SAN DIEGO — The US Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission (USIBWC) said they have identified urgent repairs needed at the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant following the arrival of Tropical Storm Hilary.
“Tropical Storm Hilary exacerbated the vulnerabilities of an already at-risk treatment plant, accelerating damage through excessive flows and incoming debris,” Dr. Maria-Elena Giner, USIBWC Commissioner, said in a press release. “We want everyone to know we are working hard and have a plan to bring the plant back up to normal operations. We are also making critically needed improvements to achieve water quality permit compliance."
Commissioner Giner said that they have outlined a strategy during their presentation to the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board on September 13.
"The Hollister Street Pump Station, responsible for pumping transboundary flows from Goat Canyon and Smuggler’s Gulch into the plant, recently shut down when all four pumps became inoperable. Efforts are underway to restore operations. Until that station is fixed, flows containing untreated sewage can pass through the canyons into the Tijuana River and Estuary," Frank Fisher, USIBWC Public Affairs Chief said in a press release.
The USIBWC said that Tropical Storm Hilary caused excessive flows into the plant, which exceeded its capacity by 100 percent for 6 hours and by 320 percent for an additional six hours from August 20 to 21.
The recovery plan would cost about $8 million and would require the agency to pay workers out of the agency's salaries/expenses and construction budget.
The plant has already received $10 million in prior contracts to help the facility comply with water quality standards. While the goal is to repair the plant to treat 25 million gallons of wastewater a day, the timeline to achieve compliance is nine months to a year.
However, some of the work repairing the damage from Tropical Storm Hilary may be completed at the same time as other repairs. The USIBWC said this work may be completed in 30-90 days.
Meanwhile, Thursday afternoon, 18 mayors from San Diego County sent a letter to Governor Gavin Newsom calling on him to declare a state of emergency regarding the sewage crisis.