HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolutionRESOLUTION NO. 2014 —
RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NATIONAL CITY
ADOPTING A JOINT RESOLUTION OF THE METRO WASTEWATER JOINT
POWERS AUTHORITY AND THE METRO COMMISSION, AND SUPPORTING
THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO'S NATIONAL POLLUTANT DISCHARGE
ELIMINATION SYSTEM (NPDES) MODIFIED PERMIT FOR
THE POINT LOMA WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT
WHEREAS, the City of National City has been a partner in the San Diego Metro
Wastewater System since 1944; and
WHEREAS, the Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant (PLWTP), constructed
in 1963, is the backbone of the Metro System. The City of National City is one of 12 participating
agencies (PAs) that convey wastewater to the Metro System for treatment; and
WHEREAS, the Metropolitan Wastewater Commission ("Metro Commission")
was formed in 1998 pursuant to the terms of the Regional Wastewater Disposal Agreement
between PAs and the City of San Diego; and
WHEREAS, the Metro Commission is an advisory body to the San Diego City
Council. The Regional Wastewater Disposal Agreement stipulates that the City of San Diego
owns the Metro System and that all decisions with respect to the planning, design, construction,
operation and maintenance shall rest with the City of San Diego in consultation with the Metro
Commission; and
WHEREAS, the City of San Diego has requested that the Metro Commission
support San Diego's modified National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit
application for the Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant; and
WHEREAS, the PLWTP operates under an NPDES permit from the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Each permit is good for five years following issuance.
The current permit expires in July 2015 and must be submitted for renewal in January 2015; and
WHEREAS, the San Diego City Council plans to take action on the permit
application on October 28, 2014, therefore City of San Diego staff have requested the Metro
Commission to provide input on the permit application prior to this date; and
WHEREAS the Metro Commission supports the action proposed by the City of
San Diego, and will consider adopting a Resolution at a special meeting on October 16, 2014
(Exhibit "A"); and
WHEREAS the Metro Commission has requested that member agencies support
the action proposed by the City of San Diego and the Metro Commission,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City of National City supports
the actions being taken by the City of San Diego and the Metro Commission and supports the
Resolution (Exhibit "A") being considered at a special a special meeting of the Metro
Commission on October 16, 2014
[Signature Page to Follow]
Resolution No, 2014 —
Page Two
PASSED and ADOPTED this 7th day of October, 2014.
Ron Morrison, Mayor
ATTEST:
Michael R. Dalla, City Clerk
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
Claudia Gacitua Silva
City Attorney
Exhibit A
RESOLUTION NO. 14-
A JOINT RESOLUTION OF THE METRO WASTEWATER JPA AND
METRO COMMISSION, SUPPORTING THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO'S NATIONAL
POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM (NPDES) MODIFIED PERMIT
FOR THE POINT LOMA WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT
WHEREAS, the Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant (PLWTP) is a regional facility
in the Metro Wastewater System, operated by the City of San Diego, permitted to treat 240 million
gallons of wastewater per day to an Advanced Primary Level, serving a 12 member Joint Powers
Authority that comprises approximately 35% of the total flow in the Metro Wastewater System/
PLWTP; and
WHEREAS, the Clean Water Act of 1972 requires that wastewater be treated to achieve
certain protections before ocean discharge and the permitting of wastewater treatment plants, and
wastewater treatment plant permits must be renewed every five years; and
WHEREAS, the Ocean Pollution Reduction Act (OPRA) of 1994 allowed the City of San
Diego to apply for modified NPDES permits allowing PLWTP to continue operating at an
Advanced Primary Treatment Level while meeting or exceeding all general and specifically
negotiated regulatory obligations including ocean protection requirements; and
WHEREAS, the City of San Diego has 20 years of ocean monitoring data demonstrating
that the Advanced Primary PLWTP consistently protects the ocean environment; and
WHEREAS, the City of San Diego has determined that instead of converting the Point
Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant to a ` secondary treatment plant, equivalent results can be
achieved by offloading wastewater flow from the Plant to other existing and new facilities
(secondary equivalency) for potable water reuse; and
WHEREAS, the Metro Commission sees the Pure Water Program, the City of San
Diego's 20-year program to produce purified water to supplement San Diego's drinking water
supply, as a first step toward realizing the possibility of fully utilizing wastewater supplies to
maximize development of local water supply acknowledging that future expansion and ability to
minimize flows to wastewater treatment plants will depend on technological and legislative
advances, cost benefit analysis, and actual flows compared to projections; and
WHEREAS, the strategy of achieving secondary equivalency at the Point Loma
Wastewater Treatment Plant through potable reuse of wastewater has included within the Pure
Water San Diego program; and
WHEREAS, the City of San Diego, the member agencies of Metro Wastewater JPA,
members of the Metro Commission, and stakeholders from the environmental community have
agreed upon a definition for secondary equivalency and will use their best efforts to have federal
legislation passed in accordance with the proposal called the Ocean Pollution Reduction Act II
(OPRA II). Generally, OPRA II will allow the City's NPDES permit to be based on secondary
Resolution No. 14-
Page 2
equivalency that includes a commitment to implement potable reuse of wastewater and allows the
PLWTP to remain operating at the Advanced Primary Treatment Level; and
WHEREAS, the current modified permit for the PLWTP expires on July 31, 2015, and
City of San Diego staff need to submit an application to renew the NPDES permit by January 30,
2015.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of the Metro Wastewater JPA
and Metro Commission as follows:
Section 1: That the Metro Wastewater JPA and Metro Commission support the Point
Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant to remain operating at an Advanced Primary Treatment Level.
Section 2: That Metro Wastewater JPA and Metro Commission support the concept of
secondary equivalency for the Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant and supports proposing
the passage of federal legislation in accordance with the proposal titled the Ocean Pollution
Reduction Act II (OPRA II), attached hereto as Exhibit "A" and incorporated herein. OPRA II will
allow the City's NPDES permit to be based on secondary equivalency that includes a commitment
to implement potable reuse of wastewater and allows the PLWTP to remain operating at the
Advanced Primary Treatment Level.
Section 3: That Metro Wastewater JPA and Metro Commission support the City of
San Diego's NPDES Modified Permit application for the Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant
as further described in the Basis of Point Loma Permit Application, attached hereto as Exhibit "B"
and incorporated herein.
PASSED AND ADOPTED at a regular meeting of the Board of the Metro Wastewater JPA
and Metro Commission on the day of October, 2014:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTAIN:
Cheryl Cox, Chair
ATTEST:
Lori Anne Peoples, Secretary