Report Faults Navy In Sewage Spill

Team Infidel

Forum Spin Doctor
San Diego Union-Tribune
January 31, 2008 Despite improvement, region has too many overflows, water board says
By Mike Lee, Staff Writer
Inaction by the Navy and its contractors allowed at least 14 million gallons of sewage to gush from the San Diego Naval Base into Chollas Creek over about two years ending in November 2006.
That's the conclusion of a months-long investigation by the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board. The finding is part of a report prepared for the agency's meeting in two weeks.
“They could have prevented it if they had just followed up” on a consultant's observation about the potential for a wrong pipe connection, said Mark Alpert, a senior enforcement agent at the water board. “They blew it.”
The Navy sewage spill – one of the largest in recent county history – highlights a broader trend: The number of sewage overflows has dropped in recent years, but water-quality officials said the region still suffers from too many large overflows – a catch-all term for releases, spills, leaks and diversions.
In many cases, the water board imposes penalties to deter more pollution. But the agency can't go after the Navy because the military is immune to fines assessed for violations of the federal Clean Water Act, even though the military has been a major source of water pollution in San Diego County and across the nation.
Based on other big sewage spills, the one from San Diego Naval Base at 32nd Street could have generated a penalty of $1 million or more.
It's not clear what else the water board can do given its lack of enforcement authority. In general, the agency's leaders said they may try to force the Navy to make up for the environmental damage caused by the spill.
Navy officials blame the two-year-long leak on a contractor who incorrectly connected the sewage pipe from the 1,032-bed Palmer Hall barracks to a storm-water drain. After they discovered the mistake while working on an unrelated construction project nearby, they corrected the hook-up and checked for similar problems elsewhere.
Navy spokesman Lee Saunders said in a statement that the potential for piping trouble was raised in correspondence between the prime contractor and the plumbing subcontractor. The issue was not brought to the Navy's attention until after the mix-up was found, he said.
After the problem surfaced, “The Navy . . . instituted improved standard procedures which list step-by-step requirements for connection to sewage systems,” Saunders said.
Water-quality agents said sewage agencies countywide are making progress in reducing sewage overflows. However, there were six discharges of more than 100,000 gallons, plus one of undetermined size, last year.
“Overall, the regulated community has done a good job. But there were these large spills during the dry season, and that is kind of troubling,” Alpert said this week.
The number of sewage overflows in the region dropped from 427 in 2002-03 to 214 in 2006-07. The water board's records are filed each fiscal year. Halfway through the current fiscal year, the spill count is on pace to match last year's total.
The trend for the county's largest sewage agency, the city of San Diego, resembles the one for the region. The city reported 77 spills in 2007, down from 127 in 2004.
However, San Diego's volume of spilled wastewater in 2007 more than quadrupled from the previous year because of an August overflow near Lake Hodges. The discharge went undetected for a few days and leaked roughly 391,000 gallons of sewage.
The water board blamed that spill on grease and other items that clogged a pipe.
“It's a constant battle for us,” said Bob Ferrier, assistant director of San Diego's wastewater department. “Every minute of every day, there are roots getting in the system, and the pipes are getting older (and) grease is accumulating.” The Lake Hodges overflow was far from the largest leakage in the region last year.
The Rainbow Municipal Water District had an overflow nearly twice as big near Interstate 15 and Pala Road. At 756,000 gallons, it was the second-largest spill on record in the county last year. The water board linked it to roots and debris that caused a pipe to back up.
The county's worst spill of 2007 occurred in Buena Vista Lagoon, where about 7.3 million gallons of wastewater spilled when a pipe owned by Carlsbad and Vista sprung a leak in April.
Regulators have proposed a $1.1 million fine, and they are negotiating a settlement with the cities. They hope the resulting penalty will encourage wastewater officials countywide to be more vigilant.
“My response to any sewering agency that is still having spills is, 'You can do better' ,” said John Robertus, executive officer for the water board.
 
Back
Top