Sewage to be treated with bleach
Paul Clinton
Newport-Mesa -- Less than two full days after agreeing to fully
treat its waste water, water-quality regulators ordered the Orange
County Sanitation District to immediately reduce bacteria levels
using industrial bleach.
The Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board unanimously
approved changes in the agency’s ocean discharge permit, at a Friday
meeting, that directs the district to begin bleaching by Aug. 12 and
tightens monitoring standards for bacteria levels in the waste plume.
Each day, the district releases 243-million gallons of partially
treated sewage into the ocean via an outfall pipe on the ocean floor
four miles off the Santa Ana River mouth.
By requiring the district to disinfect the sewage with chlorine,
regulators said visitors to Newport Beach and Huntington Beach can
enjoy greater peace of mind while swimming in the ocean water.
“This requirement is really done in an abundance of caution to
protect public health,” said Gerard Thibeault, the board’s executive
director. “We wanted to get something in place for this beach-going
season.”
Regulators with the Environmental Protection Agency released the
proposal at a June 18 meeting. Following the vote on Friday, the
regional board will now forward the recommendation to the EPA.
Under the new proposed permit, the district would be required to
bleach the sewage, then remove the bleach using a dechlorination
chemical known as sodium bi-sulphite. Releasing high concentrations
of bleach into the ocean would kill fish and damage other marine
life.
As part of the new requirements, the sanitation district would
also be accountable for keeping the water clear within three miles of
the shore, from surface to bottom.
Now, the district is only required to worry about the top layer of
water 10 feet deep and three miles out.
Sanitation district managers said they welcomed the new
requirements.
“[Chlorination] is an excellent tool,” General Manager Blake
Anderson said. “It’s an immediate tool and it’s a well-known tool.”
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