San Diego's Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant currently discharges treated wastewater into the ocean through a deep outfall pipe more than 4 miles from shore. Federal law normally requires full secondary treatment, but this bill would let the EPA issue a special permit allowing Point Loma to operate under modified standards — as long as the plant meets specific pollution caps that get stricter over time and produces at least 83 million gallons per day of water suitable for drinking reuse by 2039. The bill essentially gives San Diego a path to keep its current treatment approach while committing to major water recycling improvements.
Congressional Summary
Ocean Pollution Reduction Act IIThis bill provides an alternative permitting process for the Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant located in San Diego, California, to comply with the requirements of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program.Currently, the plant operates with a temporary variance (or waiver) from certain NPDES treatment standards under the Clean Water Act (CWA). The City of San Diego has applied for a new variance for the plant. If the variance is not granted, then the city must obtain a new NPDES permit and fully comply with the treatment standards.The bill allows the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to issue an NPDES permit that requires the plant to comply with certain conditions. Thus, it eliminates the need for the city to apply for another variance so long as it obtains the conditional NPDES permit and the plant:maintains its current deep ocean outfall pipe;complies with specified annual and monthly limits for total suspended solids (e.g., sewage);removes at least 80% of total suspended solids from the discharge on a monthly average and 58% of biochemical oxygen demand on an annual average;attains all other effluent limitations of secondary treatment;complies with CWA pretreatment requirements and other requirements applicable to NPDES permits;provides to the EPA 10 consecutive years of compliance data and analysis; anddemonstrates that it will produce at least 83 million gallons per day on an annual average of water safe for human consumption by December 31, 2039.
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- House
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in House
- Action Date
- 2025-02-14
- Date Added
- 2026-04-15