Environmental Press # 151

Subj: OOG: Urgent: Special Steering Committee Meeting Thursday, Nov. 7, 3 PM
Date: Thu, 7 Nov 2002 12:42:26 AM Eastern Standard Time
From: Jon V3
To: Jon V3

Dear Ocean Outfall Group (OOG), dedicated to ending the 301(h) waiver held by the Orange County Sanitation District (OCSD):

I learned at the OCSD OMTS meeting tonight that a special meeting of the OCSD Steering Committee will be held tomorrow, Thursday, Nov. 7, 3 PM, at the usual place, 10844 Ellis, Fountain Valley. The Agenda is not on the web, but apparently the Washinton lobbyist for OCSD is flying in to brief the Board on federal legislation. If you can make it at 3 PM tomorrow, please do so.

I also learned that the proposed NPDES Permit application for the ocean discharge permit was given to the Board members at the last full Board meeting in October, with instructions to make suggestions by the end of this week, in preparation for a vote at the next Board meeting, which will be held November 20. Please calendar that date, which is the third Wednesday in November, not the fourth. We will all want to attend that meeting in force. While I continue to get assurances at these meetings from General Manager Blake Anderson that the Board is committed to its July 17 decision, there are still rumblings that some Board members want to revisit that decision. While I believe Blake is sincere and correct in his evaluation of the spiritual alignment of the

 

  

various elements surrounding the decision to go to a higher level of treatment, I also found that the NPDES Permit application on November 20 has all the Appendices necessary to be filed with a waiver application. The staff tells me these volumes were included since they already had been done, and so why not include them with the secondary application, making the application more complete than usually required with an application that does not include the 301(h) waiver. I'm also told that any re-vote on the waiver would have to be agendized and noticed, not likely to happen before November 20, but theoretically possible with a 72 hour notice. That can happen very quickly, as we see with the current Special Steering Committee meeting tomorrow, without the agenda even being posted on the website, except for the date.

So I may be paranoid, but as one pundit put it: "There is no doubt in my mind that OCSD is wanting to kick over the traces", meaning wanting to find a way to go back to the waiver. Thus, we should be prepared for at least 1 more meeting: the Nov. 20 Board meeting. If on November 20 the Board approves the NPDES Permit application going to full secondary, there should be a great round of applause and joy all around. On the other hand, if a Board member such as Norm Eckenrode from Placentia wants to lead a charge to restore the waiver, there should be much wringing of hands and gnashing of teeth, with appropriate immediate gut reaction.

I am also encouraging you to attend the PDC (Planning,Design, Construction) meeting tomorrow evening from 5 to 7 PM, usual place. If you want, you can simply plan to be there all afternoon, from 3 PM to 7 PM, first attending the special Steering Committee meeting at 3 PM, then the PDC meeting at 5 PM. Included in the Agenda for this meeting are a status report of the SARI line, an emissions reduction status assessment, a trickling filter rehabilitation report, and a Final Interim Strategic Plan update dated September 2002. This strategic plan update is very important, as it outlines how OCSD will be complying with the move towards full secondary standards. The PDF file for this agenda is over 7 MB, so I am not attaching it, but you can access it at OCSD.com, click on Board of Directors, click on Committees, PDC meeting, November 7 meeting.

And you thought that this matter was over with.

Jan Vandersloot (949) 548-6326

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