Environment Committee Meeting - November 19, 2020: Residuals Agreement, Sea Level Rise, and De Anza Cove Update
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Environment Committee Meeting – November 19, 2020
The Environment Committee of the San Diego City Council met remotely on November 19, 2020, to consider a consent agenda, a residuals management agreement, an informational presentation on sea level rise, and an annual update on the De Anza Cove and Camp Land properties. Committee members present were Chair Campbell, Councilmember Brie, and Vice Chair Moreno; Councilmember Sherman was absent. All items were approved or received as informational.
Consent Calendar
- Item 1: First amendment for Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant digester cleaning. Item 2: Authorization to contract with JCI Jones Chemicals for sodium hypochlorite. Item 3: Memorandum of understanding regarding San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board Investigative Order R9-9-2019-0014 for the San Diego River. All three items were approved unanimously by voice vote.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Consent Agenda: Dave Mack (Friends of Camp Land) called about Item 6 (De Anza Cove) but was directed to call back later. Martha Wells expressed concerns about the city's dump, recycling, and hiring practices.
- Item 4 (Residuals Management Agreement): Martha Wells questioned the project's location and financing. Matt O'Malley (San Diego Coastkeeper) thanked staff for the presentation and supported the agreement, but urged against downscaling the Pure Water project.
- Item 5 (Sea Level Rise): Malika Marston (Climate Action Campaign) recommended aligning adaptation measures with climate science, providing clear costs, addressing stormwater, centering equity, and avoiding piecemeal implementation. Kristen Victor (resident and business owner) urged the city to prioritize sea level rise in all planning. Martha Wells commented on the bluff erosion near the coaster tracks.
- Item 6 (De Anza Cove Update): Ashley Johnson (Camp Land management) reported progress on improvements despite COVID-19. Kristen Victor called for listening to indigenous voices and restoring the land. Dave Mack (Friends of Camp Land) emphasized the importance of RV camping for affordable vacations. Andrew Meyer (San Diego Audubon Society) supported wetland restoration and noted the potential of an expanded marsh for carbon sequestration. Karen Zerk (Friends of Rose Creek) highlighted sea level rise risks to the Mid Coast Trolley transit priority zone. Barry Homer supported cleanup and reopening of campsites. Other callers echoed support for the coastal permit process.
- Non-Agenda Public Comment: Carol Archibald and Ellen Shively (Sierra Club Seal Society) requested a specific distance for people from sea lions at Point La Jolla and a beach closure during pupping season, citing 449 harassment incidents in two months. Martha Wells again criticized the city's environmental practices.
Discussion Items
- Item 4: Residuals Management Agreement (East County JPA) – John Stuppeldean (Assistant Director, Public Utilities) presented a 10-minute overview of the agreement, which allows brine and centrate from East County’s Pure Water facility to bypass San Diego’s North City plant and flow directly to Point Loma. The plan creates a regional brine network, similar to Orange County, and could enable up to 94 million gallons per day of recycled water. The agreement imposes no financial obligations and requires future CEQA review. Committee members expressed support. Councilmember Brie moved to approve, seconded by Vice Chair Moreno. The motion passed unanimously.
- Item 5: Sea Level Rise Presentation – Dr. Mark Merrifield (Director, Center for Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation, Scripps Institution of Oceanography) presented on sea level rise projections for San Diego, noting about one foot of rise since 1900, with expectations of 2–4 feet by 2100 under business-as-usual. He discussed high-tide flooding days (projected to reach 80 per year by 2050), groundwater inundation, bluff erosion, and beach changes. He highlighted the Resilient Futures Initiative in Imperial Beach, a flood forecast system, and tools for beach management. Chair Campbell asked for a future presentation on mitigation strategies. Councilmember Brie noted the value of Scripps’ work and the need to consider sea level rise in development decisions. Vice Chair Moreno requested a report from city engineers and the sustainability department early next year on steps the city is taking to prepare key infrastructure (convention center, airport, railroad, naval base) for sea level rise and king tides. He also advocated for a climate equity fund.
