HomeMy WebLinkAbout2000-12 DRAFT
MINUTES OF STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING JJ/'
Wednesday, December 20, 2000
A meeting of the Steering Committee of the Orange County Sanitation District was
held on Wednesday, December 20, 2000 at 5 p.m., in the District's Administrative
Office.
(1) The roll was called and a quorum declared present, as follows:
STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBERS: OTHERS PRESENT:
Directors Present: Thomas L. Woodruff, General Counsel
Norm Eckenrode, Chair Ryal Wheeler
Peter Green, Vice Chair Peer Swan
Pat McGuigan, Chairman, OMTS Committee
Steve Anderson, PDC Committee STAFF PRESENT:
Blake Anderson, General Manager
Directors Absent: Bob Ghirelli, Director of Technical Services
Jim Silva, County Supervisor Greg Mathews, Assistant to the General
Manager
Gary Streed, Director of Finance
Lisa Lawson, Communications Manager
Jim Herberg, Engineering Supervisor
Jean Tappan, Committee Secretary
(2) APPOINTMENT OF CHAIR PRO TEM
No appointment was necessary.
(3) PUBLIC COMMENTS
There were no comments by any member of the public.
(4) RECEIVE, FILE AND APPROVE MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING
The minutes of the November 15, 2000 Steering Committee meeting were approved as drafted.
(5) REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE CHAIR
Committee Chair Norm Eckenrode announced that CASA's mid-year conference will be held in Palm
Springs January 18-20, 2001. He also mentioned that the go/no-go decision on the GW RS Project
has been delayed until March to provide stakeholders with sufficient time to review and comment on
the financial report. The report had been expected to be finalized in early November but is now
Minutes of the Steering Committee
Page 2
December 20, 2000
expected to be released in January. Additional discussion follows under the General Manager's
Report. The appointment of a chairman for the FAHR Committee will be made before the next
meeting. There will be a workshop for new directors on Saturday,January 13,from 8 to 11:30 a.m.
All seated directors will also be invited to attend.
(6) REPORT OF THE GENERAL MANAGER
A. Next Step re SARI Relocation Project.
General Manager Blake Anderson reported that staff will continue to work with
SAWPA's staff, general manager and Board to urge them to finance their fair share of
the SARI Line relocation project and to look for outside funding grants. Blake will be
meeting with the SAWPA Board at a workshop on January 9 to answer questions and
make our case. Staff continues to move forward with all permitting and engineering
efforts that will lead to a fall 2001 construction start date, unless other events or the
direction of the Board changes.
B. GWRS—Financial Picture.
An announcement was made today by MAD that they would not be providing
replenishment water to the Water District in January and maybe into February.
Blake Anderson and Gary Streed presented an overview of the possible financial
impacts on user rates on both the Sanitation District and the Orange County Water
District with and without the GWRS project. The numbers presented were draft only,
provided as late as yesterday to the Water District and Sanitation District staff by
PRAG. The report is being finalized and should be available by the end of January.
Director Swan asked for a copy of the initial draft report and was told by the Water
District that it was not being distributed. A copy of the final report will be provided to
him.
C. Additional Discussion on the Five-year Staffing Plan.
Feedback was requested on the presentations made to the committees. The Steering
Committee's early opinion is that it appears that the projected increases are justifiable,
though there were some directors who commented that the numbers appeared high.
Staff will present the final plan to the directors in February at the committee and Board
meetings.
D. Update on Huntington Beach Issues.
Blake Anderson and Bob Ghirelli provided an update on Huntington Beach issues.
Director Green and several city staff members attended a meeting with District staff on
Tuesday. One of the issues discussed was the infrastructure problems in the city and
the recent articles in the newspapers. The city, county, Sanitation District, UC Irvine
and a large number of others will design a research and response plan for the
summer of 2001. Staffs policy of directing questions pertaining to the District to the
most knowledgeable person on specific issues will continue. Questions on other
agencies or entities will be directed to the agency/entity,being questioned.
Minutes of the Steering Committee
Page 3
December 20, 2000
Bob Ghirelli discussed the November test results on the outfall plume. Additional
water samples will be taken in January. The results will help with the major study that
is planned for next spring. That study will include sediment samples and hourly shore-
line samples for a 24-hour period. A preliminary cost estimate on the worst-case
scenario (disinfect the effluent to achieve beach standards)was presented by Jim
Herberg. Four alternatives to reduce pathogens were identified.
(7) REPORT OF GENERAL COUNSEL
General Counsel Tom Woodruff reported that the Montrose consent decree has been lodged and it
will be heard by the court mid-February. Most of the District's share was paid through insurance
coverage.
(8) DISCUSSION ITEMS (Item A)
A. Biosolids: Is the Future Class B or Class A, Exceptional Quality and Composted?
Staff reported on the increased pressures by the Central Valley farmers to eliminate
the use of Class B biosolids. Staff also reported that Class A composted biosolids
may be required in the future and they are putting together a game plan on how to
accomplish this change, including cost estimates. The Kings County Board of
Supervisors has apparently reversed itself and is prepared to enact an ordinance in
January that will ban Class B biosolids in two years.
(9) OTHER BUSINESS, COMMUNICATIONS OR SUPPLEMENTAL AGENDA ITEMS, IF ANY
There was no other business discussed.
(10) MATTERS WHICH A DIRECTOR WOULD LIKE STAFF TO REPORT ON AT A
SUBSEQUENT MEETING
There were none.
(11) MATTERS WHICH A DIRECTOR MAY WISH TO PLACE ON A FUTURE AGENDA FOR
ACTION AND/OR STAFF REPORT
There were none.
(12) CONSIDERATION OF UPCOMING MEETINGS
The next Steering Committee meeting is scheduled for January 24, 2000 at 5 p.m.
The next Board Meeting is scheduled for January 24,2000 at 7 p.m.
Minutes of the Steering Committee
Page 4
December 20, 2000
(13) CLOSED SESSION
There was no closed session.
(14) ADJOURNMENT
The Chair declared the meeting adjourned at 6:54 p.m.
Submitted by:
U ( I
J n appan
to 'ng Committee Secretary
H.Iwp.pyBlpBnEB151BBNp Lan MIBB1WOBCW1]NXL MTufai.Ex
STATE OF CALIFORNIA )
) SS.
COUNTY OF ORANGE )
Pursuant to California Government Code Section 54954.2, 1 hereby certify that the Notice
and the Agenda for the Steering Committee meeting held on Wednesday, December 20, 2000,was
duly posted for public Inspection in the main lobby of the District's offices on Thursday, December
14, 2000.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 20th day of December,2000.
Penny Kyle, Secr ry of#{ a oard of Directors of
Orange County Sanitatio District
Posted: December 14/ ,,2000, p.m.
By:
Signature
wPd.)g.Wr.m m\pOng.im
eORANGE COUNTY SANITATION DISTRICT
phone:
(714)952-2411
mallinp add..:
l3o 8cx8127
rnunuein valley,CA
92729-8127 NOTICE OF MEETING
sere. OF THE
10244 Ellis Avenue
Fbantan valley,CA STEERING COMMITTEE
92708-7019
ORANGE COUNTY SANITATION DISTRICT
br
Agencies WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2000 - 5 P.M.
If
titles
Anaheim DISTRICTS ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE
Brea Sunni Perk 10844 ELLIS AVENUE
cynrsas FOUNTAIN VALLEY, CALIFORNIA 92708
Founce. Valley
Fullerton
Gorden Grove
Huntington Beach
Irvine
L.Le Habra A regular meeting of the Steering Committee of the Board of Directors of
Lee Alamitos Orange County Sanitation District, will be held at the above location, date and
Newporrt Beach
Grange time.
Present
Banta Ana
Beal Beach
Stanton
Tustin
Ville Perk
Yorbs Linda
County of Orange
sanli Districts
costa Mesa
Md.,Gry
Water Districts
Irvine Ranch
Weinwining WorldCass Leadership in Wastewater and Water Resource Management
STEERING COMMITTEE AND BOARD MEETING DATES
FOR THE NEXT TWELVE MONTHS
Wednesday, December 20, 2000'
Wednesday, January 24, 2001
Wednesday, February 28, 2001
Wednesday, March 28, 2001
Wednesday,April 25, 2001
Wednesday, May 23, 2001
Wednesday, June 27, 2001
Wednesday, July 25, 2001
Wednesday, August 22, 2001
Wednesday, September26, 2001
Wednesday, October 24, 2001
Wednesday, November 28, 2001
Wednesday, December 19, 2001'
'Tentatively rescheduled from regular fourth Wednesday.
STEERING COMMITTEE
(t) Roll Call:
Meeting Date: December 20, 2000 Meeting Time: 5 p.m.
Meeting Adjourned: -
Committee Members
Norm Eckenrode, Chair
Peter Green,Vice Chair
Steve Anderson, Chair, PDC Committee
Pat McGuigan, Chair, OMTS Committee
Tom Saltarelli, Chair, FAHR Committee
Jim Silva, Supervisor
Jan Debay, Past Chair of the Board
Others
Mark Leyes, Director
Thomas L. Woodruff, General Counsel
Don Hughes
Staff Present
Blake P. Anderson, General Manager.................................
