California aiming to rein in polluters adding to the South Bay sewage crisis
SAN DIEGO (KUSI) — A pair of new state bills are looking to crack down on some of the polluters fueling the cross-border sewage crisis that has hobbled access to San Diego County’s southernmost beaches for decades.
Senate Bill 1178 and Senate Bill 1208, introduced on Monday by State Sen. Steve Padilla, add regulations to water discharges for large corporations, as well as prevent water authorities from issuing additional permits for waste releases into areas in the Tijuana River system.
“Our communities have had enough of companies polluting at will and escaping the consequences,” Padilla said in a release. “If you’re going to do business in California, you’re going to answer to the public when you pollute and poison our water.”
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The new bills come amid intensifying pleas to address the crisis by state leaders due to health concerns and other local impacts from the pollution’s forced closure of the southernmost coastline in the region for over 800 consecutive days.
State lawmakers’ recent efforts include a resolution currently making its way through the legislature that would implore the federal government to disperse over $300 million for much-needed repairs to a South Bay treatment plant.
However, Padilla’s bills mark a slight shift in approach by lawmakers, placing greater accountability on non-governmental entities that are also releasing waste water into regional watersheds.
SB 1178 specifically would add new requirements for corporations with more than 2,500 employees to disclose any waste water discharges that can result in possible water contamination to the state.
It would also create a new “California Water Quality and Public Health Impact Surcharge” under the Water Resources Control Board, which would require those companies to pay for the cost of mitigating that contamination by adding it as a surcharge on their tax bill.
“It’s time to hold corporations accountable for polluting our coastal communities — that’s why I’m a strong supporter of SB 1178,” San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Nora Vargas said in a statement. “As we work to uplift our binational region, this legislation will put an end to releasing sewage flows that contaminate our water and emissions that create unmitigated air pollution for the people and families who live and work here.”
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Meanwhile, SB 1208 would prohibit any regional water board from issuing a wastewater discharge permit for a new landfill that is used for the disposal of non-hazardous solid waste if it is located within the boundaries of the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve or an area that flows into the Tijuana River.
Both bills are also backed by several prominent environmental advocacy groups, such as Climate Action Campaign, San Diego Coastkeeper and Surfrider Foundation.
Neither bill has been assigned to a committee as of Monday, but Padilla’s office says they are anticipated to be heard in the coming months.
Watch Ed Lenderman’s report for KUSI in the player above.
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