SENDING TREATED SEWER WATER TO L.A. RIVER OK'D; DISTRICT GETS TEMPORARY REPRIEVE.Byline: Lisa Mascaro Staff Writer The Las Virgenes Municipal Water District won approval Thursday to send treated sewer SEWER. Properly a trench artificially made for the purpose of carrying water into the sea, river, or some other place of reception. Public sewers are, in general, made at the public expense. Crabb, R. P. Sec. 113. water to the Los Angeles River The Los Angeles River is an intermittent river flowing through Los Angeles County, California, from Canoga Park in the west end of the San Fernando Valley, 51 miles (82 km) southeast to its mouth in Long Beach. , a temporary reprieve reprieve (rĭprēv`): in law, see pardon. for the agency, which faced the threat of hefty heft·y adj. heft·i·er, heft·i·est 1. Of considerable weight; heavy. 2. Rugged and powerful. See Synonyms at heavy. 3. fines for illegal effluent effluent waste from an abattoir carried away in liquid form. Disposal is a major problem because of the need to avoid pollution of waterways. See aerobic effluent treatment, anaerobic effluent treatment. dumping. The Regional Water Quality Control Board granted a one-year permit over the objections of environmentalists who have fought against the discharges they worry could hurt the troubled city river. ``We're really pleased to have this approval,'' said district spokeswoman Arelene Post. ``It's not exactly what we would want, but we're pleased.'' The permit allows Las Virgenes to discharge into the Los Angeles River for one year on the condition that the river is used as a last resort - after other avenues for dumping excess wastewater have been exhausted. The permit allows up to 2 million gallons of treated wastewater a day, and no more than 30 million gallons a month, Post said. Securing the permit has been a long battle for the water district, which last year faced $187,000 in fines for dumping wastewater into Malibu Creek Malibu Creek is a year-round stream in western Los Angeles County, California. It drains the southern Simi Hills and the westernmost San Fernando Valley, flows south through the Santa Monica Mountains, and enters Santa Monica Bay at Malibu Lagoon, in Malibu. . From May through October, there is a ban on discharging to the creek that feeds to Malibu Lagoon lagoon Area of relatively shallow, quiet water with access to the sea but separated from it by sandbars, barrier islands, or coral reefs. Coastal lagoons have low to moderate tides and constitute about 13% of the world's coastline. as water officials work to restore the area. Even though the fines were eventually reduced to $38,000 on appeal, the district has been scrambling See scramble. to find alternatives to discharging to the creek and avoid the penalties. The district has devised a range of plans, from watering its own grounds to finding new customers willing to buy its water. Under the plan, the district is to continue pursuing those alternatives but will be allowed to discharge into the river when it has excess water. Treated water is not suitable for drinking but can be used for swimming and is commonly used for irrigating playgrounds, golf courses and parks. Environmental groups including Friends of the Los Angeles River had been concerned about discharging the water into the river. The group had supported finding other uses for the water, such as in Ventura County's agricultural industry. A spokeswoman for the group did not return a phone call for comment. ``We would rather it were broader, but by having the approval for the 005 discharge (permit), it gives us a very good hope of keeping out of Malibu Creek and complying with the Tapia discharge permit,'' Post said. ``Without 005, there is no doubt . . . we would have discharged to Malibu Creek. ``Those fines ultimately get passed on to our ratepayers.'' |
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