H.R. 1390: Ocean Pollution Reduction Act II

This bill, known as the Ocean Pollution Reduction Act II, aims to change certain permitting processes regarding wastewater discharge from the Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant in San Diego, California. Here are the key points of the bill:

Permitting Changes

The bill allows the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to issue a permit for wastewater discharges from the Point Loma Plant under specific terms, despite existing regulations outlined in the Federal Water Pollution Control Act.

Conditions for Permits

Permits issued under this bill must adhere to several conditions:

• Outfall Maintenance: The existing deep ocean outfall must be maintained, ensuring the discharge occurs at a depth of at least 300 feet and a distance of at least 4 miles from the shore.
• Suspended Solids Limits: The annual discharge of total suspended solids is capped at:
  • 12,000 metric tons per year immediately upon enactment.
  • 11,500 metric tons per year starting December 31, 2029.
  • 9,942 metric tons per year starting December 31, 2031.
• Concentration Restrictions: Discharge cannot exceed 60 milligrams per liter of total suspended solids, averaged over 30 days.
• Sediment Removal: At least 80% of total suspended solids must be removed on a monthly average and at least 58% of biochemical oxygen demand on an annual average from all treatment processes at the facility.
• Compliance with Other Standards: All other effluent limitations of secondary treatment must be met, except for the specified biochemical oxygen demand and total suspended solids requirements.
• State and Federal Compliance: The permit must comply with federal and state regulations, including state concurrence and ocean discharge criteria evaluations.
• Monitoring Data: Applicants must provide a decade of monitoring data to demonstrate that the discharge meets required standards, along with an established ocean monitoring program.
• Reused Water Requirements: If allowed, the applicant must achieve an annual average production of at least 83 million gallons per day of water suitable for potable reuse by December 31, 2039.

Milestones

The Administrator is tasked with determining development milestones to ensure compliance with the conditions outlined in the bill and must include these milestones as permit conditions by December 31, 2039.

Alternative Compliance Path

The bill also maintains the option for the Point Loma Plant to submit an application for a permit that complies with existing secondary treatment standards, allowing for flexibility in how compliance is achieved.

Definitions

• The term Administrator refers to the head of the Environmental Protection Agency.
• Biochemical oxygen demand is defined in relation to its use in federal water pollution regulation.
• Point Loma Plant denotes the wastewater treatment facility in question, owned by the City of San Diego on the bill's enactment date.
• State is defined as California.

Relevant Companies

None found.