year pipeline infrastructure improvement plan.
Article from San Mateo County Times, 3/16/11, Julia Scott. The Calera Creek Water Recycling Plant will answer for a history of serious sewage overflows with a $1.7 million fine and a total overhaul of its sewer maintenance system under a settlement reached with the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board. The penalty was imposed after a water board investigation in 2009 revealed that millions of gallons of sewage-tainted stormwater escaped into the ocean in a series of preventable sanitary sewer overflows. During one storm in 2008, approximately 7 million gallons of raw sewage, mixed with rainwater, were discharged from the wastewater plant into the ocean after the plant became overwhelmed.
Pacifica spent millions of dollars to build a new, state-of-the-art sewage-treatment plant in 2000, a move that was prompted by a cease-and-desist order imposed by the water quality board for sewage violations throughout the 1990s. The latest fine was reduced from $2.3 million when the city agreed to a 10-year infrastructure improvement plan with strict benchmarks. It will cost millions of dollars to comply, and those funds will almost certainly come from increased sewer fees, according to wastewater officials.
"We are bringing on four new people, because they're requiring that we clean our sewer system, and we TV our system every working day," said Dave Gromm, director of the plant. "TV" means putting a camera into pipes to spot holes and other problems. The wastewater plant overhaul was important, but it didn't come close to solving the problem, said Lila Tang, chief of the wastewater control program at the water board.
"They did a good job upgrading the treatment plant, but after that they sort of sat back and waited for the next catastrophe," she said. There won't be many more catastrophes if the sewage treatment plant adheres to a multipart plan that would eliminate sanitary sewer overflows due to rainfall by 2020, said Lila Tang, chief of the wastewater control program at the water board.
Those actions include a systemwide cleaning program of all sewer mains; an inventory of all problems, especially leaks caused by intrusion from tree roots; a new computerized record-keeping program; and the development of a long-term capital improvement plan that will pay for the repair and replacement of the most serious pipeline failures.
The water board will vote on whether to formally approve the proposed settlement agreement at a hearing May 11. But Gromm said the city is already moving forward with the first two requirements, a sanitary sewer overflow reduction plan and a master plan based on a systemwide evaluation. Tang said the evaluation is overdue. The cornerstone of the settlement will involve a new ordinance requiring Pacifica residents with leaky sewer laterals to pay to replace them. Sewer laterals are the private sewer lines that connect homes to the city's trunk lines. Gromm blames leaky sewer laterals for most of the stormwater overflows. He said they absorb groundwater when it rains and inundate the sewage treatment plant. "We can see the trunk sewers are in very good shape, but the laterals are just pouring clear water. Every home is like that in certain areas," Gromm said.
Unlike other cities on the Peninsula, these sewer lateral repairs would not be voluntary. Repairing or replacing a sewer lateral can cost up to $4,500 per household, according to Gromm. The good news is that the water board will permit the city to apply $600,000 of its fine toward a special fund that helps homeowners replace sewer laterals when needed -- what Tang calls "sugarcoating on the bitter pill." How the city will pay for all the capital-improvement needs that will emerge in the next year is another question. Gromm said the city can afford to put $1 million into a special account for infrastructure improvements. He said the money would have to come from raising sewer fees for ratepayers.Sewer fees go up every year in Pacifica. "We can only pay for what we can pay for," Gromm said. "We're not going to be able to do everything in one year."
Posted by Kathy Meeh
10 comments:
Send the bill (fine ) to Vreeland.
"They did a good job upgrading the treatment plant, but after that they sort of sat back and waited for the next catastrophe," said Lila Tang, chief of the wastewater control program at the water board.
And, that the way this city has been run (without the much of the civic upgrades) for the past several years. Remember the Einstein definition of insanity?
"And, that the way this city has been run (without the much of the civic upgrades) for the past several years. Remember the Einstein definition of insanity?"
Proofread.
Now let's all sit back and see if the set aside money and the money collected from increased rates goes towards what it's supposed to. If there's a way to redirect it to some hare-brained pet project or the good old general fund city hall will find it. Can't wait to see the rules they come up with for these mandatory $4500 sewer lateral repairs and how they mismanage the project and funding. Homeowners (not such a great idea anymore) get your wallets out!
Wonder if this extra expense was included in the budget? What about the extra jobs?
Maybe it's cheaper to increase the capacity of our "world-class" poop plant, than to expect residents to pay $4500 to replace their laterals. The housing stock in Pacifica is pretty old, and this is going to cost a lot of people a ton of money.
The amount each household will get from the city for sewer lateral replacement will likely only amount to a few hundred dollars. That still leaves individual homeowners on the hook for thousands of dollars.
For years Pacifica was taking sewer fees that were supposed to be used for sewer plant and sewer line maintenance, and instead putting those fees into the general fund. This is the result.
I read that some of the fine money is to be used to improve Rockaway Creek. Forget that. ALL the fine money should be used for lateral line replacement.
"I read that some of the fine money is to be used to improve Rockaway Creek. Forget that. ALL the fine money should be used for lateral line replacement."
Nothing happens in Pacifica unless the enviro-mentals get their cut.
It's raining really hard. How's our fabulous SooperPooper doing? That weird brown surf isn't fallout, no matter what you hear from City Hall.
People should remember their right to protest the sewer rate increase.
When the notice of increase and public hearing arrives, you may send a written letter of protest to: City Clerk,170 Santa Maria Ave., Pacifica, CA 94044. The letter needs your Assessor's Parcel number (APN), street address of the property, and the owner's signature.
No emails accepted, and have it at city hall by the date of the public hearing at which they MUST tabulate the letters and listen to public comment.
The more heat that gets generated, the more they may start actually fearing the public's wrath come next election time.
Lionel - wondering if condos, apartment complexes and other multi-unit homeowners' assocications would have extra "clout" in protesting since these charges would have to come from association dues? Your thoughts?
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