Greg Mathews, Assistant to the General Manager.............
Jean Tappan, Secretary.......................................................
Bob Ghirelli, Director of Technical Services........................
Gary Streed, Director of Finance.........................................
Lisa Lawson, Communications Manager............................
c: Lenora Crane
AGENDA
REGULAR MEETING OF THE STEERING COMMITTEE
ORANGE COUNTY SANITATION DISTRICT
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2000 AT 5 P.M.
ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE
10844 Ellis Avenue
Fountain Valley, California
In accordance with the requirements of California Government Code Section 54954.2, this agenda has
been posted in the main lobby of the District's Administrative Office not less than 72 hours prior to the
meeting date and time above. All written materials relating to each agenda item are available for public
inspection in the office of the Board Secretary.
In the event any matter not listed on this agenda is proposed to be submitted to the Steering Committee
for discussion and/or action, it will be done in compliance with Section 54954.2(b)as an emergency item
or that there is a need to take immediate action which need came to the attention of the District
subsequent to the posting of the agenda, or as set forth on a supplemental agenda posted not less than
72 hours prior to the meeting date.
(1) ROLL CALL
(2) APPOINTMENT OF CHAIR PRO TEM, IF NECESSARY
(3) PUBLIC COMMENTS
All persons wishing to address the Steering Committee on specific agenda items or matters of
general interest should do so at this time. As determined by the Chairman, speakers may be
deferred until the specific item is taken for discussion and remarks may be limited to five
minutes.
Matters of interest addressed by a member of the public and not listed on this agenda cannot
action taken by the Committee except as authorized by Section 54954.2(b).
(4) APPROVE MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING
Approve draft minutes of the November 15, 2000 Steering Committee meeting.
-2- December 20, 2000 Agenda
(5) REPORT OF COMMITTEE CHAIR
(6) REPORT OF GENERAL MANAGER
A. Next Step re SARI Relocation Project (Blake Anderson)
B. GW RS—Financial Picture (Blake Anderson/Gary Streed)
C. Additional discussion on Five-year Staffing and Business Plan (Blake
Anderson/Greg Mathews)
D. Update on Huntington Beach issues (Blake Anderson/Bob Ghirelli)
(7) REPORT OF GENERAL COUNSEL
(8) DISCUSSION ITEMS (Items A—)
A. Biosolids: Is the future Class B or Class A. Exceptional Quality and Composted?
(Blake Anderson/Bob Ghirelli)
(9) OTHER BUSINESS, COMMUNICATIONS OR SUPPLEMENTAL AGENDA ITEMS. IF
ANY
(10) MATTERS WHICH A DIRECTOR WOULD LIKE STAFF TO REPORT ON AT A
SUBSEQUENT MEETING
(11) MATTERS WHICH A DIRECTOR MAY WISH TO PLACE ON A FUTURE AGENDA
FOR ACTION AND STAFF REPORT
(12) FUTURE MEETING DATES
The next Steering Committee Meeting is scheduled for 5 p.m., Wednesday, January 24, 2001.
The next Board Meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, January 24, 2001.
-3- December 20,2000 Agenda
(13) CLOSED SESSION
During the course of conducting the business set forth on this agenda as a regular meeting of
the Steering Committee, the Chair may convene the Committee in closed session to consider
matters of pending real estate negotiations, pending or potential litigation, or personnel matters,
pursuant to Government Code Sections 54956.8, 64956.9, 54957 or 54957.6, as noted.
Reports relating to (a)purchase and sale of real property; (b) matters of pending or potential
litigation; (c)employment actions or negotiations with employee representatives; or which are
exempt from public disclosure under the California Public Records Act, may be reviewed by the
Directors during a permitted closed session and are not available for public inspection. At such
time as final actions are taken by the Board on any of these subjects, the minutes will reflect all
required disclosures of information.
A. Convene in closed session, if necessary
B. Reconvene in regular session
C. Consideration of action, if any, on matters considered in closed session.
(14) ADJOURNMENT
jt
H WP.GTPWGENDA1 TEMNG CDLWITTEe 0ECMi XW AGENDAa INGG NDM AND RGLLML SHEET.WC
Notice to Committee Members:
For any questions on the agenda or to place Items on the agenda,Committee members should contact the
Committee Chair or the Secretary ten days in advance of the Committee meeting.
Committee Chair: Norm Eckenmde (714)993-8261 (Placentia City Hall)
Secretary: Jean Tappan (714)593-7101
(714)962-0356(Fax)
E-mail: ItaDDannO OCSd.COm
' DRAFT
MINUTES OF STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING
Wednesday, November 15, 2000
A meeting of the Steering Committee of the Orange County Sanitation District was
held on Wednesday, November 15, 2000 at 5 p.m., in the District's Administrative
Office.
(1) The roll was called and a quorum declared present, as follows:
STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Directors Present: OTHERS PRESENT:
Norm Eckenrode, Chair Thomas L. Woodruff, General Counsel
Peter Green,Vice Chair Director John Gullixson
Pat McGuigan, Chairman,OMTS Committee
Steve Anderson, PDC Committee STAFF PRESENT:
Tom Saltarelli, Chairman, FAHR Committee Blake Anderson, General Manager
Jan Debay, Past Chair of the Board Bob Ghirelli, Director of Technical Services
Gary Streed, Director of Finance
Directors Absent: Lisa Lawson, Communications Manager
Jim Silva,County Supervisor Jean Tappan, Committee Secretary
(2) APPOINTMENT OF CHAIR PRO TEM
No appointment was necessary.
(3) PUBLIC COMMENTS
There were no comments by any member of the public.
(4) RECEIVE. FILE AND APPROVE MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING
The minutes of the October 25, 2000 Steering Committee meeting were approved as drafted.
(5) REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE CHAIR
Committee Chair Norm Eckenrode reported on several Items.
A. Meeting with Tony Oliveira: Blake Anderson and Chair Eckenrode drove to
Hanford in the middle of Kings County on November 3. Mr. Oliveira has been on
the Board for several years and is very pro-farming, pro-business and relatively
anti-regulation—like many of his colleagues on the board. The Kings County
Board will be considering a biosolids ordinance next week. Mr. Oliveira told us
that he is currently in favor of the use of Class 6 biosolids, as long as there are
t
Minutes of the Steering Committee
Page 2
November 15, 2000
reasonable safe guards in place. The District agreed with that and that it takes
environmental stewardship seriously—minciuding the use of biosolids in Kings
County. He said that he expected the Board to approve an ordinance that
includes the use of Class B biosolids,at least for the short term. He does not
believe there is scientific evidence against using Class B biosolids. He also .
expressed personal and philosophical discomfort and concern about Orange
County and Los Angeles County buying land in Kings County, but is also willing to
live with the practice because it's a matter of property owners having the right to
sell their land to whomever they chose.
B. Chair Eckenrode reported on the two-day planning retreat of CASA on
October 26 and 27. The retreat was held at the Pardee Reservoir training center
owned by the East Bay Municipal Utilities District. Jim Colston, staff member,
also attended. The purpose of the meeting was to go over the internal workings
of CASA. Of most significance was a decision to give full membership status to
California cities that want to join CASA. Up unfit now, cities like Los Angeles, San
Diego, and Fresno have not been allowed to have full membership and voting
privileges in CASA. Only special districts had that privilege. This change
recognizes the need to have a common and strong voice from all of the public
agencies that provide sewage treatment in California
C. Chair Eckenrode announced that the winter CASA conference is scheduled for
January 17-20 in Palm Springs. All members of the Steering Committee are
encouraged to attend. If there are openings, other interested directors may
attend (up to seven total) If members of the Steering Committee cannot attend.
D. Chair Eckenrode also reminded the Committee members about the bipartisan
lunch on December 14 here at the District. He has invited elected
representatives from Sacramento and Washington, D.C. The purpose of the
meeting will be to conduct a bipartisan discussion of local urban runoff and
upstream dairy runoff,tainted beaches,watershed management and the ground
water replenishment system
Invited guests include: Joe Dunn, Dick Ackerman, Lou Cornea, Lynn Daucher,
Tom Harmon, Loretta Sanchez, Christopher Cox, Dana Rohrabacher, Ken
Emanuels (the lobbyist worked with us on consolidation issues), Ed Royce, Scott
Baugh and Supervisor Tom Wilson.
(6) REPORT OF THE GENERAL MANAGER
General Manager Blake Anderson reported several items of interest.
A. An update was provided by Bob Ghirelli, Director of Technical Services, on Kern
County and Kings County biosolids issues. No action will be taken on the
purchase of Liberty Farms until the biosolids ordinance is adopted. If Class B
biosolids are allowed, then due diligence will continue. The court has not ruled
Minutes of the Steering Committee
Page 3
November 15, 2000
on the Kern County biosolids ordinance CEQA challenge. Mr. Ghirelli reported
that EPA is getting more involved with the enforcement of biosolids application
requirements. The milo harvest on the District's Kings County property is almost
complete.
