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Project Update November 1995

This is the first in a series of Project Updates. Its purpose is to update the community on IWTP issues such as progress on construction, upcoming meetings and events, the status of environmental reviews, and other related areas of interest.

Construction Progress

The International Wastewater Treatment Plant (IWTP) is currently being built in San Diego near the U.S.-Mexico border to treat sewage from Tijuana's overburdened sewerage system. Construction of the IWTP's advanced primary treatment facilities began in June 1995 and is scheduled to be completed by March 1997. The plant will be owned and operated by the U.S. Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC). Since June, a number of major structures have started to take shape at the site. Excavation and grading for all of the major structures have been completed. Foundations and some lower walls have been poured for the headworks sump area, primary influent gallery, non-potable water and primary skimmings pump stations, lime storage silos, truck loading facility, grit chamber, sludge dewatering building and primary sedimentation tanks. Installation of a drain line along Monument Road from Canyon del Sol to the IWTP has also begun. In addition to construction of the advanced primary treatment facilities, progress is being made on other components of the IWTP. The construction contract for the South Bay Ocean OutfalI was awarded in September 1995 and construction will begin this month. The outfall project was officially kicked off on October 26 with a ground breaking ceremony hosted by the City of San Diego, which is managing construction of the outfall. Meanwhile design of the structures that will connect the advanced primary treatment facility to the outfall system is expected to be completed by early 1996. Design work for the interceptor-collection systems for Goat Canyon and Smuggler Gulch is also ongoing and should be completed early next year. Members of the communities near the IWTP recently assisted in choosing colors for the main treatment plant buildings and perimeter fence. The buildings will be sand-colored with green trim for the doors and windows. The fence around the advanced primary treatment facilities will be a light brown color known as "antique cork". These colors will allow the treatment plant to blend in well with the natural background of the region. In the coming months, the IWTP project team will offer tours of the construction site to the public. At these tours, engineers and other staff will be on hand to answer questions about the workings of the treatment plant.

Public Involvement

Community Briefings Slated Public involvement is an important part of the IWTP project. In order to ensure that community members have regular updates on project developments and opportunities to ask questions or voice concerns, a continuing series of community briefings will be held as the IWTP project progresses. All members of the public are invited. The first community briefing will be held on Thursday, November 30 at 6 p.m. at the Southwest High School cafeteria/meeting room, 1685 Hollister St., in San Diego. Representatives of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) and Metropolitan Wastewater Department (MWWD) will be present to provide updates on the status of construction and environmental reviews. In addition, community members will be invited to suggest agenda topics of interest or concern. We hope these meetings provide an opportunity for community members, IWTP project managers, and other interested individuals to exchange useful information.

SEIS Status

The IWTP's advanced primary treatment facilities are scheduled to be completed before the secondary treatment facilities and the South Bay Outfall. A supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS) is now being prepared to examine what should be done with excess sewage flows from Mexico during this interim period. (The second SEIS, examining aspects of secondary treatment is also getting underway.) Options that are being evaluated in the SEIS include treatment and temporary storage of sewage before discharge back to the Tijuana system during off-peak hours, continued use of the Emergency Connection to the Point Loma wastewater treatment plant, and construcfion of an additlonal sewage pumping and conveyance system in Tijuana. On August 31, the EPA and IBWC held a public meeting to explain the various options that will be examined in the SEIS and to receive input on other options that should be considered as the SEIS is prepared. The draft SEIS will be released in early spring 1996, followed by a public comment period and a formal public hearing. The final SEIS and the decision on the actions to be taken during the interlm period should be completed by summer of 1996.

Ideas?

If you would like to see a particular topic addressed on these pages or at the next community briefing, please send your thoughts to Dave Fege at EPA's San Diego Border Office (see below for mail/e-mail/phone info.)

Thanks for the Input!

The EPA, IBWC and MWWD thank all of those who met with us to discuss ways to keep the community better informed and involved in the IWTP project. Your valuable input is being incorporated into the format of these updates, the community briefings, and other activities. For more information, please contact the EPA San Diego Border Office at (619) 235-4769 or FAX (619) 235-4771.

Printed copies of the following information are available from:
EPA Border Office
Attn: Dave Fege
610 West Ash Street, Suite 703
San Diego, CA 92101

Contact Information

Elizabeth Borowiec (borowiec.elizabeth@epa.gov)

The IWTP Project Update is issued by the U.S. EPA, the U.S. Section of the IBWC, and the City of San Diego Metropolitan Wastewater Department.

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