News of the Arroyo
Title: | River cleanup deal reached |
Subtitle: | |
Date: | 2003-09-03 |
Summary: | September 3, 2003 - Los Angeles reaches a settlement with water quality officials about the long-term cleanup of trash in the Los Angeles River. |
Author: | Kerry Cavanaugh, Staff Writer |
Publication: | Pasadena Star News |
Content: | The cost of removing trash from the Los Angeles River and its tributaries will reach $120 million over the next decade under a settlement announced Wednesday by city, county and water quality officials. As early as next year, the city will have to step up street sweeping, trash pick-up, public education and enforcement of trash dumping rules all with the hope of keeping all garbage out of the river and out of the Santa Monica Bay by 2015. \"From plastic bags in trees to floating Styrofoam cups, trash is a very visible problem for the L.A. River, and a problem for our beaches and oceans, so it\'s about time we started cleaning up,\' said Councilman Ed Reyes, who chairs the council\'s ad hoc River Committee. Bureau of Sanitation Chief Judith Wilson said she will ask the council next month for $3 million to $5 million to target five of the messiest areas of the city, where piles of trash on the street flow through the gutters into the storm drain system and into the L.A. River. That seed money will have to come from the city\'s general fund, Wilson said, despite a projected $47 million shortfall in the city budget and across- the-board spending cuts. And city officials are still debating how to pay for the remaining $115 million mandated by the settlement. \"The real question we have to ask ourselves today as Angelenos, (is) will we commit in action and financially to clean up our waterways?\' Councilman Eric Garcetti said during a news conference along the river\'s edge. Earlier this year, sanitation officials considered asking voters to approve a $250 million bond to fund programs to keep trash and other pollutants out of the river and bay, but the proposal didn\'t make it past City Council and the mayor\'s office. Officials also looked at bumping the $23- a-year storm water pollution abatement charge on property tax bills, but that would require voter approval. With the settlement, the city and county of Los Angeles broke ranks with 22 smaller cities who sued the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board over trash rules it adopted in September 2001. The regulation sets a 2015 deadline for municipalities to cut all trash flow into the river. In the meantime, cities must cut garbage by 10 percent each year. The county figures the rule could cost local governments $642 million over the next decade and opponents argue they can\'t afford to spend that on trash clean-up, especially now that the state is siphoning off local revenues to cover its deficit. Those cities have an Oct. 27 trial date. The city\'s lawsuit focused on liability, rather than cost, Wilson said. The city didn\'t want to invest millions into trash clean- up programs and still face enforcement or citizen lawsuits if officials found a gum wrapper in the river after 2015. The settlement says the city will satisfy the trash rule if it sticks to an aggressive plan to keep garbage out of the river. The agreement also directs the water board to revisit the rule after five years to measure its success. The City Council unanimously approved the settlement. The Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 to approve it, with Supervisors Michael Antonovich and Don Knabe voting no. -- Kerry Cavanaugh can be reached at (818) 713-3746 or by e-mail at kerry.cavanaugh@dailynews.com |
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