B. Use Lawson, Communications Manager, updated the committee on the status of
the public outreach program for the GW RS project. The Joint Coordination
Committee(JCC)meets next Monday night to discuss financial and governance
issues. Director Swan made a presentation at the last FAHR Committee meeting
on the IRWD alternative proposal. Gary Streed reported on his meeting today
with the projects financial consultant. A draft report has been prepared. The
assumptions will be discussed at the next JCC meeting and the results will be
reported at the December 2 workshop. Staff was directed to provide time on the
workshop agenda for Director Swan to make a shortened presentation on the
IRWD altemative proposal. General Manager Blake Anderson indicated that new
Directors will receive special briefings on the project before the January 24,2001
decision is made.
C. The Committee received an update on the SARI line relocation project. The
design is underway with construction scheduled to start in the Fall of 2001 and
completion scheduled in 2003. Because some of the lots adjacent to the project
are terraced and the lower portions extend closer to the river than previously
thought, 69 easements will be required. Staff will be meeting with Yorba Linda
city officials to discuss this and determine the best way to proceed. The biggest
issue is still the funding of the SAW PA portion of the project. Mr. Anderson met
with two SAW PA Board members who appear to understand the need for the
project. The chair,vice chair and general manager of SAWPA have asked to
meet with the District's counterparts. This meeting should take place in the next
three weeks.
D. Blake Anderson reported on the 2-1/2 day executive management retreat held
last week to discuss the five-year business and staffing plan. He reported that
the plan will move through the Board committees on its way to the Board at its
February 2001 meeting for consideration and approval.
E. Senate Bill 1559 was approved by the governor in July and will be effective
January 1, 2001. This bill allows increases in Sanitation District Directors'
compensation by a resolution of the Board of Directors. This board has not had
an increase since 1986. The existing compensation is$100 per meeting and is
limited to 6 meetings per month. The Steering Committee directed staff to bring
the issue through the FAHR Committee in December on its way to the full Board
in December. The members recommended that the compensation be increased
to$170 per meeting for a maximum of six meetings per month.
F. Bob Ghirelli briefed the Committee on the results of a new technical report on the
Huntington Beach bacterial contamination problems that will be released to the
public and announced in a formal press conference tomorrow. Mr. Ghirelli
explained the results and also indicated that the District will continue with
additional studies identified in the report, as well as others that are currently
Minutes of the Steering Committee
Page 4
November 15, 2000
underway. Staff still believes that the plume is not the cause of the contamination
as the report hypothesizes. A team has been formed to put together a plan for
the additional studies that will begin next spring, as well as bringing in the same
experts previously consulted to help develop that plan.
(7) REPORT OF GENERAL COUNSEL
General Counsel Tom Woodruff did not make a report. He indicated that there would be no closed
session as nothing has developed in the Crow Winthrop claim since the last meeting.
(8) DISCUSSION ITEM (Item A)
A. The Agenda Items scheduled to be reviewed by the Board's working committees in
December was reviewed.
(9) OTHER BUSINESS, COMMUNICATIONS OR SUPPLEMENTAL AGENDA ITEMS, IF ANY
There was no other business discussed.
(10) MATTERS WHICH A DIRECTOR WOULD LIKE STAFF TO REPORT ON AT A
SUBSEQUENT MEETING
There were none.
(11) MATTERS WHICH A DIRECTOR MAY WISH TO PLACE ON A FUTURE AGENDA FOR
ACTION AND/OR STAFF REPORT
There were none.
(12) CONSIDERATION OF UPCOMING MEETINGS
The next Steering Committee meeting is scheduled for December 20, 2000 at 5 p.m.
The next Board Meeting is scheduled for December 20,2000 at 7 p.m.
(13) CLOSED SESSION
There was no closed session.
Minutes of the Steering Committee
Page 5
November 15, 2000
(14) ADJOURNMENT
The Chair declared the meeting adjourned at 6:35 p.m.
Submitted by:
Je appan
St a ing Committee Secretary
X.1ey phUpeMal9eem.p GrmmllleelOpAb,-0A1115M SC MMN83 oc
E. COLI 30 MPN
1000
750
500
250
0
Z
e
DRAFT FOR DISCUSSION PURPOSES ONLY
ORANGE COUNTY SANITATION DISTRICT
EFFLUENT PATHOGEN REDUCTION OPTIONS
Discharge Additional Additional
Total Collforrin Level of Treatment Capital Cost Annual O&M Implementation
$ Million $Million Years
10.000.000 Waiver(S.P.Scenario 2) Baseline Baseline Baseline
1000 to 10,000 11V 75 to 110 20 to 25 3 to 4
1000 to 10.000 Ozone 25 to 45 3 2 to 3
1,000,000 Full Secondary(S.P.Scenario 4) 200 to 300 10 to 15 410 5
1000 to 10,000 UV 15 to 25 4 3 to 4
1000 to 10,000 Ozone 25 to 45 3 2 to 3
10 to 100 Full Primary Effluent Microfiltration 350 to 400 1510 25 4 to 5
NA UV NR NR NR
NA Ozone NR NR NR
Blended Primary Effluent Microfiltration
500,00010 1.000.000 and Secondary Treatment 17010 220 11 to 15 310 4
1000 to 10.000 UV 17 to 20 12 to 15 3 to 4
1000 to 10,000 Ozone 12 to 15 1 to 2 2 to 3
Key Assumptions:
1. Cost estimates in yr.2000 dollars.
2. Flows as shown Strategic Plan Table 4.25.with GWR System,total influent flow 295 mgd,net ocean discharge of 246 mgd annual average.
3.Coals are based on a 99.9%(3 log)reduction in coliform.
4. Primary effluent MF removes,99.9%of coliform without further disinfection.
5. Costs are based on disinfection capacity designed for average flows, not peak wet weather.
6. Assumes that Microflllers can handle higher flows during peak rain events.
7. Capital Costs include equipment, structures and channels.
8. Operational coals for UV and Ozone assume a power cost of$0.06 per KWH. The cost of these technologies is sensitive to changes in power costs.
For ozone disinfection,the total power consumption could be as much as 1 Megawatt(which equals approx$500,000/yea(at$.06/KWH).
1220/2000(Time) PATHOGEN REDUCTION OPTIONS
PRELIMINARY DISCUSSION OF POTENTIAL EFFLUENT PATHOGEN
REDUCTION SCENARIOS
Preliminary estimates of costs and feasibility of pathogen reduction technologies
have been developed to frame the discussion of options for the District's ocean
discharge. These estimates are intended to give a relative order of magnitude
cost for potential scenarios. The potential technologies include Microfiltration,
Ultra-Violet light(UV), and Ozone. Ozone and UV were looked at in conjunction
with two levels of treatment scenarios from the Strategic Plan, Full Secondary
treatment with GWRS (Scenario 4) and Permit Limits with GWRS (Scenario 2).
In addition to the Strategic Plan scenarios, Microfiltration of primary effluent was
also looked at because of its effectiveness in removing solids and bacteria.
For all of the potential technologies,facilities were sized assuming a minimum of
99.9% reduction in coliform bacteria, referred to as a "three log" reduction. It
appears that ozone is the most economical pathogen reduction technology if the
District operates to meet permit limits (Strategic Plan Preferred Alternative
Scenario 2). For the full secondary treatment scenario, UV disinfection becomes
the most economical option. Microfiltration of the entire ocean discharge
provides the lowest colHorm concentration, but is the most expensive option.
With the MF option, no further treatment with UV or ozone is required. All of the
other options require either UV or ozone to meet the required coliform reduction.
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Wednesday, December 20,2000
Answers Lie Mired in Political Muck
By OANA PAR IONS
Today I break a long-standing rule that has served me well:Never write about
sewage twice in the same week.
Five days ago, I chided Huntington Beach for not being upfront in the summer
of 1999 about the extent of its downtown sewer problems--at a time when high
bacteria counts resulted in stretches of the beach being closed.
At Monday night's council meeting,city officials took exception to that
column, as well as an editorial and other articles that have appeared in The Times
in recent days.
City officials conceded the main point: They should have informed state
officials about significant sewer-line leaks in the mid-1990s, but didn't. However,
they insist that all the relevant "players" in beach-closure discussions in 1999
knew about the city's sewer problems. In other words,Huntington Beach wasn't
holding out while everyone around them was frantically trying to figure out why
the ocean had been fouled.
In 1996,a city official estimated that 71,000 gallons of sewage were leaking
each day through cracked and broken pipes. City officials now say those figures
aren't reliable and they aren't sure how to measure the leakage. They concede,
however,the problems were significant. Repairs began in 1998, and city officials
say they are nearly complete in the downtown area.
After a number of interviews with some of those players Tuesday, I can't
figure out whether I owe the city an apology or not.
Let's just say the recollections of the various participants are at odds.Not to
invoke Watergate, but the nub of the issue seems to be, "What did they know
about Huntington Beach's sewer problems, and when did they know it?"
Huntington Beach spokesman Rich Barnard says Orange County Sanitation
District officials and county health officials learned of the extent of the city's
problems between 1996 and 1998. The public--through local cable TV coverage
of the council or isolated news stories--also had ways of learning about the
situation, Bamard says.
