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News Public meeting to discuss upgrade of border treatment plant
USIBWC announces a public meeting of the USIBWC Citizens' Forum
by Serge Dedina
25/06/2008:// The USIBWC in May announced its decision to upgrade the existing South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant (SBIWTP) to meet secondary treatment standards. The new facility will be constructed on land adjacent to the existing advanced primary treatment plant at the U.S.-Mexico border near the Tijuana River. Steve Smullen, USIBWC Project Manager in San Diego, will discuss the decision and the next steps to construct the project. The upgrade will bring the existing SBIWTP into compliance with all applicable water quality standards.
Currently, the SBIWTP treats 25 million gallons per day of sewage from Tijuana to advanced primary standards before discharging the treated wastewater 3.5 miles offshore through an ocean outfall.
The USIBWC has also been studying the means to improve the effectiveness of wastewater treatment at the existing plant by modifying the use of chemicals with the goal of improving the removal of Total Suspended Solids (TSS). An initial study valuated 15 different alternatives that ranged from major capital improvements to changes in plant operations. One of the recommendations that was effective at a small scale involved the use of ferric chloride. In 2007, the USIBWC contracted with CDM to evaluate the effectiveness of increasing the chemical dose of ferric chloride for a one-year period at full scale. CDM will give a report on its findings.
There will also be an update on water quality monitoring that has been undertaken to help determine the source of bacteria and the conditions that may lead to high bacterial concentrations affecting South Bay beaches. USIBWC contractor CH2M HILL, along with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the University of Southern California, have been conducting various surveys to determine the oceanographic conditions that exist and their relationship to the transport of bacteria from various sources such as land-based runoff and the SBIWTP ocean outfall.
The USIBWC will also give an update on the status of its Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the Tijuana River Flood Control Project. A study was recently undertaken to consider various alternatives for managing the project, taking into consideration ecosystem needs as well as operation and maintenance of the flood control channel.
A complete agenda is attached. The event is free and the public is encouraged to attend. Members of the public who would like more information about the meeting may call 619-662-7600 or e-mail sallyspener@ibwc.gov.
For more information:
Sally Spener 915-832-4175 sallyspener@ibwc.gov
USIBWC CITIZENS' FORUM Thursday, June 26, 2008 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Imperial Beach Community Room 825 Imperial Beach Boulevard Imperial Beach, CA 91932
Agenda
Welcome and Introductions - Mayda Winter, Citizens' Forum Co-Chair
Supplemental Coastal Observations and Monitoring in South Bay, San Diego - Lisa Hazard, Scripps Institution of Oceanography; Kyle Winslow, CH2MHILL; Burton Jones, University of Southern California
South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant Operational Approaches: Project Report Update for Full Scale Testing of TSS Removal Improvements - Milind Wable and Roshan Cholas, CDM
Record of Decision for Secondary Treatment for the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant - Steve Smullen, San Diego Project Manager, USIBWC
Update on Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the Tijuana River Flood Control Project - USIBWC Staff
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