On Thursday the California Coastal Commission denied San Diego's request to extend its time operating the Point Loma sewage treatment facility at sub-standard levels. The effect of this ruling could force San Diego to spend $1.5 billion to upgrade its facility. San Diego loses major sewage treatment battle
The Point Loma plant treats sewage from 2.2 million people inside and outside the city limits, and it discharges about 170 million gallons a day into the Pacific Ocean. It's by far the largest wastewater facility in the nation that doesn't meet the federal threshold of “secondary” treatment.
Mayor Jerry Sanders has worked for more than two years to convince regulators that San Diego is meeting the terms of its current exemption and should be permitted to keep processing sewage without a major retrofit. The city seemed to be headed for success after collecting support from the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board, the EPA, the Coastal Commission's technical experts and some environmentalists.
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