Barnard's point is that by 1999, when health and sanitation officials were part
of the beach-closure discussions,their agencies had been apprised of Huntington
Beach's sewer problems. Plus,he says,city officials discussed it openly at the
meetings in which everyone was trying to solve the riddle of what was causing
the ocean pollution.
http://www.latimes.com/cgi-bin/print.cgi 12/20/2000
r Differing Views
4 Tbat's not how others remember it
"I find it somewhat hard to believe they would make that claim," says Bruce
° Paine,an investigator for the states Regional Water Quality Control Board. "We
had people present at most every meeting of any significance throughout the
summer of 1999 . . .Certainly,had [the city]made those present aware of the
magnitude of the problem, I don't see how anybody would have allowed it to be
overlooked."
A representative from the Sanitation District says a Huntington Beach
representative raised the sewer-line issue at an August 1999 meeting,but almost
as a passing reference.
Charles McGee,one of the lead team members for the Sanitation District,said
that was the fast he'd heard of Huntington Beach's sewer problem.He made a
"mental note"of it and asked a city official later if he thought the sewer leaks
could be contributing to the pollution.The official said he didn't know,McGee
recalls. Without knowing the scope of the problem,McGee arranged for a few
tests,and it was determined that the sewer leaks probably weren't polluting the
ocean.
However, says Sanitation District communications manager Lisa Lawson,the
magnitude of the city's sewer problems never were made clear to the other
participants. "When it was brought up,it wasn't quantified," she says. "I don't
know if it was in discussions [among city officials]in Huntington Beach,but it
wasn't at the these meetings we're talking about during the summer."
Barnard identified for me at least three other Sanitation District officials who,
he says,knew about the sewer problem before that.Lawson told me she checked
with those people and they support McGee's version.
Huntington Beach officials left the impression Monday night that the sewer
leaks have been eliminated as the source of any ocean pollution.However,the
state hasn't ruled them out,Paine says.
Larry Honeybourne is the county Health Care Agency's program chief for its
water quality section.He says there were a"million" meetings that summer of
1999, and he remembers someone bringing up the Huntington Beach sewer
problem. He doesn't recall specifically if the magnitude of the city's problem was
discussed but if it was,he says,it didn't stick in his mind.
Paine says it's not confusing to him: The city never"came clean"about the
extent of its problems during those 1999 sessions.
Barnard strenuously disputes that,and that's where things stand.
I don't know who knew what or when.I have concluded,however,that things
aren't nearly as neat and tidy as Huntington Beach officials described Monday
night
In retrospect,the truest thing said all night may have come from City Manager
Ray Silver in responding to a council members query as to why the city's version
of events wasn't getting out.
The city,Silver replied,has "a communications problem."
rrr
Dana Parsons'column appears Wednesday,Friday and Sunday. Readers may
reach Parsons by calling(714)966-7821 or by writing to him at the Times
Orange County Edition, 1375 Sunflower Ave.,Costa Mesa,CA 92626,or by e-
mail to danaoarsonsQlatimes.com.
Copyright 2000 Los Angeles Testa
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CITIES: Regional water-quality officials give :cieactma;Resumesty
prosecutors files about downtown leaks in :Community Events
•Lnme,Courts&Law
Huntington Beach. -Education
•EI Tom
•Firewatcb
December 20, 2000 •GmwU
•Obituanes
.politics&Gmmmment
By OLIVIA HAWKINSON •Region In Education
The Orange County Register •Special Features
CRIME,COURTS&LAW
EDUCATION
HUNTINGTON BEACH--The Orange County District ENTERTAINMENT
Attorney's Office Tuesday opened a robe into this ci s sewer FUN&GAMES
Y Y P P IY� HEALTH&FITNESS
management after a water-quality official turned his files over OPINION
to the agency. LIVING&SPC)UTICS&HOPPING
GOVERNMENT
The Santa Ana lil W i Re onaater Quality Boar onDec. REAL ESTATE
g Q ty Control d D
SCIENCE&
12 ordered the city to investigate and clean up the downtown TECHNOLOGY
sewers, saying they might have leaked millions of gallons of PROMOTIONS
raw sewage before recent repairs. SPORTS&RECREATION
TRAVEL
WEATHER
Investigator Bruce Paine sent his files to the District Attorney's
Office to review why the city failed to report leaks in
accordance with state laws.
"I've turned over everything to the DA's office," Paine said.
"We're going to take a back seat on the city's failure to report."
The water-quality board will retain jurisdiction over the Dec.
12 order and any required clean-up,he said.
The District Attorney's Office will review the files and decide
whether to take action, said Bob Gannon,assistant district
attorney.
The City Council voted Monday to hire engineers to test below
downtown sewers for groundwater contamination-the first
such probe of the area. The council agreed to spend about
$90,000 on the 10-week test.
City officials said they made no formal sewer-leak report to
the state because they didn't think the problem posed a threat
to the water supply. The city has spent$2.6 million fixing the
downtown system.
http://ocregistu.cotn/community/sewer0l 220cci2.shttnl 12/20/2000
vn opens sewer prooe rage or L
a "The city's potable water supply has never been jeopardized by
the sewers in the downtown area;' Public Works Director Bob
Beardsley told the council. "The nearest drinking water is
drawn from a well three miles away.There is no safety issue."
The city must submit an investigation plan and a schedule for
the groundwater study to the regional board by Feb.7.
� •
Ibn re onvour own without it
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Tuesday, December 19, 2000
Officials Admit Not Reporting Sewage Leaks
■Huntington Beach managers say drinking water was never in danger and doubt
seepage contributed to ocean pollution.
By MEQ�JAMES,Times Staff writer
Huntington Beach officials conceded Monday night that they did not follow
"the letter of the law" when they failed to report to the state that millions of
gallons of sewage were leaking out of cracks and holes in downtown pipes.
The officials emphasized that drinking-water supplies were never jeopardized,
for the contaminated waste was most likely trapped within ocean water under the
downtown area. Huntington Beach draws its drinking water from underground
supplies north of downtown.
There is no safety concern here," said Robert Beardsley, the city's public
works director.
Officials insisted that earlier tests proved the sewage leaks were not to blame
for the contamination that forced the closure of the beach for two summer months
in 1999. Still,newly elected City Council member Debbie Cook wanted to know
why the city moved so slowly after discovering 6-foot holes in sewer lines in
1996.
"What surprised me is that the city didn't do anything about it until 1999,"
Cook said. "The sewage must be going somewhere, and if it's not,then why do
we even bother to fix the sewer lines?"
The California Regional Water Quality Control Board last week ordered the
city to find and clean up any residue from sewage that has oozed from cracked
and broken 80-year-old lines. City officials estimated in 1996 that 71,374 gallons
of sewage had been leaking each day into surrounding soil,a figure the city now
disputes.
The Riverside-based water board last week ordered city officials to submit a
plan by Feb. 7 that identifies how they plan to trace bacteria from the leaked
sewage. The water board wants the city to determine whether any sewage might
have reached the ocean.
Beardsley told the City Council on Monday, "Certainly our sewer system is
no older than many other cities'. But our sewer lines are close to the coast, and
we do have a significant deterioration problem."
The city generates 32 million gallons of sewage a day. Tests last year
uncovered no evidence that leaking sewage had polluted the ocean, but state
officials said the possibility could not be ruled out.
"The leaked sewage is discharged to ground water in areas where ground
http://www.latimes.com/cgi-bin/print.cgi 12/19/2000
..�. .uuw uge ... ..
water could migrate to and impact the quality of near-shore ocean waters,"
according to the three-page order signed by Gerard I Thibeault, director of the
Santa Ana region of the state water board. "The fate of the leaked sewage has not
' been determined."
Eight 50-foot wells will be drilled downtown to sample the ground water.
Those tests should be completed within three months, officials said. The city
already has taken steps to fix its leaky lines. During the past two years,the city
has spent$2.6 million reinforcing pipes in the downtown area. The city has
identified an additional$6 million in sewer system needs.
Monday night, Councilman Ralph Bauer asked the city staff to draft a
proposal to charge residents a sewage maintenance fee that would provide a
steady revenue stream to pay for the repairs. City staff members proposed a
sewer fee in 1996,but no action was taken. The concept surfaced again last
summer, but council members rejected it.
Copyright 2000 Los Angeles Times
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CITIES: Council approves $90,000 to measure the Cry Resumes
effect of leaks In downtown sewers. •Community Events
•Crime,Courts&Law
-Education
December 19, 2000 2resateb
Growth
•Obituaries
By OLIVIA HAWKINSON •Politics&Government
The Orange County Register :Re15ter In Education
gion
-Special Features
CRIME,COURTS&LAW
HUNTINGTON BEACH --The City Council on Monday EDUCATION
night decided to hire engineers to investigate a downtown ENTERTAINMENT
sewer system that has fallen under scrutiny by regional water- HEALTH GAMES
quality officials. OPINION
LIVING&SHOPPING
POLITICS&
The council agreed to spend about$90,000 to test for ground- GOVERNMENT
water contamination-the first such probe of the area. REAL ESTATE
SCIENCE&
TECHNOLOGY
The Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board on Dec. SERVICES&
g Q tY PROMOTIONS
12 ordered the city to investigate and clean up the downtown SPORTS&RECREATION
sewers, saying they might have leaked millions of gallons of TRAVEL
raw sewage before recent repairs. WEATHER
The water-quality officials said they fear that contaminated
ground water might have contributed to unhealthy ocean
bacteria levels.
