City Steps Up Fight Over Rules on L.A. River Water
LOS ANGELES — The City Council has stepped up its fight against what it considers unfair clean water rules for the Los Angeles River.
The council has voted to go to court to block enforcement of new water discharge standards set by the State Water Resources Control Board for the Donald C. Tillman Water Reclamation Plant in Van Nuys and the Los Angeles/Glendale Water Reclamation Plant in the east Valley.
Council members set aside up to $300,000 to pay for legal fees. Fines could amount to $6,000 per day.
The new rules require that water discharged by the plants and into the Los Angeles River be of higher quality than drinking water, although no one uses the river for that, said Judith Wilson, city Sanitation Bureau director.
She estimated that it would cost $120 million per year to provide the treatment necessary to meet the new standards--an amount that is slightly more than the city’s entire current waste treatment budget.
“What we would be doing is treating to standards way beyond drinking water, for water that is going to go down to the ocean for fish,†said Assistant City Atty. Chris Westhoff. “It’s not logical.â€
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