South County Report: ‘Forever’ Chemicals Discovered in South County Water

The Sweetwater Authority, which supplies drinking water to more than 200,000 households in southern San Diego County, alerted city officials in its service area on Friday that it had discovered toxic industrial chemicals in its main reservoir at levels that exceed state and federal standards requiring notification of the public. 

The PFAS chemicals, also known as “forever” chemicals because of their longevity in the environment, were discovered during newly mandated testing in late October. The chemicals, known by the technical names PFHxS and PFOA, have been shown to interfere with thyroid function and cause cancer in laboratory animals. 

Sweetwater General Manager Carlos Quintero said in an interview on Monday that water from the reservoir, which supplies households in Bonita and parts of Chula Vista, “is safe to drink based on current limits.” However, he acknowledged that one of the chemicals, PFOA, was found at nearly twice the limit recently established by the federal Environmental Protection Agency. That limit is set to take effect in 2029, giving water agencies time to install additional treatment facilities if needed. 

The other chemical, PFHxS, was more than double a state limit that mandates alerting the public but below both state and federal limits that would require treatment. 

Quintero said the authority will conduct three more rounds of testing in the coming year and average results to make a final determination about just how much of the toxic chemicals are in the reservoir and whether additional treatment is needed at the authority’s Robert A. Perdue treatment plant adjacent to the reservoir. 

Quintero said scientists currently don’t know where the PFAS chemicals in the reservoir originated because the chemicals, once widespread in non-stick coatings, fire retardant and other consumer and industrial products, are “just everywhere.” He said two decommissioned landfills upstream from the reservoir could be the source but it’s impossible to say for certain without further testing. 

“This is one of the sins of civilization,” he said. “We’re all victims…PFAS are very persistent and stable compounds…They’re designed to be forever. There are thousands of them. Now we’re dealing with” the environmental effects. 

Quintero said installing new treatment systems at the Perdue plant could cost roughly $40 million, though the final figure would depend on the severity of the problem and whether state or federal funds help to offset the cost. Already, the Perdue plant could require more than $50 million in unrelated repairs and upgrades, according to authority budget projections. 

Other reservoir concerns: The discovery of the PFAS chemicals comes at a time of heightened scrutiny for Sweetwater Reservoir. Consultants hired by the authority recently found that the reservoir’s 136-year-old dam could require more than $20 million in possible repairs to one of its spillways. And a proposal backed by some authority governing board members to install floating solar panels on the reservoir has stirred intense opposition from nearby residents. 

“It’s a big problem,” said Chula Vista resident and frequent authority critic Sharmane Estolano of the PFAS discovery. Estolano, a co-founder of the advocacy group Save Sweetwater Reservoir, said authority officials have neglected needed repairs at the reservoir and elsewhere in the agency’s water system because they are distracted by pet projects such as the floating solar proposal. 

“They need to get their house in order,” she said. 

Quintero denied that the authority is neglecting its water system and said it is being proactive by alerting ratepayers to the PFAS problem and exploring possible treatment methods. 

“We’re being open and telling people,” he said. “This is just one of the challenges. It’s no fault of our own.” 

For more information: The authority will hold a special informational meeting about PFAS chemicals for its governing board and members of the public at 5 p.m. Thursday at the agency’s headquarters, 505 Garrett Ave. in Chula Vista. More information can also be found at the authority’s website. 

Welcome to Sweetwater! Call it the opposite of beginner’s luck. The PFAS discovery comes just as Sweetwater Authority’s newest governing board member, Elizabeth Cox, is sworn in this week. Cox was elected last month to represent division five of the South Bay Water District. She defeated incumbent Josie Calderon-Scott, who had represented the division since 2016. 

Cox inherits a long to-do list as she joins the board. The agency faces an expensive list of possible maintenance projects, the controversial solar plan, ongoing climate-caused changes in the water supply and the ever-rising cost of importing water during dry periods. 

“I’ll come with an open mind to learn about the issues,” Cox said in an interview last week. “I’m all for good stewardship of public resources. Transparency, responsibility and continuity of service is important.” 

