San Diego Coastkeeper
Sues Water Authority
By
City News Service, .April 28, 2014
San
Diego Coastkeeper is suing the San Diego County Water Authority,
alleging its recently approved water supply plan failed to
account for existing and future environmental impacts.
The
suit alleges the water agency violated the California Environmental
Quality Act because it did not address the environmental impacts
or account for the energy used to move and treat the water
it supplied.
"We
care about our water supply's energy use because it produces
greenhouse gas emissions, a primary driver of global climate
change," Matt O'Malley of Coastkeeper said. "Water
supply decisions based on this plan could jeopardize the health
and economic viability of San Diego County by contributing
to climate change impacts like sea level rise."
The
Water Authority did not immediately respond to a request for
comment on the lawsuit, which was filed in Superior Court
on Friday.
The
Regional Water Facilities Optimization and Master Plan Update,
adopted last month, was designed to serve as a roadmap for
future capital projects and responding to climate change as
it relates to agency activities through 2035.
According
to water authority officials, investments in new energy generation
will allow the San Diego CWA to meet 2020 state targets for
reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 15 percent.
The
plan included an environmental analysis and a climate action
plan.
Coastkeeper
officials said they had called on the Water Authority repeatedly
to prioritize conservation and recycling, and to implement
a greenhouse gas reduction plan. They allege the Water Authority
declined to incorporate their suggestions into the plan.
"What
we're challenging is the inadequacy of those plans also more
importantly, the inadequacy of the environmental review that
they did associated with those plans," Everett DeLano
said, an attorney representing San Diego Coastkeeper.
KPBS
environment and business reporter Erik Anderson contributed
to this report.
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