Mayor Jerry Sanders will not be making an announcement about the future of the Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant tomorrow. The mayor had been expected to spell out his plan to address the city’s main sewage treatment plant at Point Loma, which treats sewage below the federal standard.
The federal Clean Water Act requires sewage plants to treat sewage to a higher standard than the Point Loma plant currently does. While the facility removes about 80 percent of solid waste from sewage, it doesn’t remove dissolved organic matter from the wastewater it pumps 4.5 miles offshore.
The city facility, which treats 175 million gallons of sewage daily, sits on the bluffs of Point Loma just north of Cabrillo National Monument and has little room to expand. The facility has had a waiver from the federal requirement since 1995 and must reapply for that waiver within the next year. An upgrade has been estimated to cost at least $1 billion.
Fred Sainz, a spokesman for the mayor, said Sanders was not yet ready to make the announcement. Sainz said the announcement would happen next week, but was not sure when.