SAN DIEGO, CA, JULY 20, 2016 – The San Diego Water Board Prosecution Team alleges that the City failed to implement the construction oversight requirements, allowing water from private construction sites to pollute waterways like the Los Peñasquitos Lagoon. On July 18, 2016 the Assistant Executive Officer issued an ACL Complaint in the amount of $4,614,868 for alleged violations of San Diego Water Board Order No. R9-2007-0001.
The San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board alleges that city officials failed to conduct proper site inspections and enforce the city’s water quality ordinances at multiple sites, between October 2010 and May 2015, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Erosion from construction sites can send sediment downstream to creeks and lagoons, where it can enter the water supply. In a six-page complaint issued by the Board, violations were partially blamed on poorly trained city inspectors, who failed to uphold regulations that have been in place for 20-plus years.
The maximum fine for the violations is $22.7 million. The Union-Tribune reported that the $4.6 million proposed was the city’s "minimum liability."