- Item 6: De Anza Cove and Camp Land Annual Update – Cassandra Perry (Real Estate Assets) reported that the lessee (Pierre Vista Management) has made operational improvements worth $8.2 million, including parking lot repairs, landscaping, and restroom renovations. Asbestos and lead testing on 167 mobile homes was completed in April 2020. A coastal development permit application was submitted and deemed complete in August 2020; staff anticipates a Coastal Commission staff report by February 2021. The timeline for mobile home removal depends on permits. The city also received settlement funds from the Regional Water Quality Board to support the De Anza Cove amendment planning effort, which will include an expanded restoration alternative. Committee members asked about financial data, contamination, and sea level rise impacts. Alyssa Muto (Planning Department) noted that the climate resiliency planning effort will address sea level rise for the De Anza and Mission Bay plans. Vice Chair Moreno emphasized the importance of the “wildest” restoration alternative to preserve wetlands in the face of rising seas.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Calendar: Approved unanimously.
- Item 4 (Residuals Management Agreement): Approved unanimously (motion by Brie, second by Moreno). The agreement will also go to the East County JPA for approval and then to the City Council for two readings.
- Item 5 (Sea Level Rise): Informational; no vote required. Vice Chair Moreno requested that the city’s engineering, capital projects, and sustainability departments return to the committee early in 2021 with a report on steps to prepare key infrastructure for sea level rise and king tides.
- Item 6 (De Anza Cove Update): Informational; no vote required. The committee acknowledged progress and noted that the Coastal Commission process is the next major step. The city’s planning effort for the De Anza Cove special study area will continue, with an expanded restoration alternative.
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon. I want to welcome you to the November 19, 2020 Environment Committee meeting. Per executive order 29-20, which suspends certain requirements of the Brown Act. All council members and city staff will be participating via Zoom, and no members of the public will be in attendance at the meeting in the interest of public health and safety. In addition, this meeting is being televised and live streamed on the city's website. And the committee liaison has made arrangements for the public to comment by phone and electronically. We appreciate the public's cooperation. I will now call the environment committee meeting of Thursday, November 19, 2020 to order. For purposes of the roll call, those on Zoom include committee member Brie and Vice Chair Moreno. Absent today is Committee Member Sherman. Each council member will be watching the meeting from their remote location via City TV, and they are live on our conference line over the committee room. They will participate in this meeting remotely. Also participating on Zoom are Conrad Weir of the Mayor's Office, Leslie Fitzgerald of the City Attorney's Office, and Angela Colton of the IBA office. The public may call in following the instructions posted on the agenda by calling 619-541-6310 and entering conference ID 877-861 pound to be placed in the queue for public comment. You should do this when the item you wish to speak to is introduced. Please do not call in during prior to that time. When the phone queue is empty, the public comment period will be closed. When you are in the queue, you will be able to hear the meeting and all others that are providing comment. You will know that it is your turn to speak when you hear the system prompt saying your phone has been unmuted. When you hear the prompt, immediately state your name and make your comment. Each speaker will have one minute. Also, please mute the volume on your TV or computer before you begin to speak. This is not a question and answer period. This is a time to provide public testimony to the committee members. Once you are finished making your comments in the allotted time, please hang up or your call will be ended. If you call in during a non-comment period, your call will not be taken. Please monitor the meeting and ensure you're calling at the appropriate time. The public may view the meeting on public television on City TV channel 24 for Cox Communication and Spectrum or Channel 99 for ATT or view the meeting online by going to the City Council Committee's homepage at Sandiego.gov and selecting the City TV Live Webcast blue button on the right-hand side of the page. We appreciate your patience and participation as we aim to provide the best possible access during this time. Do I have a motion to approve the actions? Um I'll make a motion. This is Councilmember Brie. Thank you. Thank you. And I'll second that motion. And uh we have a motion by Councilmember Brie and a second by a count uh by committee chair Campbell. Uh and we will now take a vote. Each council member will register their vote. And uh please mute your phone once you have a uh Vice Chair Moreno. Yes. Uh and committee member Bree. Yes. And I'm also a yes. And so that passes unanimously. Is there any mayor, council member or city attorney or independent budget analyst comment? I hear none. Are there any requests for continuance? I hear no requests. So we will now take up the consent agenda. The public comment period for the consent agenda is now open.
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