"What has surprised me was that we knew about the spill in
1995 but didn't get the money to do something about it until
1999," Councilwoman Debbie Cook said before the vote. "1
don't understand how we can be so sure this isn't contributing
to our ocean pollution."
Water-quality officials said the city failed to report the leaks in
accordance with state laws. City officials said they made no
formal report to the state because they didn't think the problem
posed a threat to the water supply.
The city has spent$2.6 million fixing the downtown system.
A sewer maintenance crew leader reported to the Public Works
Department dozens of leaks throughout the downtown area in
1995 and 1996. Crew leader Jerry Dilks said he estimated that
http://www.ocregister.com/community/sewersOI219cci.shtml 12/19/2000
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the broken pipes may have leaked up to 71,374 gallons a day,
or up to 6.6 million gallons total.
A civil engineer hired by the city this fall discounted Dilks'
reports,saying they were based on "questionable"
measurements.
The city must submit an investigation plan and a schedule for
the ground-water study to the regional board
by Feb. 7.
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Pbaw servo oommeMs to ocmguuer@IInk.Ne om.mm
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Friday, December 15, 2000
Closing the Mouth While Holding the Nose
By DANA PARSONS
In the holiday spirit, let's think of ways to be charitable toward Huntington
Beach for not telling state officials about significant sewage leaks in the 1990s.
Uh . . .
Hmm . . .
Well, let's see . . .
They forgot?
That's the best I can do.
If the city of Huntington Beach were a private company trying to protect its
corporate rear,you could almost understand. You wouldn't like it, but at least
you'd realize few companies blow the whistle on themselves unless they have to.
No one expects Philip Morris to say, "Hey, don't buy our cigarettes; those things
will kill you."
But a city?
A city with 200,000 residents that trusts its elected officials to safeguard the
public health?Especially when it comes to such out-of-sight, out-of-mind
functions as sewage disposal?
A disclaimer: I'm not conversant on sewage.Nor do I want to be. I don't like
to contemplate either my own sewage or that of my loved ones, let alone millions
of gallons from total strangers.
That's the kind of thing we citizens trust the government to handle.The less
we know about it,the better.
Unfortunately, Huntington Beach took that a bit too much to heart.
It apparently figured the leaks reported by its city workers would remain its
dirty little secret--even though the pipes were leaking underground.
Yuck.
Underfoot, Under Wraps
This week, state water officials ordered the city to examine its ground water
and clean up any residual sewage that might have leaked. Figures from internal
Huntington Beach memos,dated 1996, put the leakage at several millions of
gallons over the years.
Those figures might be high,city officials now say.
I'll say.
"These were significant leaks; a large volume of sewage had been released," a
water quality board investigator told Times reporter Meg James last week. "And
http://www.latimes.com/cgi-bin/ptint.cgi 12/15/2000
LH Limes rage 4VI4
we don't know what happened to it."
There's a little added context to this,and it doesn't make Huntington Beach
look any better.
° Orange County beachgoers remember the protracted closure off Huntington
Beach shores in the summer of 1999-caused by the discovery of potentially
dangerous levels of bacteria in the ocean.
No one was hurt more by it than Huntington Beach,ever protective of its
"Surf City"emblem,and no one clamored more for a quick resolution of the
problem than city officials and local merchants.They pointed the finger at runoff
from other cities and from defecating birds.
Through it all,state officials now say,Huntington Beach didn't say a word
about its own massive leaks in years past.
As of this week,no one has connected the Huntington Beach leaks to the
beach closure,but you can't blame the state for being suspicious. Huntington
Beach engineers say it's likely the leakage decomposed in the surrounding soil.
Besides ordering the ground water examination, state officials also have given
the city two months to submit a plan for tracing the leaked sewage. It also
required the city to determine whether bacteria from the sewage reached the
ocean.
The spin from City Hall is that the council publicly discussed the problem
pipes in 1996 but decided against sewer maintenance fees because it didn't feel
the problem was that severe. Plus,it would have been expensive to bolster or
replace the pipes,a process that began last year.
Whatever the city did or didn4 say publicly about the extent of the problem,
the word never reached state officials who were supposed to be told.
So,while teams of scientists looked all over the place in 1999 for the source
of the ocean contamination,irritated Huntington Beach officials standing next to
them apparently either were whistling or looking down at their shoes.
And you wonder why the state is peeved?
Huntington Beach's credibility stinks right now.
Like it or not,the rest of us need to hear a lot more in the weeks ahead about
sewage than we ever wanted to.
Dana Parsons'column appears Wednesday,Friday and Sunday.Readers may
reach Parsons by calling(714)966-7821 or by writing to him at the Times'
Orange County Edition, 1375 Sunflower Ave.,Costa Mesa,CA 92626,or by e-
mail to dana.parsons(a)latimes.com.
CopyNht 2000 Los Angeles Times
Add some sparkle to your holidays.
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Thursday, December 14,2000
News from Huntington Beach in the Times Community Newspapers
Study of leaking sewage lines ordered
as Examination comes alter state water board issues cleanup order of Dowtown
I Iuntington Beach pipelines.
By TARIO MALIK
HL NTINGTON BEACH-- Public Works Director Robert Beardsley, in the
face of allegations that the city failed to report broken pipes to state water
officials, said researchers will study whether leaky the sewer lines have spread
contaminants under the Downtown area.
During the Dec. 18 City Council meeting,the city is expected to award a
$92,000 contract to fund the study, Beardsley said, adding that City Atty. Gail
Hutton is reviewing whether the city had an obligation to report sewage leaks
below Downtown, first spotted four years ago, to the California Regional Water
Board.
The confusion, he added, lies in the fact that its debatable whether to call the
sewage leak a spill, since it resulted in seepage from pipes in an area with
nonpotable water. The nearest drinking water wells are located two miles away
and upstream from the area.
The state water agency issued a cleanup and abatement order to the city
Tuesday, which requires the city-runt study completed by Feb. 7.
"We're concerned of whether sewage that has leaked from pipes into the
groundwater table, contaminated land, or could possibly flow into the ocean,"
said Kurt Berchtold,assistant executive officer of the Santa Ana Regional Water
Quality Control Board,the local chapter of the state water agency.
That area,he added,was not studied thoroughly during last year's search for
the source of bacteria contaminating beach waters, in which sewage leaks were
dismissed as a possible cause, and could play a part if water tainted with sewage
managed to migrate to ocean shores.
The board has studied the city's water system for the last few months,after
being contacted about a possible problem over the summer, board officials said.
Last September,the city met with board representatives to discuss the
Downtown sewer conditions,though Beardsley said reparations were already
underway by that point, and he had already begun the process to launch the
research study on his own before this week's order was issued.
"We have completed slip-line repairs of all six miles of sewer pipes under
Downtown," he said, adding it includes installing a fabric and epoxy material into
broken pipes,and heating them until it hardens into plastic. "This whole process
began in 1996, when the problem was first brought to the City Council's
http://www.latimes.com/cgi-bin/print.cgi 12/14/2000
Ln I uuGB r agc t m e
attention."
Four years ago, a video study of the six miles of sewer pipes running
underneath Downtown found them severely deteriorated,leaking sewage into the
surrounding earth at a rate of about 71,374 gallons each day, board officials said.
More than 6.5 million gallons of sewage is estimated lost from pipes,they added.
Those pipes,city officials said, are 90 years old and made out of clay. While
the council members were aware of the need to repair them,the city still had to
recover from the county bankruptcy and efforts to begin a large-scale, slip-lining
project that began in 1997.
"I can certainly see the confusion," Councilwoman Connie Boardman said,on
whether the city should have reported the leaks. "But it will be interesting to find
out what the research study finds ... whether the sewage is still there or
decomposed."
While other council members have admitted putting off repairs four years ago
may have been a mistake they must now own up to, some activists see this as an
example of poor leadership.
"Our politicians are supposed to represent us and tell us when we have spills,"
said Joey Racano, an unsuccessful candidate for City Council who has frequently
spoken out against sewage in the ocean. "Frankly,I'm disappointed . . . but
people realize in times like this how important sewer pipes are."
