Two major sewage spills within one week

Photo by Luke Thomas

By James Lanaras

February 6, 2008

More than 2 million gallons of partially treated sewage were released from a Mill Valley treatment plant into Richardson Bay on Jan. 25, six days before the same plant's 2.7- million-gallon release Thursday evening, the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Board revealed late yesterday afternoon.

The Sewerage Agency of Southern Marin's 2.45-million-gallon spill occurred on Jan. 25 at approximately 7:30 p.m., the water board said in a news release. The previous release was disclosed yesterday in correspondence from the Sewerage Agency of Southern Marin to the Regional Water Board.

The Sewerage Agency of Southern Marin used an incorrect date in reporting the earlier spill to the Regional Water Board staff and it appeared the spill was fully dispersed by the time the staff became aware of the spill, the Regional Water Board said.

The Sewerage Agency of Southern Marin reported the 2.45-million-gallon spill to the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Board by e-mail at 11:37 a.m. Jan. 26, but incorrectly gave the date of the spill as Jan. 15 and did not provide an estimate of the volume spilled, according to the Regional Water Board.

A Regional Water Board staff member received the Jan. 26 e-mail on Monday, Jan. 28, and believes the spill is "historic, not contemporary and does not follow up," the Regional Water Board said.

On Wednesday, Jan. 30, the Regional Water Board received notification by conventional mail from the Sewerage Agency of Southern Marin that contained the correct date of the spill but the Regional Water Board staff member did not detect the error in the date.

The second sewage spill of 2.7 million gallons occurred between 5:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. from the Sewerage Agency of Southern Marin's Mill Valley treatment plant into Richardson Bay via Arroyo Corte Madera del Presidio.

A San Francisco Bay Regional Water Board staff member today detected the error in the initial report of the Jan. 25 spill and notified superiors, the Regional Water Board said.

"The Regional Water Board is investigating all aspects of its failure in this incident. It will also continue with investigation and enforcement action against the Sewerage Agency," the Regional Water Board said in its statement.

Regional Water Board Executive Officer Bruce Wolfe said, "This revelation that there was a second significant spill in Marin during the course of one week is alarming. We will, of course, investigate the Sewerage Agency's failures, and at the same time we will ask for an independent review."

The Regional Water Board is also investigating the staff member's action, the Regional Water Board said.

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