Discharge Analysis for Morro Bay Sewer Plant Due Soon
By David Sneed, The Tribune, San Luis Obispo, Calif.
Jan. 23–Federal officials hope to have an assessment of the environmental effects on the ocean of the sewage treatment plant for Morro Bay and Cayucos completed within two months.
Lack of the assessment is holding up the renewal of a controversial water discharge permit for the plant. The sewer plant in Morro Bay is one of the last in the state that is allowed to discharge partially treated sewage into the ocean.
The holdup, though, could be temporarily saving Morro Bay and Cayucos residents money they will ultimately have to pay out on a multimillion-dollar sewer upgrade.
Last May, the Regional Water Quality Control Board held a contentious daylong hearing on the Morro Bay permit but came away deadlocked. The board asked the federal Environmental Protection Agency to assess how the plant’s discharge affects the ocean’s ecology, specifically the threatened southern sea otter, as a way to break the deadlock.
The plant continues to operate under its old permit, and operators are pressing ahead with plans to upgrade the plant to meet all discharge standards. At the same time, environmentalists have renewed their efforts to encourage the city of Morro Bay and the Cayucos Sanitary District to speed up the sewer upgrade.
The agencies have received hundreds of e-mails from members of the Natural Resources Defense Council urging them to reduce the timeline for the upgrade from seven to five years.
“It’s a political question,” said Anjali Jaiswal, an attorney with the group. “We want them to stop dragging their feet and do the right thing all the way.”
Bruce Keogh, wastewater treatment manager for Morro Bay, said the two communities are reluctant to shorten the timeline for fear that unexpected delays in the project could result in fines from state water officials.
State water officials are satisfied with the pace of the upgrade. They will schedule another hearing when the ecological assessment is complete.
“Because they are continuing on the upgrade, there is no pressing need to hold a hearing,” said Matt Thompson, who is with the regional water board staff.
In the meantime, residents of Morro Bay and Cayucos should prepare themselves for sticker shock, Keogh said.
The sewer upgrade is expected to cost from $20 million to $30 million and could result in a doubling of sewer rates. The exact cost won’t be known until later this year when the details of the upgrade are ironed out.
“Unless we get grant funding, it will be a significant increase for the ratepayer,” Keogh said.
Reach David Sneed at 781-7930.
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Copyright (c) 2007, The Tribune, San Luis Obispo, Calif.
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