The daughter of former San Diego County Supervisor Greg Cox, Cox formerly worked as a business analyst for the San Diego Association of Governments. 

Asked what inspired her to run for elected office, Cox thought for a moment then recalled serving as president of her high school’s internet club, which was sponsored by the local Rotary Club. “I still maintain contact with the Rotarians,” she said. “That community of service is a big part of my family history.” 

Stormy City Council Meeting 

Recently, I wrote that the National City Council initiated a censure process against Councilmember Jose Rodriguez, citing a series of alleged ethical problems. 

Last week, the Council finished the job, formally censuring Rodriguez and hinting that they might strip him of regional committee assignments. 

The meeting was tumultuous. Rodriguez packed the Council chamber with supporters, who streamed to the lectern to defend him, often in Spanish. Detractors also showed up in force. Both sides shouted at one another, cursed and, at one point, seemed about to come to blows. 

Rodriguez, recently re-elected with 70 percent of the vote, called the censure a “political hit piece” and vowed to carry on with his duties. “It’s time to move on and get working,” he said. 

When they weren’t arguing, Councilmembers at the meeting also named retired medical entrepreneur Gil-Anthony Ungab as the city’s representative on the San Diego Board of Port Commissioners and discussed possible new regulations of short-term rentals, which a city report said are often used as sites of prostitution. 

New Funds for Sewage Cleanup 

Earlier this year, officials and activists in Imperial Beach and Coronado came up with a novel way to address the ongoing sewage crisis in the Tijuana River Valley. 

In short, they looked east—to the new high-tech U.S.-Mexico border crossing currently under construction in Otay Mesa. The Imperial Beach City Council passed a resolution asking the San Diego Association of Governments, which will manage the border crossing, to carve out a portion of toll revenue for an environmental fund that could be used for sewage cleanup. 

SANDAG reacted lukewarmly to the proposal and didn’t even discuss it at their most recent board meeting, even though Imperial Beach Councilmember Jack Fisher personally handed out copies of the proposal to board members. 

Cue state Sen. Steve Padilla. On Wednesday, Padilla, a Democrat representing much of southern and eastern San Diego County, unveiled new legislation that would give SANDAG permission—and, figuratively, a shove—to create the environmental fund. 

“It’s about getting a solution,” Padilla said at a press conference adjacent to the Tijuana Estuary. “This isn’t rocket science. We can do this and we should do this.” 

ICYMI: I wrote last week about how San Diego’s runaway housing market is affecting even once-affordable enclaves like Imperial Beach. Read the full story here. 

In Other News

• The Living Coast Discovery Center is heading upstream on Saturday, Dec. 21, to Mt. Miguel, where employees of the wildlife conservation center will lead a five-mile bird-watching hike up the Mother Miguel Mountain Trail. The hike is part of the center’s ongoing effort to educate San Diegans about their region’s abundant wildlife, including numerous year-round and migratory bird species. More information and registration for the free hike is here. 
• Get ready for a lot of mariachi music—and probably just as many tears—on Thursday, Dec. 17, as retiring Southwest Middle School music teacher Keith Ballard conducts his last concert as leader of the Sweetwater Union High School District’s four mariachi bands, as well as a steel drum band and a rock ensemble. Ballard, a beloved 25-year veteran teacher in the district, was recently profiled by KPBS after being named to the National Teachers Hall of Fame. “If you just give [students] a little bit of love and you work hard, and you show them some compassion, you can do some great things,” Ballard told KPBS. The concert starts at 6 p.m. at Southwest Middle School, 2710 Iris Ave., San Diego. 
• The San Diego County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a new policy aimed at preventing county resources such as jails, facilities, staff and funds from being used to aid federal civil immigration enforcement. The policy, which mostly reiterates existing state law, would not apply to criminal enforcement. 

Clarification: This post has been updated to clarify that the toxic industrial chemicals in the Sweetwater Authority’s main reservoir are at levels that exceed state and federal standards requiring notification of the public.