International Boundary and Water Commission Meeting To Be Held in IB

Plans for water reuse and new approaches for the region's wastewater plants are on the agenda of a public meeting sponsored by the United States Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission (USIBWC).  The meeting of the USIBWC Citizens Forum will take place on Thursday, March 27, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m., at the Tijuana Estuary Meeting Room, 301 Caspian Way, Imperial Beach, CA 91932. 

Ed Spriggs, City Councilmember, City of Imperial Beach, will provide a snapshot of the evolving plans of the City of San Diego and Metro Wastewater Joint Powers Authority (JPA) regarding potable reuse of recycled water, how such an approach can support renewal of the discharge license for San Diego's largest wastewater treatment plant at Pt. Loma through flow reduction to achieve secondary treatment equivalency, and the potential impacts of these plans on the South Bay area of San Diego.   Mr. Spriggs is a member of the Metro Wastewater JPA and brings both a regional and local perspective to the long-term plans being developed.

In other business, Steve Smullen, Area Operations Manager for the USIBWC San Diego Field Office, will discuss proposed changes in the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit for the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant (SBIWTP) in San Ysidro.  The SBIWTP, which treats wastewater from Tijuana, Mexico before discharging the treated effluent 3.5 miles offshore in the Pacific Ocean in the United States, has been operating under the same permit since 1996.  The USIBWC completed construction of a secondary treatment upgrade to the plant in 2011, achieved a stable operating condition in 2012, and satisfied the State of California's requirements regarding secondary treatment in 2013.  Mr. Smullen will discuss possible changes in the permit, including additional monitoring and pretreatment requirements.  The draft permit is expected to be released for public comment this spring.  He will also provide an update on SBIWTP operations.

The purpose of the Citizens Forum is to promote the exchange of information between the USIBWC and the community about Commission projects and related activities.