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Regional water board backs council motion for faster sewage-spill notification; council moves to include Los Angeles River
Summary
A representative of the California Regional Water Quality Control Board urged the City Council to create a task force to speed public notification of sewage spills after a Nov. 3 unreported spill; the council amended the motion to include spills affecting the Los Angeles River and Tujunga Wash and asked the regional board to participate.
A representative of the California Regional Water Quality Control Board told the Los Angeles City Council on Nov. 13 that the regional board supports a council motion to form a task force to improve public notification of sewage spills and beach closures.
Samuel Unger, a senior water-quality-control engineer with the regional board, told the council the existing notification program "is inadequate as evidenced by the events of 11/03/2001," referring to a Nov. 3 spill that he said involved about 1,300,000 gallons and was not reported to the public for more than a day and a half. Unger asked the council to invite the regional board to participate in the task force.
Councilmember Tom LaBonge moved that the motion be amended to include spills affecting the Los Angeles River and the Tujunga Wash; Councilmember Reyes seconded the amendment. Council members discussed the river’s renewed recreational and restoration projects and said including those water bodies would protect public health and recreational investments.
Why it matters: Council members and the regional board said faster notification protects public health, helps regulatory coordination and preserves beaches and river-adjacent recreation areas. The regional board noted it issues permits and has expertise the task force could use.
What the council did: The amendment to include the Los Angeles River and Tujunga Wash was seconded and placed before the council during the item. The council directed staff to include the suggested scope change and to consider regional board participation in the task force formation.
