LAKE COUNTY — Supervisor Rob Brown asked his fellow Lake County Board of Supervisors in a letter Wednesday to consider a moratorium on new connections to the Clearlake-area sewage system, which could halt the Lowe”s development.
The Southeast Regional Wastewater Collection System has been overcapacity, causing sewage spills heavily diluted by rainwater in the Highland Harbor area for years. The system collects and treats sewage from Pirates Cove north of Clearlake to Lower Lake.
“In order to avoid any environmental disaster, I think this is what we need to do,” Brown said.
Brown thinks a moratorium could stop Lowe”s from developing on the Clearlake airport property and tying into the system that”s already “overtaxed,” he said. He will bring the moratorium before the board Tuesday during its meeting.
Supervisor Jeff Smith, who represents the Clearlake district, said he doesn”t think a moratorium would stop the city from allowing Lowe”s to construct in the future.
The board discussed negotiations with Clearlake Tuesday at its meeting to construct a $5 million bypass sewage line to increase capacity and prevent spills.
Clearlake administrator Dale Neiman said it would make sense to fix the sewer system along with water, drainage and roads for the possible development of Lowe”s.
At the meeting, Neiman said the city and county could address the problem in a number of ways, including a moratorium on new connections.
“Now that this has been brought to our attention, we have a duty to impose a moratorium since it is the only action we can take that will have an immediate impact and will demonstrate to the State Regional Board that we are aggressively addressing the problem and keeping it from getting any worse while long-term solutions are being pursued,” Brown said.
Brown recommends the board immediately impose a moratorium on new connections and not allow property owners to transfer connections from one parcel to another in the district.
“There doesn”t appear to be any quick fixes to the problems we are having with this sewer system,” Brown said in the letter. “Even the proposed project that the board has been discussing, if approved, will probably take years to construct.
In addition to the time required to obtain financing for the project, that particular project would require preparation of an environmental impact report in order to comply with the California Environmental Quality Act.”
Contact Katy Sweeny at kdsweeny@gmail.com or call her directly at 263-5636, ext. 37.
