WHITTIER, CA, Feb. 16, 2012 -- The Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County have released a draft Master Facilities Plan (MFP) and an associated draft Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/EIS) as part of a comprehensive planning effort called the Clearwater Program.

The draft MFP evaluates the infrastructure needs of the Districts' Joint Outfall System (JOS) through the year 2050 and makes recommendations on how to ensure the continuation of the JOS as a reliable and cost-effective wastewater management system that is protective of public health and the environment. The JOS is a regional wastewater management system serving nearly 5 million people in 73 cities and unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County and includes seven of the Districts' eleven wastewater treatment plants.

"We felt that, in order to develop a plan that meets the future needs of the communities and businesses served by the JOS, it was important to involve the public from the onset. The Sanitation Districts conducted over 500 public outreach meetings since 2006 and used the input to develop the draft plan," said Grace Robinson Chan, Sanitation Districts' Chief Engineer and General Manager.

The recommended project in the draft MFP includes the construction of a new 18-foot-diameter, 7-mile-long tunnel to convey treated wastewater from the Joint Water Pollution Control Plant in Carson to the Pacific Ocean off the Palos Verdes Peninsula. The new tunnel would tie into the existing ocean outfalls, through which the treated wastewater is discharged approximately two miles off shore, at Royal Palms Beach. The project would allow for inspection and any necessary repairs of two existing tunnels that flow full every day and have not been inspected for over 50 years. This would ensure the continued reliability and safe operation of the JOS.

The draft MFP and draft EIR/EIS are available for review online at www.ClearwaterProgram.org.

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