MILL VALLEY, CA – Following recent sewage discharges in Bay Area waters, Assemblyman Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) was joined by Friends of the Earth and San Francisco Baykeeper today to announce that he has introduced Assembly Bill 2986, The Clean Water Act of 2008, which will require the state to issue every sewage treatment plant in California a report card that shines a light on waste water collection systems that are polluting our waters.

“If the residents of Southern Marin County knew the high probability that their sanitary sewer systems would release untreated waste into the Bay, they would have demanded system repairs,” said Assemblyman Mark Leno (D-San Francisco). “AB 2986 will tell us how our sewers compare to others and will shine a bright light on failing systems. If we don’t address the problems in our sewage collection and treatment facilities, we will continue to see spills like the ones in January that polluted Richardson Bay with millions of gallons of untreated waste. We simply must do better,” he said.

Many of California’s sanitary sewer systems were built in the early part of the 20th Century and are in poor condition with failing pipes. According to Sejal Choksi, the Program Director for San Francisco Baykeeper, leaky sewer pipes often are the cause of wastewater discharge violations. “During every large storm, rainwater seeps into our crumbling sewer systems and can overwhelm the capacity of wastewater treatment plants. AB 2986 requires the installation of flow meters to determine the source of leaks in the systems with serious violations so that we can proactively put an end to sewage spills,” said Choksi.

The Leno bill would require the state to issue letter grades of A, B, C, D, or F for every sewer collection system and sewage treatment plant in California based on several factors, including the number of overflows for each 100 miles of sewer line, violations of permit conditions, and the frequency with which the treatment plant discharges sewage that has not received full treatment. Additionally, to identify problem sewers contributing to spills, the bill requires failing systems to install “flow meters” measuring peak wet weather flows.

“Letter grades for sewer systems will let voters and local leaders know how their systems are performing," said John Kaltenstein with Friends of the Earth. "It will also give them a sound basis for demanding upgrades when their systems are failing.”

AB 2986 was introduced today, is co-authored by Assemblyman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael), and will be heard in the Assembly Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee in April.