Copynghl 2000 Los Angeles Times
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TODAY'S NEWS
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Huntington Beach told to check CLASSIFIEDS
COLUMNS
COMMUNITY NEWS
sewers •eea tieT°deYs sStares
•City Resumes
CITIES: Water-quality officials say the city should �me Con&�.
have acted faster to report and repair leaking El T M
lines.
c,w,In
•Obiluanes
•Pei &Government
December 13, 2000 •Regi,slon tluca In Etlon
Relision
•Spatial Features
By OLIVIA HAWHINSON CRIME,COURTS&LAW
The Orange County Register EDUCATION
ENTERTAINMENT
FUN&GAMES
HUNT'INGTON BEACH—Regional water-quality officials HEALTH a FITNESS
UBERTYOMUINE
Tuesday ordered the city to investigate and clean up a LIVING 6 SHOPPING
downtown sewer system that might have leaked millions of POLITICS a
gallons of raw sewage before recent repairs. GOVERNMENT
SCIENCE a
Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board officials said SEER spa Y
they fear the sewage could have contaminated ground water PROMOTIONS
downtown,which night have contributed to unhealthy ocean SPORT a RECREATION
TRAVEL
bacteria levels. WEATHER
Studies commissioned by the city dismissed coastal ground
water in other areas as a potential contributor to the fluctuating
bacteria levels,but no one has studied ground water in the
downtown sewer area.The City Council is expected to vote
Monday whether to hire engineers to investigate the area
"It wasn't as if it were a secret," said Kurt Bercbtold of the
water-quality board. "We learned the information was
presented to the City Council in past years,but we weren't
aware of the magnitude of the situation until this fall.
"The city had a better understanding of the situation than we
did,but to date they haven't conducted a full study of the area,"
Berchtold said. "That's what led us to this order."
A spokeswoman for the Orange County District Attorney's
Office,which received a complaint about the city's sewer
management,said her agency will rely on the water-quality
board to investigate.
http://www.ocregister.com/community/sewersO1213cci5.shtrnl 12/132000
Huntington Beach told to check sewers Page 2 of 3
A 10-week study proposed by consultants Komex H2O
Science Inc. would cost about$96,000, on top of the$4
million the city has spent fixing the downtown system.
Engineers peering into the sewers through a video camera four
years ago discovered half-inch to 1-inch cracks in the 8-inch
pipe,holes the size of baseballs and sewage leaking through
snaking cracks.
Dozens of main underground sewage streams flowed through
crumbling red clay pipes dating back to the 1910s.Most of the
"Old Town" clay lines were 80 years old- 30 years older than
the average sewage pipe's life span.
A sewer maintenance crew leader reported dozens of leaks
throughout the downtown area in 1995 and 1996 to the Public
Works Department. Crew leader Jerry Dilks said he estimated
that the broken pipes may have leaked up to 71,374 gallons per
day,or up to 6.6 million gallons total,according to equations
provided by the city's engineering department.
A civil engineer hired by the city in September 2000 to assess
Dilks'estimates discounted the reports,saying they were based
on "questionable" measurements.
"The only real factual information presented is the photos
showing cracked pipes," said John Thorton of PSOMAS
engineering firm. "It is impossible to estimate if there was any
wastewater losses actually taking place."
Public Works Director Robert Beardsley said he learned of
Dilks'disputed estimates in August 1999,about the same time
city officials discussed the downtown sewer problem with
water-quality board representatives at ocean-closure task force
meetings.
Bacteria contamination and beach closures have turned sewage
into a hot topic in Surf City since July 1999,when county
health officials banned swimming along miles of coast.
Water-quality officials said the city failed to report the sewage
leaks,in accordance with state health laws. But city officials
said they made no formal report to state officials because they
didn't think the problem posed a threat to the local water -
supply.
In September 1999 the City Council voted to spend$900,000
to overhaul the downtown sewers,boosted by a matching grant
from the sanitation district.Local contractor Sancon used new
technology to "slip line" more than nine miles of old sewer
lines-most under residential alleys-at half the price of
digging under the streets and replacing the old pipes.
http://www.ocregister.com/community/sewers01213cci5.shtnil 12/13/2000
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s Slip lining involves feeding plastic pipe in one manhole and
out another to line the old clay sewer line.
Some residents who've followed the City Council's
infrastructure decisions said the city has dropped the ball.
"We learned the city knew about the downtown sewer
problems for years," said Dean Albright,who serves on a
citizen infrastructure committee. "We realized it would have
been millions of gallons of raw sewage going into the ground.
The slip lining is fantastic,but do we really trust city staff
completely to let us know all the information?
On Tuesday the water-quality board ordered the city to submit
an investigation plan and a schedule for the ground-water
study by Feb. 7. Failure to comply with the order could result
in fines.
Register staff writer TgFany Montgomery contributed to this
report
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http://www.ocregister.com/community/sewers01213cei5.shtml 12/13/2000
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Wednesday, December 13,2000
Huntington Ordered to Find, Clean Sewage
By ME JAMES,Times Staff Writer
The state on Tuesday ordered Huntington Beach to examine its ground water
and clean up any residue of sewage that oozed for years from leaky sewer pipes
for "the protection of the public health and the environment."
The California Regional Water Quality Control Board demanded that
Huntington Beach submit a plan by Feb. 7 that identifies how the city will trace
the leaking sewage and required the city to determine whether bacteria from
sewage reached the ocean.
A spokesman for the water agency said that as far as he knew,this was the
first time a city has been ordered to examine its ground water because of
deteriorated sewer lines.
"The thing that is particularly unique to Huntington Beach is the age of their
sewer system in areas that are so close to the ocean," said Kurt V. Berchtold,
assistant director of the water board's Santa Ana region. "That, in combination
with the fact that we've had a problem with bacterial contamination in the coastal
waters there."
Berchtold has worked for 19 years for the agency, which oversees water
quality in north and central Orange County as well as Riverside and San
Bernardino counties.
City officials said Tuesday that they have been cooperating with the state. A
work plan was submitted to the agency two months ago,and Huntington Beach
City Council members are scheduled to vote next week on a$92,000 contract to
hire a scientific consultant, said the city's public works director,Robert F.
Beardsley.
"We will comply with whatever they feel they need to satisfy their
investigation," Beardsley said.
Eight 50-foot wells will be drilled in the downtown area to sample the ground
water. Those tests should be complete within three months,Beardsley said,
adding that the city has already spent more than a year and $2.6 million to
reinforce its most deteriorated pipes, some of which were 90 years old.
Tests last year in Huntington Beach uncovered no evidence that leaking
sewage had invaded the coast,but state officials said this week that the
possibility could not be ruled out.
"The leaked sewage is discharged to ground water in areas where ground
water could migrate to and impact the quality of near-shore ocean waters,"
according to the three-page cleanup order signed by Gerard J. Thibeault, director
http://www.latimes.com/cgi-bin/print.cgi 12/13/2000
LA t 3313Gd 1 6�G<V 1 L
of the Santa Ana region. "The fate of the leaked sewage has not been
determined."
In 1996,city officials estimated that 71,324 gallons of raw sewage were being
released each day by cracked and broken pipes. Over the years,an estimated 6.6
million gallons escaped,according to the order.
But scientists might not be able to locate the remnants of those leaks.
"Whatever may have been released may not be traceable," Beardsley said. "It
does tend to degrade in soil over time."
He and his staff have identified nearly$6 million in other needed sewer
system repairs, including replacing several old pumps called lift stations. Council
members will be asked next month to consider adopting a sewer maintenance fee
to finance the work--a concept that was raised in 1996 but never voted on,and
rejected by the council last summer.
One councilman,Dave Garofalo, said Tuesday that he's not inclined to vote
for a sewer fee.
"I always believe there is enough money around to fix anything," Garofalo
said. "It's just a question of priorities. I probably fought the sewer fee [in 19961
and I will probably oppose it when it comes back next month."
s + .
Sewage Leak Theories
State water officials have ordered Huntington Beach to clean up sewage that
spilled during the 1990s. Two theories on how the leaking sewage could have
reached and contaminated ocean water:
Theory A:
Sewage seeps through soil to cracked storm drain
Sewage flows to ocean
Theory B:
Sewage leaks into soil, migrates to groundwater
Sea water intrudes into groundwater,carries sewage out to ocean
Source: California Regional Water Quality Control Board
Graphics reporting by BRADY MacDONALD/Los Angeles Times
Copynght 2000 Los Angeles Times
Teachers>
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Sunday,December 10,2000
Huntington Didn't Report Massive Sewer Leaks
•Millions of gallons oozed underground from pipe cracks in the'90s. City knew and let problem fester.State
says it should have been told.
By MEQ JAMS§,Times Staff Writer
Badly cracked pipes in Huntington Beach leaked millions of gallons of raw sewage underground during the
1990s,city documents show,yet went unreported to water and health agencies.
Unhappy state water officials plan to issue an executive order this week,demanding that the city find out
where that sewage went and clean up any remaining contamination.
"This is a problem they should have told us about earlier,"said Gerard J.Thibeault,executive director of the
Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board,a state agency that regulates discharges in an area that
includes north and central Orange County. "We worry about what has gone on with this spill area,and we want
to make sure that there's no public health threat."
The water board only recently found out that for years,hundreds of cracks in Huntington Beach sewer lines
were releasing an estimated 71,324 gallons a day of raw sewage--a number that comes from a June 1996 memo
by the city's Public Works Department.
A series of city memos in 1996 depict worried and overworked crews unable to keep up with a deteriorating
system of sewer pi as.
