Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
July 11, 2007
4. Water Quality
INTERNATIONAL SEWAGE PLANT:
Lawmakers badger Bush admin officials on border sewage plant - Associated Press
WASTEWATER RUNOFF:
Danger feared from chemicals getting into bay - San Francisco Chronicle
SEWER PROJECT PROPOSED:
Rincon Point sewer project clears hurdle; Ventura County supervisors back a vote on replacing beach homes' septic tanks, which may be leaking to the ocean - Los Angeles Times
INTERNATIONAL SEWAGE PLANT:
Lawmakers badger Bush admin officials on border sewage plant
Associated Press – 7/11/07
By Erica Werner, staff writer
Congressional supporters of the project -- whose backers have spent heavily on campaign donations and lobbying -- vowed to block money the Bush administration wants for an alternate plan on the U.S. side.
"You ain't gonna get it," Rep. Bob Filner, D-San Diego, told officials from the EPA and the International Boundary and Water Commission at a hearing.
But the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the IBWC, the binational agency overseeing the project, say that Bajagua LLC has missed a series of deadlines in its plans for a plant that would treat sewage that flows north from
The IBWC is under federal court order to ensure the water flowing from
As an alternate plan, President Bush requested $66 million in his 2008 budget proposal for upgrades to an existing sewage treatment plant in
House members said they were blindsided by the president's budget request and demanded to know where it came from.
"All of a sudden $66 million appears in the president's budget. Money doesn't appear like that out of nowhere. How did that money get in there?" Filner asked Carlos Marin,
Marin denied requesting the money and described it as "basically a consensus of federal agencies that this would be the best approach to take."
"Fortunately the administration began to consider a contingency plan," Marin said.
Filner and Rep. Brian Bilbray, R-Carlsbad, accused Marin and EPA of slow-walking the Bajagua plan from the moment it was approved in 2000 because they were reluctant to relinquish control to a private company. #
http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/07/11/news/sandiego/14_36_457_10_07.txt
WASTEWATER RUNOFF:
Danger feared from chemicals getting into bay
San Francisco Chronicle – 7/11/07
By Jane Kay, staff writer
Chemicals found in household products like antibacterial soap and plastic bottles are found in sewage water that is discharged into
Sophisticated sewage systems treat biodegradable food, human waste and metals, but they are not designed to capture the thousands of tons of synthetic chemicals used to manufacture consumer products, say officials at the East Bay Municipal Utility District, who found evidence of potentially harmful substances in sewage from businesses and homes.
Chemical ingredients are leaching out of toothpaste, deodorant, canned food liners and vinyl and polycarbonate plastics. They pass through the municipal sewage plants virtually untreated, the experts say.
Over three months last year, EBMUD grabbed two dozen samples from sewage pipes leading from a veterinarian's office, a nail salon, a diaper service and a coin laundry, among other businesses, as well as from a medical clinic, a hospital and manufacturing plants. Samples also were collected from residences from
The inspectors found three types of chemicals -- phthalates, bisphenol A and triclosan. All are suspected of interfering with hormone systems of humans and wildlife. Phthalates are banned in some toys in
Of 19 locations tested, 18 had sewage discharges containing at least one of the chemicals, and many had more than one.
Out of three tests on treated wastewater, all three samples contained phthalates, and two contained bisphenol A or triclosan.
"We're involved because we know that these compounds are out there, and we cannot treat them in the wastewater stream," said Charles Hardy, EBMUD spokesman. The utility is one of dozens of agencies -- including cities, counties and businesses -- that discharge treated sewage, storm water or other wastewater into the bay.
"Evidence shows that the chemicals are harmful to aquatic life and potentially to humans," Hardy said.
The locations that discharged chemicals into the sewage system aren't being made public because the discharges aren't illegal.
There are no regulations on the amount of the three chemicals that can be sent to treatment plants.
The utility is asking its customers to stop using antibacterial soaps, which frequently contain triclosan, and other products containing harmful chemicals. The utility supports a ban on chemicals that have been shown to cause cancer, birth defects and reproductive damage to lab animals and have the potential to harm humans, Hardy said.
The Environmental Working Group's 30-page report, entitled, "Down the Drain," contains test results, chemical information and hints on products to avoid. The environmental group worked with the utility on selecting test locations and turned over a $20,000 grant from the San Francisco Foundation to defray lab costs.
