Public Notice: Consolidated EPA and State Revised Draft NPDES Permit for The City of San Diego E.W. Blom Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant

Summary

Joint Notice of Proposed Actions by the:

United States Environmental Protection Agency
Region 9, WTR 2-3
75 Hawthorne Street
San Francisco, CA 94105-3901
(415) 972-3035

and

California Regional Water Quality Control Board San Diego Region
2375 Northside Drive, Suite 100
San Diego, CA 92108-2700
(619) 521-3362

The United States Environmental Protection Agency, Region 9 (EPA) and the California Regional Water Quality Control Board, San Diego Region (San Diego Water Board) are jointly seeking public comments on proposed revisions to Tentative Order No. R9-2025-0005 (formerly R9-2024-0005), NPDES Permit No. CA0107409, Waste Discharge Requirements and National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit for the City of San Diego E.W. Blom Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant Discharge to the Pacific Ocean through the Point Loma Ocean Outfall (the revised Tentative Order and Permit).

EPA and the San Diego Water Board previously solicited public comment on the initial Tentative Order and draft NPDES Permit (the initial Tentative Order and Permit) and EPA’s Tentative Decision Document (TDD) for the Clean Water Act section 301(h) waiver between March 1, 2024, and April 2, 2024. Following two court decisions ^[1], EPA and the San Diego Water Board have revised the Initial Tentative Order and Permit to be consistent with the court decisions and to make some minor corrections. EPA and the San Diego Water Board now seek public comments only on the revisions to the initial Tentative Order and Permit, which are shown in red font. A redline copy of the revised Tentative Order and Permit showing additions in underline and deletions in strikeout is available below. Provisions of the revised Tentative Order and Permit that are not affected by these modifications are not subject to public written comment at this time. In addition, EPA is not reopening the comment period for the 301(h) waiver TDD.

The San Diego Water Board and EPA will provide a full response to all public comments, including those received during the 2024 public comment period.

[1] The March 4, 2025, Supreme Court decision in City and County of San Francisco v. EPA (145 S. Ct. 704) and the August 5, 2025, California Court of Appeal, Fifth Appellate District decision in Camarillo Sanitary District v. State Water Resource Control Board (113 Cal.App.5^th 407).

Document Availability

Information related to this matter, including the revised Tentative Order and Permit, may be reviewed at the offices of EPA or the San Diego Water Board  (addresses above), during normal business hours, or at the following webpages: www.epa.gov/npdes-permits/CA0107409 and www.waterboards.ca.gov/sandiego/board_decisions/tentative_orders/).

Public Meeting on Tentative Order and Permit

The San Diego Water Board will conduct a public meeting on these proposed actions during the San Diego Water Board meeting scheduled for Wednesday, December 10, 2025, at the San Diego Water Board Meeting Room, 2375 Northside Drive, San Diego California. EPA will join this state-led meeting as this Tentative Order and Permit are consolidated State of California and federal NPDES permits. This item will be heard during a meeting that starts at 9:00 a.m. The meeting agenda, which will indicate any changes in the meeting location and may provide other specific information concerning this hearing, will be posted at least two weeks prior to the meeting date at www.waterboards.ca.gov/sandiego/board_info/agendas/. Reasonable time limits may be set for oral statements. The meeting facilities will be accessible to persons with disabilities. The meeting notice and agenda for this meeting will provide contact information for persons requesting special accommodations.

The procedures governing San Diego Water Board meetings may be found in the California Code of Regulations (CCRs) title 23, section 647, et seq. and are available upon request.

Contact for Further Information

Please contact Julie Song (415-972-3035, Song.Julie@epa.gov) or Joann Lim (619-521-3362, Joann.Lim@waterboards.ca.gov) for information regarding the above listed Tentative Order and Permit or TDD. Please bring the foregoing to the attention of any person known to you who would be interested in these matters.

Applicants or Respondents

Related Documents

• Revised Draft NPDES Permit No. CA0107409 and Tentative Order No. R9-2025-0005 (pdf) (6.09 MB, September12, 2025)
  Revision to the Consolidated Draft National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit and Tentative Waste Discharge Requirements for the City of San Diego E.W. Blom Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant Discharge to the Pacific Ocean through the Point Loma Ocean Outfall.