HomeMy WebLinkAbout08. (Handout) AB 1672 Letter of Support for Assembly Appropriations Committee Item 8
(Handout)
Central Contra Costa Sanitary District
IV IVA,
Protecting public health and the environment 5019 ln7hoff Place, Martinez, CA 94553-4392
PHONE. (925)228-9500
FAX.- (925)335-7744
May 14 2019 www.centralsan.org
ROGER S.BAILEY
General Manager
KENTON L.ALA/
The Honorable Lorena Gonzalez, Chair Counsel(510)a 5-45 1
(510J 375-x571
Assembly Appropriations Committee KA7IEYOUNG
State Capitol, Room 2114 Secretary oftheDistrict
Sacramento, CA 95814
Re: Support of AB 1672 (Bloom) —Wet Wipes Labeling
Dear Assembly Member Gonzalez:
Central Contra Costa Sanitary District (Central San) is pleased to support AB 1672
(Bloom), which will prescribe labeling requirements for both flushable and non-flushable
wet wipes products so that Californians will know whether a product can be discarded
safely through their plumbing or should be disposed of in a trashcan.
In recent years, wipes have gained popularity as they are manufactured for a variety of
daily household purposes. Because most wipes are not compatible with sewer systems
and public infrastructure, flushing these products results in a variety of problems,
including environmental ones like sanitary sewer overflows which are violations of law
and result in fines and penalties for public agencies.
The impact wipes have had on Central San's collection system is clear. In the
attachment provided, wipes-have been found to be the primary issue 223 times during
routine sewer maintenance between January 1, 2017 and May 1, 2019. Even more
alarming, wipes caused 12 raw sewage overflows or major sewer stoppages between
the same time period. Central San works diligently cleaning wipes and other debris such
as roots and fats, oils, and grease from our collection system pipes to ensure we have
one of the best reliability records in California. However, the intensity of our cleaning is
based upon need. Meaning, wipes requires our agency to clean more often to prevent
overflows in order to protect the public health and the environment. This labor,
equipment, and transportation cost is shouldered by the nearly 500,000 people we
serve in central Contra Costa County. Wipes are not free, they are not just paid for at
the store, but improper disposal costs Californians daily in required pipe cleaning,
installations of grinders, bar screens, and other equipment to catch wipes, and through
costly overflows in streets and waterways.
®Recycled Paper
Support of AB 1672 (Bloom) —Wet Wipes Labeling
May 14, 2019
Page 2
By the Numbers: Sanitary Sewer Overflows (SSOs)*
35,342 Gallons of raw sewage water that reached surface waters thus far in 2019,
due to wipes
40% Increase since 2015 in the percentage of SSOs that were related to wipes
624 Category 1 SSOs in the last decade related to wipes — more than 1 per week
3,661,729 Gallons of raw sewage water spilled into surface waters from the 624 SSOs
3,218 Number of wipes related SSOs over the last decade — nearly 1 per day.
5,580,939 Gallons of raw sewage water spilled in California from the 3,218 SSOs
*From the State Water Resources Control Board's CIWQS Database
The problems created by wipes are being experienced by agencies and ratepayers
around the state, nation, and world. AB 1672 would ensure wet wipes packaging clearly
communicates whether the wipes can be safely discarded through a toilet or it will not
break apart like toilet paper and should not be flushed.
For these reasons, Central San urges support of AB 1672, and we respectfully request
for the bill to pass off the suspense file on Thursday, May 16, 2019.
Sincerely,
(,,,. n
Roger S. Bailey
General Manager
cc: Assembly Appropriations Committee Members
The Honorable Timothy Grayson, California State Assembly
The Honorable Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, California State Assembly
Jessica Gauger, California Association of Sanitation Agencies
Attachment
Wipes are Costly to Sewer Agencies in California
A Northern California Case Study
Benicia
/ Shore Acres
At Central San, • rill '
/y. Bay Point Pittsburg
wipes were found as a�
the primary issue 223 Marti nez�y 918ft
times during routine sewer Nw Seal Buch
4 ch Det
maintenance between Concord
January 1, 2017 and Concord
May 1, 2019.
cower/
• `Cowell
s
d� 8riones
,/9"a o
Hills VWipes caused
P� Walnut Creek 12 sewage overflows
or major sewer
1 stoppages between
Lafayette January 1, 2017 and
May 1, 2019
Berkeley
Rht,
-3 �q
4Danville e
Canyo
Oakland
F
Md� Skye; Blackhawk
F t%
Alameda Y-0 San Ramon o
�o
c
Wipes Concentration Found During Routine
Sewer Maintenance 1/1/2017 to 5/1/2019 58
c
Light a nd ro
Medium
F�
nth
Heavy st
Castro Valley an Fran co
'o Detail Area r
• Overflow or Stoppage Caused by 'o
Wipes 1/1/2017 to 5/1/2019 Hayward
Central San Sewer Service Area 2. Los Angele
„a._ o n
0 1 2 4
iles N 0
M
Data source:CentralSan's Computerized Maintenance Management PR*A ASACALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION Of SANITATION AGENCIES
System
CMMS and GIS Staff ` 1225 8'"Street,Suite 595•Sacramento,CA 95814•TEL:(916)446-0388•-CASAweb.om