As the issue of chemicals from consumer products and pharmaceuticals gains a higher profile among the public, chemical manufacturers are conducting their own studies. Phthalate-makers are working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to test sludge in sewage treatment plants for the chemicals, according to Marian Stanley, a scientist with the industry's American Chemistry Council.
Based on industry studies of rainbow trout and organisms that live in the sediment, she said, "we have found that phthalates at the levels found in the environment are not toxic to aquatic life."
Those tests on algae, mussels, fish and birds have shown that the chemicals don't move up the food chain as predators eat plants and animals that contain the chemicals,
Yet EBMUD and other agencies face a challenge over what to do about the chemicals entering their treatment plants, said board member Doug Linney.
"The problem is that they're coming up with new chemicals faster than we can understand what they do to the environment," Linney said.
Taking the example of antibacterial soaps, he said: "They're just not necessary. It's a marketing thing. There's no reason to degrade our environment."
Online resources
Read the report from the Environmental Working Group:
Chemicals tested
Phthalates -- Plastic softener also found in cosmetics, cleaning products, inks and solvents. Linked to reproductive abnormalities in lab animals and alteration of hormone levels in humans.
Bisphenol A -- A building block of polycarbonate plastic, also used in liners of cans. Associated with an array of health problems in lab animals.
Triclosan -- An antimicrobial that is used in soaps, detergents, toothpaste, deodorant and plastic cutting boards. Shown to disrupt the thyroid gland in wild frogs and can be acutely toxic to some aquatic organisms.
Source: Environmental Working Group.
Problem Products
-- Perfumes and beauty products labeled "fragrance."
-- PVC/vinyl flexible plastic in food wraps, toys and shower curtains.
-- "Antibacterial" detergents and hand soap with triclosan.
-- Dibutyl phthalate (DBP) in nail polish.
-- Hard, clear polycarbonate plastic baby bottles and water bottles.
-- Canned food containing solid colored liners.
-- Plastic pet products, including toys and some water dishes.
-- Foam shoe insoles.
Source: Environmental Working Group. #
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/07/11/MNGFVQUHC21.DTL
SEWER PROJECT PROPOSED:
Rincon Point sewer project clears hurdle; Ventura County supervisors back a vote on replacing beach homes' septic tanks, which may be leaking to the ocean
By Catherine Saillant, staff writer
For years, surfers at popular Rincon Point north of
They cited studies showing that human waste from leaky septic tanks from dozens of beach homes was responsible for the pollution.
On Tuesday,
The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors and the Carpinteria Sanitary District must pass their own resolutions before a vote is held, likely in late summer, officials said. The beach homes straddle both counties, and if voters support the proposal they would be hooked up to the sanitary district's sewer lines.
Surfers and environmentalists have long pushed for a conversion to sewer service because of public health concerns. Paul Jenkin of the Surfrider Foundation's
"On a good surf day, there will be more than 100 people in the water and people were getting sick," Jenkin said, adding, "To see Rincon hooked up will be a bright day for the beaches of
If it goes forward, the Rincon conversion would be the flagship of a larger effort by the Carpinteria Sanitary District to provide sewer service to 177 homes in four beach communities.
Homes in Sandyland Cove,
Support for conversion is strong among most beach homeowners, according to Craig Murray, general manager of the Carpinteria Sanitary District.
The Rincon community held an assessment vote in 2000 and about 70% agreed to tax themselves,
Since then, the sanitary district has performed an environmental analysis of how the sewer upgrade would effect the neighborhood, he said. The project would connect each of the Rincon Point homes to an existing sewer line 1.3 miles away at Carpinteria Bluffs,
If residents agree to form an assessment district, they would pay an estimated $360 a month for 20 to 30 years to cover the cost of constructing sewer lines, he said. The mail-in vote requires a simple majority for passage.
Opponents say there is no evidence that septic tanks are contaminating ocean waters near Rincon Point.
High fecal counts detected in the water by state and county environmental officials likely is caused by pets on the beach, opponents say.
Laying sewer lines would cause more harm to the environment than that posed by septic tanks, some argue.
"Why attempt something so risky when there really is little or no problem?" Marilyn Ulvaeus, a Rincon resident since 1972, asked in written comments to the sanitary district. "Before embarking on such a possibly calamitous task wouldn't it be better to check each of our septic systems to see which ones are in need of repair and go from there?"
Hillary Houser of Heal the Ocean said technicians hired by the
"The preponderance of bacteria was of human origin. So the homes were implicated," Houser said. #
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-septic11jul11,1,2768623.story
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