The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) wrote to the State of California on Thursday, warning it that it may be violating federal water quality laws by failing to deal with the homeless crisis and the pollution it causes.
President Trump hinted last week during a fundraising trip to the state that the EPA might be planning to act against California for neglecting the homeless crisis by citing it for violating environmental laws.
A letter from EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler to California Gov. Gavin Newsom, provided by the Washington Post, indicated:
The EPA is aware of the growing homelessness crisis developing in major California cities, including Los Angeles and San Francisco, and the impact of this crisis on the environment.
Indeed, press reports indicate that “piles of human feces” on sidewalks and streets in these cities are becoming all too common.
The EPA is concerned about the potential water quality impacts from pathogens and other contaminants from untreated human waste entering nearby waters.
San Francisco, Los Angeles, and the state do not appear to be acting with urgency to mitigate the risks to human health and the environment that may result from the homelessness crisis.
The letter also expresses concern about San Francisco’s practice of “routinely discharging more than one billion gallons of combined sewage and stormwater into San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean on an annual basis.”
Wheeler says that the EPA is prepared to step in unless California can assuage its concerns within 30 days.
Earlier this week, the Post notes, the EPA also threatened California with the loss of federal highway funding unless it took steps to address air quality. “California has the worst air quality in the United States,” Wheeler wrote.
On Wednesday, Gov. Newsom launched a state program to put a satellite into orbit to measure climate change.
Read more at Breitbart
Another west coast progressive city, Victoria, BC, doesn’t treat its sewage at all.
They let it run into the Pacific Ocean (less the needles, condoms and straws). I suspect that Victoria doesn’t want a sewage treatment plant to sully its post card beauty. Liberals are all about appearance.
This is a perfect example of what happens when liberals are in control. Issues like climate change which even isn’t a problem get the political focus and funding, when real problems such as piles of feces on the side walks receive inadequate attention. Notice the man in the picture with the pressure washer has full protective clothing including a filter for his breathing. Feces from a number of individuals is dangerous. That is where disease like typhoid fever come from. Washing it down a storm sewer makes the outflow dangerous. In addition, if there is enough of it bacteria decomposing it will take the oxygen out of the water. There is no single or quick fix for the homeless problem, but at least San Francisco and cities with similar problems could do is provide and maintain porta potties for the homeless. I’m sure the poor guy using the pressure washer would prefer that solution.
Toronto city council was accused of attracting the homeless into the downtown core. Rich people, on their way to work, stepping over the losers. Great photos for the socialists.
Los Angeles has begun cleaning the streets comprising Skid Row at least several times monthly, the technique is to announce the day of cleaning to roust the homeless to move off to another street, then sanitation workers power wash the sidewalks: first blasting the filth right into the sewers, then blasting again with a bleach solution to sanitize the ground. Ironically, every sewer in Los Angeles has a steel plate forged with a sentence warning that all water in the sewer system flows directly to the ocean.