"I have received over 620 documented sewer line problems located on Alabama Street in downtown
Huntington Beach,"reads a typical memo,dated June 17, 1996,from a sewer maintenance crew leader. "I
believe that some of these problems are leaking into the ground and posing a threat to the city's water supply
and the public's health. I have neither the manpower nor the financial means to make the necessary repairs."
Documents obtained by The Times show 28 memos reporting similar sewer-line breaks,worded alike in
expressing city workers'concerns about the lack of money or staff to fix the problems.
There is no evidence that the leaks contributed to the summer 1999 contamination that closed about four
miles of the city's beaches for two months.
"These were significant leaks;a large volume of sewage had been released,"said Bruce Paine,an
investigator for the water quality board."And we don't know what happened to it."
Investigators also complain that as they spent months searching for the source of the beach pollution,city
officials failed to disclose the extent of its sewers'deterioration and leakage.
State law requires that health officials be notified immediately if"any sewage or other waste"is discharged
into any state waters or deposited in an area that leads to water contamination. During the 1998-99 fiscal year,
Costa Mesa reported 20 sewage spills to the Orange County Sanitation District;Garden Grove reported 45.
Huntington Beach reported two such spills.
Huntington Beach's spokesman said Friday that he wasn't sure whether the city was required to repon the
leaks since the sewage remained underground. He said the city did not become fully aware of the problem until
1996,the year that crews used closed-circuit television cameras to survey the lines.
"Obviously, if we have a sewer line break or a spill,we would report that,"he said.
But state water quality officials said the city's sewage leaks should have been reported.
"In the case of Huntington Beach,we weren't in a gray area,"Paine said. "The water code requires that all
releases be reported. It's no different for subsurface leaks."
Paine said cities with older sewer lines have leaks,but the volume of waste that flowed from Huntington
Beach's pipes was extreme.
In 1998,the city documented 6,369 cracks and 194 holes in its sewer pipes in a city waste-water inspection
report.Last year,the city started a massive repair program to reinforce its pipes, including some that were
installed before 1920.
But state water quality officials said they did not realize the extent ofthe leaks in Huntington Beach until
Paine started poking around a few months ago,after receiving a tip.
Huntington Beach began working on the problem,city officials said,after leaming of the water board's
concerns several months ago.City Council members are scheduled to hire an engineering firm this month.
The city plans to drill eight 50-foot wells in the downtown area"to assure ourselves and the water district
that there's no problem,"said Richard Barnard,Huntington Beach spokesman. "In that pan of town,the ground
water doesn't move.And if it moved, it only moved a few feet."
Barnard stressed that no evidence has been found to link the leaked sewage to the bacteria that closed the
While UC Irvine scientists contracted by various agencies to study the beach closure have not pinpointed the
cause of the contamination,they do not believe sewage from the city's lines is responsible.Instead,scientists are
concentrating on a theory that partially treated sewage discharged four miles offshore by the Orange County
Sanitation District might be carried by currents back to the shore,drawn by warm water released from a beach-
side power plant.
But investigators and researchers from other agencies are still disturbed that city officials said very little
about their leaking pipes during public meetings convened in 1999 and this year to zero in on the spill source.
Orange County Sanitation District officials said they learned of the problem only during an informal
conference when they asked for some engineering drawings of city stone drains.
"We went to get drawings and someone from the city said,'We've got some leaky sewers in the Old Town
area; "recalled Charles McGee,a microbiologist with the sanitation district."That was about all that was said."
Based on that comment,McGee arranged for soil and ground water tests near the beach—pan of a$1.5-
million effort by the sanitation district to find the cause of the beach pollution.Those tests came back clean,he
said.More exhaustive tests earlier this year found no traces of the human sewage.
Stanley Grant,the UCI scientist in charge of the yearlong study,said the leaking-sewer-line theory to
explain the 1999 beach pollution was discounted earlier this year because the water table flows inland,not
toward the coast. Still,Grant's study,completed last month,also pointed out routes by which sewage might
reach the ocean.
"Sewage contaminated ground water may breach the surface and flow into the storm drain system,"
according to the report by Grant and 10 other scientists.
The report also pointed out that researchers initially focused on Orange County Sanitation District sewer
pipes,not leaks from Huntington Beach lines. It wasn't until this year that researchers turned their attention to
Huntington Beach's sewers,several months after the city began reinforcing its pipes.
Huntington Beach officials said they do not believe sewage migrated into storm drains.It would be more
likely,Barnard said,for the sewage to decompose in the soil.
"We're going m test it,but we honestly don't think there will be anything there,"Barnard said."We're not
talking about an oil spill,or gasoline in the water.There is sort of a natural cleansing process that goes on with
human waste.It breaks down in the soil."
While Barnard acknowledged that the city had not reported its leaks to state water and county health
officials,he said Huntington Beach did not keep its sewage problem a secret.
"All of that was disclosed in public meetings,"Barnard said."It was on television.It was all over the place."
In 1996,city staffers told the City Council that the city's sewer lines were failing.At the time,staff members
recommended that the council adopt a sewer maintenance fee system as a funding source to pay for the sewer
repairs,then estimated to cost$59.7 million.But City Council members rejected the idea.
But after the beach closures during the summer of 1999,the city began an expansive retrofit. In September
and October 1999,the city spent nearly$1.8 million to reinforce weak and broken sewer lines with sleeves,a
process known as slip-lining. Half of that sum came from the Orange County Sanitation District.The city spent
$418,000 more in August to reinforce more sewer lines downtown.
Those repairs started two years after the city's 1997"waste water system report"described a dire simation.
"Our waste water system is in distress,"stated the Public Works Department report."In many areas,portions
of pipelines are missing,broken or cracked and calcified.As a result,thousands of gallons of waste water leak
directly into the ground each day and some of the older lines can no longer be cleaned for fear that more
damage will occur."
The sewer system"must be repaired to protect the health and safety of the community."
Copyright 2000 Los Angeles Times
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Tuesday, December 12,2000
Alleged Failure to Report Sewage Leaks to Be
Investigated
■Environment: Orange County prosecutors will probe a complaint that the city
of Huntington Beach kept quiet about massive releases during the 1990s.
By MEG JAMS ,Times Staff Met
The Orange County district attorney's office will look into allegations that
Huntington Beach failed to report massive sewage releases during the 1990s, a
spokeswoman said Monday.
"We are taking this issue very seriously," said Tori Richards, a spokeswoman
for the district attorney's office. "It's alarming. If there is enough evidence to
support these allegations,then we will file a case."
The office received a complaint earlier this year and will review an
investigation by the California Regional Water Quality Control Board before
deciding whether prosecutors should open a formal probe, Richards said. The
office would not reveal who had lodged the complaint.
At issue is whether Huntington Beach withheld information during the initial
search for the cause of contamination that fouled the waters off the city's shore
for two months in the summer of 1999.
State water quality officials have said they plan to issue a cleanup order,
demanding that Huntington Beach determine what happened to the sewage that
leaked from old, broken pipes in the downtown area.
Huntington Beach officials esti
mated in 1996 that 71,324 gallons of raw sewage oozed from broken sewer
lines each day, city memos show. More than 6.6 million gallons of sewage
probably leaked, according to a draft copy of a cleanup order that will be issued
later this week.
On Monday, environmentalists and water quality officers said the extent of the
sewage leaks raises new questions about the source of the contamination that
closed four miles of shoreline for two months in the summer of 1999.
Mark Massara,director of coastal programs for the Sierra Club in California,
said Huntington Beach leaders repeatedly have blamed urban runoff from inland
cities and counties as well as birds in the Talbert Marsh in Huntington Beach for
polluting the ocean.
"Culpability strikes a lot closer to home,"Massara said Monday. "The
problem might not be so much related to bird feces as human feces."
There is no evidence that the leaked sewage contributed to the contamination
that closed the beaches. Scientists studying the problem have discounted the
http://www.latimes.com/cgi-bin/print.egi 12/12/2000
• theory, saying the ground water in that area of the city flows inland--not toward
the coast. However, researchers point out that they were unaware of the
magnitude of Huntington Beach's problem last year when they began studying
the beach pollution.
Last fall,Huntington Beach stepped up a$2-million project to reinforce its
decaying sewers in the downtown area with plastic piping.The decision came
three years after the Huntington Beach City Council first became aware of the
cracked, decaying sewer lines.
City Council members said Monday that they became aware of"gaping holes"
in the city's sewer lines in 1996,but decided against a sewer maintenance fee to
finance improvements to the system.
"We didn't think there was an immediate danger to the public or to public
safety," said Assemblyman Tom Harman,a Republican who served as a
Huntington Beach councilman before being elected to the Assembly last month.
"In retrospect,we could have acted a little more promptly to cure the problem
sooner,but remember we were just coming out of a recession."
Councilman Ralph Bauer cited the lack of evidence that the sewage had
reached the ocean,but said the city had made a mistake by failing to report the
leakage to the water quality board.
"To some extent, it has come back to bite us," he said.
Officials with the water board agreed.
"The city should have been more forthcoming as that investigation [into the
cause of the beach closure] was proceeding," said Kurt V. Berchtold,assistant
director of the water board's Santa Ana region. His agency has jurisdiction over
Huntington Beach.
