Cities Compromise on Fixing San Elijo Sewage Outfall

Environmentalists call the agreement murky at best, and the cities involved say the settlement to repair and expand the San Elijo sewage outfall is a compromise that benefits all.

The city of Escondido and the sanitation districts of Solana Beach and Cardiff are set to sign a $12-million contract today that would repair the outfall pipe and expand its capacity by one-third.

Last year, divers discovered faults in the outfall pipe that officials feared could cause the pipe to be washed away in a strong storm. Since then, the cities involved have been working out a plan to repair the pipe and, at the same time, expand its capacity.

The agreement through the San Elijo Joint Powers Authority also requires sewage to be treated with disinfectants before being discharged.

The outfall extends for a mile and a half into the ocean, dumping 19-million gallons of sewage a day into water 160-feet deep. The outfall can carry up to 24.5-million gallons a day, and the proposed expansion would increase the capacity to 35-million gallons.

Critics, led by People for a Clean Ocean, say the increased capacity allows Escondido to pump more of its sewage on the shores of the coastal cities.

Escondido, which uses 79% of the outfall capacity, says it’s willing to do its part by designing and building a $28-million water reclamation plant that could reclaim all of the city’s sewage within the next three years. The city would then sell the water for agricultural purposes.

Richard MacManus of People for a Clean Ocean said his group is “totally opposed to the agreement. If the coastal communities sign this agreement, then they are selling out their communities.”

MacManus wants Escondido to sign an agreement saying that the inland city would either reclaim all its water by the year 2000 or extend the outfall another mile. A one-mile extension of the outfall would carry the sewage to depths of 460 feet.

“But you probably get better protection of the recreational users of the beach with the disinfectant than with the extension of the pipe,” said George Lohnes, utility manager for Escondido.

Lohnes said to accept a deadline such as the one MacManus wants would be unwise.

“What if there’s a full economic downturn? What if there are new regulations regarding reclamation? What if Olivenhain (a potentially large consumer of reclaimed water from Escondido) suddenly says their customers say no?” Lohnes said.

MacManus said the agreement allows Escondido to expand its use of the outflow while reclaiming only a small amount of sewage.

The agreement allows Escondido to pump an additional 1 1/3 gallons of sewage through the outfall for every gallon of sewage reclaimed.

Officials from the coastal communities deny MacManus’ contention that they are selling out their ocean, accusing him of being too focused on getting the outfall extended, and not looking at the big picture.

“My personal attitude is that the waste water that we and Escondido are producing is really a very important commodity,” said Marion Dodson, a member of the Solana Beach City Council. “It is water that can be reused, and I would like to recycle that natural resource.”