RICHMOND — Richmond agreed to pay a $336,000 fine after it was found to have released poorly treated sewage water into the San Francisco Bay for more than a year. Half of that money will go toward environmental education for children.
Between July 31, 2022, and Dec. 31, 2023, inadequately treated wastewater was released 112 times from the Richmond Municipal Sewer District Water Pollution Control Plant at 601 Canal Blvd., the San Francisco Bay Regional Water District announced Friday. Each violation cost the city $3,000, according to a settlement agreement between the city and water district.
Richmond’s water pollution control plant is responsible for reducing the amount of harmful chemicals and pollutants flushed down toilets and dumped in the drains of Richmond homes, businesses and industrial operations before flowing into the San Francisco Bay.
Agencies with permits to discharge treated water into the San Francisco Bay are expected to meet certain standards for how much pollutants can be in the treated water, explained San Francisco Baykeeper Executive Director Sejal Choksi-Chugh.
The Richmond plant exceeded permitted standards by 4% to more than 300% over the 17-month period, according to a detailed list of violations included in the settlement. Among those pollutants were heightened levels of ammonia, coliform bacteria, and copper.
“Any exceedance can have an impact, especially when you think of how many exceedances happen from any number of facilities in a given year,” Choksi-Chugh said. “Think of it as death by 1,000 cuts. You don’t really want to have multiple exceedances no matter if they’re 5-19% or 120% over.”
Half of the fine Richmond will pay is expected to be paid to the State Water Resources Control Board’s Water Pollution Cleanup and Abatement Account, which funds grants for environmental cleanup projects in areas where no other agency or responsible party can do the work.
The other $168,000 will fund trash cleanup projects at underserved Richmond schools to raise awareness around watershed health and human behaviors that contribute to pollution. Those lessons will be led by KIDS for the BAY, a Berkeley nonprofit providing youth environmental education programming.
The fines are to encourage agencies to improve their practices, preventing future polluting events, Choksi-Chugh said. Better monitoring of agencies permitted to discharge into the San Francisco Bay and more regular interventions by the Water District and federal Environmental Protection Agency are needed, she said.
“We’re worried this kind of enforcement does not happen as often as it needs to,” Choksi-Chugh said.
East Bay Municipal Utility District, which oversees the plant at Point Isabel in Richmond, agreed to pay $816,000 in a settlement with the water district after 16.5 million gallons of partially treated sewage spilled into the San Francisco Bay during a historical storm in October 2022.
A $1.5 million settlement agreement was also entered into between the EPA and East Bay MUD, Oakland, Piedmont, Berkeley, Alameda, Albany and the Stege Sanitary District, which serves El Cerrito, Kensington, and a portion of Richmond, stemming from a 2009 lawsuit. They were charged an additional $372,876 in penalties in 2024 for violating the agreement after various infractions from July 2021 to June 2023, the EPA announced.
San Francisco Baykeeper has been working with Richmond for nearly two decades to improve its sewage system after the nonprofit and co-plaintiff West County Toxics Coalition sued the city for failing to upgrade its sewage pipes, allowing pollutants like human waste, bacteria, chemicals and other harmful materials to spill into waterways, yards and streets.
The project is complicated given the hundreds of miles of pipeline the city is responsible for, Choksi-Chugh recognized, calling Richmond a cooperative partner. Learning of their recent violations was disappointing, she added.
“We don’t want waste water agencies discharging pollution into the Bay at any level. It’s not a great situation and I’m glad to see they’re working to try to fix their problems,” Choksi-Chugh said.
Water Resource Division Manager Mary Phelps, Senior Environmental Compliance Inspector Bradley Harms, Chief Assistant City Attorney Shannon Moore and Senior Assistant City Attorney Kimberly Chin did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The public has until 5 p.m. July 7 to provide comment on the settlement agreement. The Water District will respond directly to comments, after which the agreement will be final and binding.