LA Shells Out $20M to Fix Stinky Mess After Wastewater Dump Drenches Santa Monica Bay!
Los Angeles is paying $20 million to overhaul its outdated wastewater plant after a massive discharge fouled Santa Monica Bay! 🌐 #News #LosAngelesCA #California #Environment
LOS ANGELES, CA – The City of Los Angeles has agreed to pay $20.8 million to fix issues at the Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant and to complete related environmental projects after discharging millions of gallons of wastewater into Santa Monica Bay in 2021, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California announced Tuesday.
Hyperion is the city’s oldest and largest wastewater treatment facility, serving more than 4 million people in Los Angeles and surrounding municipalities including Beverly Hills, Culver City, El Segundo, Santa Monica, San Fernando, and West Hollywood.
The facility treats an average of 260 million gallons of wastewater per day, 225 million gallons of which are discharged through its 5-Mile Outfall to the Santa Monica Bay and 35 million gallons of which are conveyed to a water recycling facility for advanced treatment and reuse.
In July 2021, debris inundated the Headworks, causing wastewater to flood the area, triggering Hyperion’s relief system and causing approximately 12.5 million gallons of untreated wastewater to be discharged through the Facility’s 1-Mile Outfall into the Santa Monica Bay.
Water testing after the discharge revealed excessive levels of coliform bacteria, E. coli, and Enterococcus.
The city has agreed to spend no less than $20 million to complete upgrades at Hyperion required under an Environmental Protection Agency order previously agreed to by the city.
The work includes improvements to Hyperion’s Distributed Control System, upgrading “antiquated” alarms and training operators on the updates, and constructing channel overflow improvements. The city will also hire a third-party auditor to conduct annual audits of Hyperion’s operations.
The city has also agreed to expand its water quality testing program, and add two additional water quality testing sites between Dockweiler Beach and King Harbor. It will also seek EPA accreditation for rapid bacterial testing in ocean waters.
“We in Southern California love our beaches and people in our community deserve clean waters free of contamination when they visit the beach,” U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said in a statement.
“This agreement requires the City to take concrete steps and commit substantial funds to improving the Hyperion facility and thereby prevent a disaster like this from reoccurring. Our office is committed to protecting our environment and we will continue to use our federal authority to ensure the safe use of our natural resources for future generations.”
Written by TMX staff, with additional reporting by Jack and Kitty Norton.
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