Oxnard wastewater plant notified state after primary-only discharge; city says permit not violated

City public works officials told the Oxnard City Council on March 4 that a recent operational error at the wastewater treatment plant resulted in partially treated effluent bypassing secondary treatment before ocean discharge but did not violate the plant’s discharge permit, and the state was notified.

Public Works Director Michael Wolf explained that a partially closed gate allowed wastewater to pass through primary treatment but bypass secondary treatment; the mixed effluent was discharged to the ocean but staff said the plant did not exceed its permitted limits. "We had to make notification to the state agencies," he said, adding staff identified and corrected the closed gate, added signage and retrained personnel to prevent recurrence.

Why it matters: The city operates under a state permit that controls offshore discharge of treated wastewater. City staff said the incident did not violate the permit and no fines were issued. Council members asked that the public be informed and recommended a fuller report at a future Public Works committee meeting.

What happened: Public Works described the sequence as an equipment/operations problem in which an internal gate did not open, allowing primary-treated wastewater to mix with properly treated flow before discharge. Staff said they discovered and fixed the gate, notified state regulators and documented corrective steps including signage and staff guidance.

Follow-up: Council asked for a brief public summary and for staff to consider a short report to the Public Works and Transportation Committee with more details. The city manager said staff had already circulated information to council and would post facts on the city website.

Public reassurance: The director said the plant has a state permit to discharge treated effluent offshore and staff took immediate corrective and reporting steps; he said there was no permit violation and the city was not fined.