Water District offers settlement

Mary A. Castillo

The South Coast Water District announced that it offered to settle an

administrative civil liability complaint with the San Diego Regional

Water Quality Control Board.

The regional board agreed to consider the offer of $105,000 and

the district’s request that the majority of the funds go toward

environmental programs that promote improved ocean water quality in

South Orange County, said Linda Homscheid, public information officer

for the district.

The announcement was made Feb. 5. The regional board is expected

to make a decision at its meeting on March 12.

“We’re very hopeful,” Homscheid said. “It’s encouraging that John

Robertus [executive officer of the regional board] said that we are

in full compliance with an updated plan in place with them.”

The water district was served with the complaint on Dec. 16. It

alleged violations in complying with general waste discharge

requirements and a section of the California Water Code.

According to the report, the water district failed to develop,

implement and maintain a sanitary sewer overflow prevention plan;

failed to comply with the California Water Code section that governs

the request for information regarding sewer spills; provided

incomplete sanitary sewer overflow reporting; and did not report a

sewer spill that occurred on Dec. 23, 2001, within the required

24-hour time period.

Homscheid said that the district now has an established process

with the Orange County Health Agency in reporting spills and that it

is able to provide that information to the regional board in a timely

manner.

“Our sanitary sewer overflow prevention and response plan is at

every satellite location in the district,” she said.