Ocean Pollution Reduction Act II

This bill lets the EPA issue a special permit so San Diego’s Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant can keep sending treated water through its deep ocean pipe, as long as it follows strict rules to protect the ocean and public health. The rules include strong limits on what can be released, regular ocean monitoring, and a push to expand purified recycled water for drinking by 2039 .

Key safeguards include keeping the outfall at least 300 feet deep and 4 miles from shore; capping total suspended solids (TSS) at 60 mg/L (monthly average); and meeting tough removal targets (at least 80% of TSS each month and 58% of oxygen‑demanding material each year). The total amount of solids sent to the ocean must drop over time: no more than 12,000 metric tons per year now, 11,500 by the end of 2029, and 9,942 by the end of 2031. The plant must also follow other Clean Water Act rules, run strong pretreatment for industrial waste, and provide 10 straight years of ocean monitoring data with each permit application. By the end of 2039, if regulators allow, San Diego must show it can produce at least 83 million gallons per day of water clean enough for drinking from its wastewater recycling efforts. The EPA will set milestones to make sure this progress stays on track, and the city can always choose to meet full secondary treatment standards instead. These steps aim to protect local beaches and marine life while growing a reliable, drought‑resistant water supply for the region .

• Who is affected: City of San Diego, local beachgoers, and marine life near the Point Loma outfall.
• What changes: Tighter ocean discharge limits, ongoing monitoring, strong pretreatment, and a major expansion of purified recycled water by 2039 .
• When: Limits apply upon enactment, with tighter caps in 2029 and 2031, and the recycled water goal due by December 31, 2039 .