CA Department of Corrections accepts agreement over Clean Water Act violations in SLO County
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has agreed to an Administrative Order on Consent with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation over alleged violations of the Clean Water Act at the California Men's Colony in San Luis Obispo.
The EPA and the California Men's Colony agreed that the detention facility will take actions necessary to resolve the violations of the Clean Water Act through the negotiated out-of-court administrative order that requires analysis of the plant, work to address deficiencies, and repairs to water infrastructure to stop unauthorized discharges into Chorro Creek.
According to a press release from the EPA, investigators with the EPA and the California Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board conducted a series of inspections at the California Men's Colony's wastewater treatment plant between May of 2021 and April of 2022 and found improper maintenance of infrastructure at the wastewater treatment plant caused a series of potential violations of the Clean Water Act.
The California Men's Colony treatment plant is permitted to discharge treated wastewater through a Clean Water Act permit issued by the California Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board.
The wastewater plant transports and treats domestic wastewater from the California Men's Colony East and West facilities, Camp San Luis Obispo, Cuesta College, and San Luis Obispo County facilities which include El Chorro Regional Park, Dairy Creek Golf Course, Education Center, and County Operational Facility.
That service area is approximately 13,000 acres with an estimated 16,000 people served detail the EPA's press release.
According to the EPA's press release, some of the specific allegations brought by the EPA include: violations of permit effluent limits for total nitrogen, pH, copper, total coliform, and multiple toxic pollutants; plastics passing through the treatment process into Chorro Creek; over 6,000 gallons of sanitary sewer overflows reaching Chorro Creek; unauthorized discharges from the on-site drinking water treatment and distribution system in Chorro Creek.
Treated wastewater discharged into Chorro Creek flows into the Morro Bay Estuary and the Pacific Ocean.
“This order ensures that the California Men’s Colony treatment plant will take action to prevent further discharges of dangerous levels of pollution into Chorro Creek, which flows into the ocean,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman. “Compliance with the Clean Water Act permit – and all the pollutant limits enshrined in that permit – is essential to protecting public health and the environment, and with our state partners EPA will continue to provide vigilant oversight.”
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) issued the following statement when contacted for comment on this article:
The health and safety of all who live and work within our institutions and in our communities is our top priority. CDCR is taking action at the California Men’s Colony (CMC) to resolve issues identified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to comply with the Clean Water Act. As part of CDCR’s agreement with the EPA, CDCR will perform an assessment of all pipes at CMC and develop a program to replace pipe before the end of its useful life; submit operations and maintenance manuals to the EPA and Regional Water Quality Board; submit a report on the likely cause of plastics in the water discharged from CMC’s wastewater treatment plant; report all unauthorized discharges including overflows and monitoring of any plastics in discharged water; and address infrastructure work that needs to be completed including clarifier and culinary water reservoir repairs.