"In fact,the city was one of the main parties stressing the need to address the
ocean contamination issue, so they should have been providing every piece of
information they had relative to that problem."
A draft of the agency's cleanup order contends that leaked sewage might have
reached the ocean. "The leaked sewage is discharged to ground water in areas
where ground water could migrate to and impact the quality of near-shore ocean
waters," according to the draft of the order.
Longtime Leakage
City officials failed to report the leakage of millions of gallons of raw sewage
from Huntington Beach sewer lines during the 1990s, according to state water
quality officials.
Source: State water quality investigators.
Graphics reporting by BRADY MacDONALD/Los Angeles Times
Copyright 2000 Los Angeles Times
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•City Resumes
CITIES: Water-quality officials say the city should :c b c �g;w
have acted faster to report and repair leaking -Education
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Growih
-Obituaries
December 13, 2000 •Pobtics a G.�ernd,ent
•Register In Education
•Religion
By OLIVIA HAWKINSON •SWcal Features
The Orange County Register EDUCATIONRTS It LAW
ENTERTAINMENT
HUNTINGTON BEACH --Regional water-quality officials FUN a GAMES
B q Y HEALTH a FITNESS
Tuesday ordered the city to investigate and clean up a LIBERTY ONLINE
downtown sewer system that might have leaked millions of LIVING& gHOPPING
POLITIgallons of raw sewage before recent repairs. GOVERNMENT
REAL ESTATE
SCIENCE a
Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board officials TECHNOLOGY
said they fear the sewage could have contaminated ground PROMOTIONS
water downtown, which might have contributed to unhealthy SPORTS It RECREATION
ocean bacteria levels. TRAVEL
WEATHER
Studies commissioned by the city dismissed coastal ground
water in other areas as a potential contributor to the fluctuating
bacteria levels,but no one has studied ground water in the
downtown sewer area. The City Council is expected to vote
Monday whether to hire engineers to investigate the area.
"It wasn't as if it were a secret," said Kurt Berchtold of the
water-quality board. "We teamed the information was
presented to the City Council in past years,but we weren't
aware of the magnitude of the situation until this fall.
"The city had a better understanding of the situation than we
did, but to date they haven't conducted a full study of the
area," Berchtold said. "That's what led us to this order."
A spokeswoman for the Orange County District Attorney s
http://www.ocregister.com/community/sewersO12l3cci5.shtmI 12/13/2000
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Office, which received a complaint about the city's sewer
management,said her agency will rely on the water-quality
board to investigate.
A 10-week study proposed by consultants Komex H2O
Science Inc. would cost about$96,000,on top of the$4
million the city has spent fixing the downtown system.
Engineers peering into the sewers through a video camera four
years ago discovered half-inch to l-inch cracks in the 8-inch
pipe, holes the size of baseballs and sewage leaking through
snaking cracks.
Dozens of main underground sewage streams flowed through
crumbling red clay pipes dating back to the 1910s. Most of the
"Old Town" clay lines were 80 years old- 30 years older than
the average sewage pipe's life span.
A sewer maintenance crew leader reported dozens of leaks
throughout the downtown area in 1995 and 1996 to the Public
Works Department. Crew leader Jerry Dilks said he estimated
that the broken pipes may have leaked up to 71,374 gallons per
day,or up to 6.6 million gallons total, according to equations
provided by the city's engineering department.
A civil engineer hired by the city in September 2000 to assess
Dilks' estimates discounted the reports,saying they were based
on "questionable" measurements.
"The only real factual information presented is the photos
showing cracked pipes," said John Thorlon of PSOMAS
engineering firm. "It is impossible to estimate if there was any
wastewater losses actually taking place."
Public Works Director Robert Beardsley said he teamed of
Dilks'disputed estimates in August 1999,about the same time
city officials discussed the downtown sewer problem with
water-quality board representatives at ocean-closure task force
meetings.
Bacteria contamination and beach closures have turned sewage
into a hot topic in Surf City since July 1999,when county
health officials banned swimming along miles of coast.
Water-quality officials said the city failed to report the sewage
leaks, in accordance with state health laws.But city officials
said they made no formal report to state officials because they
didn't think the problem posed a threat to the local water
supply.
http://www.ocregister.com/community/sewersOl2l3cei5.shtml 12/13/2000
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In September 1999 the City Council voted to spend$900,000
to overhaul the downtown sewers,boosted by a matching grant
from the sanitation district. Local contractor Sancon used new
technology to "slip line"more than nine miles of old sewer
lines-most under residential alleys-at half the price of
digging under the streets and replacing the old pipes.
Slip lining involves feeding plastic pipe in one manhole and
out another to line the old clay sewer line.
Some residents who've followed the City Council's
infrastructure decisions said the city has dropped the ball.
"We learned the city knew about the downtown sewer
problems for years," said Dean Albright,who serves on a
citizen infrastructure committee. "We realized it would have
been millions of gallons of raw sewage going into the ground.
The slip lining is fantastic,but do we really trust city staff
completely to let us know all the information?
On Tuesday the water-quality board ordered the city to submit
an investigation plan and a schedule for the ground-water
study by Feb. 7. Failure to comply with the order could result
in fines.
Register staff writer Tiffany Montgomery contributed to this
report.
.fie.
you're on guar own raithoat it.
Copyright 2000 The Orange County Register
Please send canmanh to ocregister@link.freedom.com
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Wednesday, December 13, 2000
Huntington Ordered to Find, Clean Sewage
By MEG JAMES.Times Staff Writer
The state on Tuesday ordered Huntington Beach to examine its ground water
and clean up any residue of sewage that oozed for years Sewage Leak
from leaky sewer pipes for"the protection of the public Theories
health and the environment." Click here for a
The California Regional Water Quality Control Board graphic about the way
demanded that Huntington Beach submit a plan by Feb. 7 sewage reaches the
that identifies how the city will trace the leaking sewage ocean. Requires
and required the city to determine whether bacteria from Acrobat Reader.
sewage reached the ocean.
A spokesman for the water agency said that as far as he knew,this was the
first time a city has been ordered to examine its ground water because of
deteriorated sewer lines.
"The thing that is particularly unique to Huntington Beach is the age of their
sewer system in areas that are so close to the ocean," said Kurt V. Berchtold,
assistant director of the water board's Santa Ana region. "That, in combination
with the fact that we've had a problem with bacterial contamination in the coastal
waters there."
Berchtold has worked for 19 years for the agency,which oversees water
quality in north and central Orange County as well as Riverside and San
Bernardino counties.
City officials said Tuesday that they have been cooperating with the state. A
work plan was submitted to the agency two months ago,and Huntington Beach
City Council members are scheduled to vote next week on a$92,000 contract to
hire a scientific wnsultant, said the city's public works director,Robert F.
Beardsley.
"We will comply with whatever they feel they need to satisfy their
investigation," Beardsley said.
Eight 50-foot wells will be drilled in the downtown area to sample the ground
water.Those tests should be complete within three months, Beardsley said,
adding that the city has already spent more than a year and $2.6 million to
reinforce its most deteriorated pipes, some of which were 90 years old.
http://www.latimes.com/cgi-birL/print.cgi 12/13/2000
Tests last year in Huntington Beach uncovered no evidence that leaking
sewage had invaded the coast,but state officials said this week that the
possibility could not be ruled out
"The leaked sewage is discharged to ground water in areas where ground
water could migrate to and impact the quality of near-shore ocean waters,"
according to the three-page cleanup order signed by Gerard J.Thibeault,director
of the Santa Ana region. "The fate of the leaked sewage has not been
determined."
In 1996,city officials estimated that 71,324 gallons of raw sewage were being
released each day by cracked and broken pipes.Over the years,an estimated 6.6
million gallons escaped,according to the order.
But scientists might not be able to locate the remnants of those leaks.
"Whatever may have been released may not be traceable," Beardsley said. "It
does tend to degrade in soil over time."
He and his staff have identified nearly$6 million in other needed sewer
system repairs,including replacing several old pumps called lift stations.Council
members will be asked next month to consider adopting a sewer maintenance fee
to finance the work—a concept that was raised in 1996 but never voted on, and
rejected by the council last summer.
One councilman,Dave Garofalo,said Tuesday that he's not inclined to vote
for a sewer fee.
"I always believe there is enough money around to 6x anything,"Garofalo
said. "It's just a question of priorities. I probably fought the sewer fee[in 1996]
and I will probably oppose it when it comes back next month."
sss
Sewage leek Theories
State water officials have ordered Huntington Beach to clean up sewage that
spilled during the 1990s.Two theories on how the leaking sewage could have
reached and contaminated ocean water:
Theory A:
Sewage seeps through soil to cracked storm drain
Sewage flows to ocean
Theory B:
Sewage leaks into soil,migrates to groundwater
Sea water intrudes into groundwater,carries sewage out to ocean
Source: California Regional Water Quality Control Board
Graphics reporting by BRADY MacDONALD/Los Angeles Times
Copyright 200a Lm milks nines
http://www.lafnws.wm/cgi-biniprinLcgi 12/13/2000