Agencies agree to $175,000 of on-site sewer connections in disadvantaged neighborhoods
Mission Springs Water District announced the settlement of the enforcement action taken by the Colorado River Basin Regional Water Board that will direct $175,000 to a Supplemental Environmental Project that enhances MSWD’s groundwater protection efforts.
“The Regional Board is allowing MSWD to use 100% of the funds towards a Supplemental Environmental Project that will connect homes currently on septic to the wastewater system,” said MSWD General Manager Arden Wallum. “It’s not a matter of if, but when these septic systems will fail. Moving these homes to the wastewater system provides numerous benefits and protects our groundwater for generations to come.”
MSWD and the Regional Water Board have engaged in settlement negotiations and have agreed to the imposition of a total Administrative Civil Liability of $175,000 against the District. These funds will be used to connect and abate single-family and multi-family homes within the MSWD service area, where sanitary sewer service is available but not connected. The District anticipates abating between 21-68 private septic systems, with priority being given to those located closest to MSWD well sites.
“Serving a disadvantaged community comes with a unique set of challenges. Some residents simply do not have the means to connect to the sewer system,” added Wallum. “Protecting groundwater resources is a shared goal for both the District and the Regional Board. Using funds for projects such as this not only helps our residents and the District, but the entire Coachella Valley watershed.”
The Regional Board issued a Notice of Violation to MSWD for releasing treated secondary effluent at the Alan L. Horton Wastewater Treatment Facility on October 3, 2020. Since then, the District has worked with Regional Board staff to make structural and process improvements at the facility and has also broken ground on a new state-of-the-art wastewater treatment plant north of Interstate 10 in Desert Hot Springs. The new grant-funded Regional Water Reclamation Facility will provide additional capacity to the MSWD system and allow even more homes to move from septic and connect to the District’s wastewater system.
The Supplemental Environmental Project is being undertaken as part of a settlement to a Regional Water Board enforcement action against the District. The settlement agreement is pending final approval by the Regional Water Board.