L.A. to clean 2,800 miles of sewer lines
SANTA MONICA BAY — A local environmental watchdog group has concluded that a sewage settlement for $2 billion against Los Angeles did the most to preserve the Santa Monica Bay and other coastal areas last year.
Environment Now, a Santa Monica-based non-profit group, announced in an August report that the victorious settlement involving the Santa Monica Baykeeper against the city of Los Angeles was the most impressive legal action to further the cause of coastal protection in 2004. According to the group, Los Angeles is fulfilling its obligations under the agreement.
Terry O’Day, chief operating officer for Environment Now, said the sewage settlement is a landmark achievement that will have BY JEREMIAH MARQUEZ long-term impacts for Santa Monica and other areas. Perhaps just as importantly, O’Day said that Los Angeles seems to be living up to its end of the bargain.
“The settlement is supported by the top leadership in Los Angeles, who were very involved in negotiations and believed it was the right way to go,” O’Day said. “They realized this was a public issue, with serious effects, and we’re very optimistic Los Angeles will follow through with the terms of the settlement.”
In its annual report, Environment Now traces the most significant development each year in Southern California involving issues related to air and water quality, energy and land use management. Because of the precedent-setting aspects of the sewage settlement, Environment Now’s Year in Review 2004 Coastal Protection Award recognizes those who pushed the whopping $2 billion agreement forward.
In November of 1998, the Santa Monica Baykeeper, a group committed to restoring coastal areas, filed suit in federal district court against the city of Los Angeles, alleging some 20,000 violations of the federal Clean Water Act due to ongoing city sewage spills. The majority of these spills occurred in low-income, minority areas, according to the complaint.
Some of the spills overflowed into storm drains and reached river and ocean waters, causing bacterial contamination and beach closures.
In January of 2001, the federal and state Environmental Protection Agency also joined the fray, suing the city of Los Angeles for its continuing violations. That summer, residents in Baldwin Hills and the Crenshaw District also filed suit.
The various parties involved in the suit were able to provide enough legal fodder to steer Los Angeles into compliance, said Tracy Egoscue, from the Santa Monica Baykeeper.
“The expert reports really turned the tide for us,” Egoscue said.
In August of 2004, after six years of litigation, a $2 billion settlement was reached, resulting in one of the largest clean water projects and providing a road map for change, according to Environment Now.
L.A. has about 6,000 miles of sewer lines serving almost four million residents. The $2 billion agreement requires the city to rebuild at least 488 miles of sewer lines and clean 2,800 miles of sewer annually.
L.A. must also enhance its program to control restaurant grease discharges, increase the sewage system’s capacity, and plan for future expansion.
All terms of the settlement must be met and progress reports have to be submitted to the Santa Monica Baykeeper and the EPA for the next 10 years, with penalties for unfulfilled obligations.
“The city is now learning to go the next step,” O’Day said.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 3, 2005. Read the original PDF.