Environment: Oakland, EBMUD fined $360,000 over sewage in bay

The city of Oakland and East Bay Municipal Utility District must pay more than $360,000 for violating the Clean Water Act by allowing untreated sewage into the San Francisco Bay, officials said Tuesday.

In 2014, EBMUD and seven East Bay communities it serves, including Oakland and Berkeley, paid $1.5 million in civil penalties for past sewage discharges. The settlement also required the parties to assess and upgrade a total of 1,500 miles of sewer system infrastructure over a 21-year period.

But over nearly a threeyear period ending June 30, 2017, Oakland, EBMUD and the Stege Sanitary District — which is part of the larger public utility and serves El Cerrito, Kensington and part of Richmond — were found to have violated rules that bar sanitary sewer overflows from reaching waters, according to the Environmental Protection Agency and the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board. The cities of Alameda. Albany and Berkeley also were found in violation of the settlement.

“East Bay communities made commitments to upgrade aging sewer infrastructure to protect the waters of San Francisco Bay and surrounding communities,” said Alexis Strauss, an EPA regional administrator. “We’re taking this action to ensure diligent attention to renewal of wastewater infrastructure.”

In addition to sewer overflow violations, Oakland failed to repair acute defects within one year, officials said. The city faces a $226,500 penalty.

EBMUD also failed to meet effluent limitations for chlorine and coliform, officials said, and must pay $134,000 in fines.

The other parties face significantly lower penalties and had no additional violations. Stege Sanitary District received a $26,800 fine, while Alameda owes $1,200. Both Albany and Berkeley were assessed $400 for their violations.

Since the 2014 settlement, officials said, 720 miles of sewer pipe have been inspected and around $80 million has been spent to upgrade 100 miles of the system.