Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma
Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma
The Regional Water Quality Control Board rescinded the waste discharge order for Oak Knoll Campground in Pauma Valley.
The unanimous RWQCB vote Nov. 18 does not eliminate the waste discharge restrictions but rather incorporates the campground into San Diego County’s Local Agency Management Plan for on-site wastewater treatment systems.
The discharge requirements will be regulated by what is currently the county’s Department of Environmental Health. On Dec. 9, the county Board of Supervisors will consider changing the name of the Department of Environmental Health to the Department of Environmental Health and Quality.
Oak Knoll Campground is located in the 31700 block of South Grade Road. The on-site wastewater treatment system consists of five septic tanks which drain to five leach fields. Domestic wastewater is collected from the 46 campground spaces and discharged to the septic system.
In May 1994, the RWQCB established the waste discharge order for Oak Knoll Campground. Elmer Anderson owned the campground at the time, and in August 2002 an addendum to the waste discharge order transferred the responsibilities to current owner Larry Read.
The State Water Quality Control Board has a water quality control policy for siting, design, operation and maintenance of on-site wastewater treatment systems.
That policy established a risk-based and tiered approach for regulation and management of on-site wastewater treatment system installations and replacements and the policy also allows the Regional Water Quality Control Board to approve a Local Agency Management Plan in which the local agency regulates and enforces the waste discharge requirements.
The RWQCB approved the county’s Local Agency Management Plan in April 2015.
The rescission of the RWQCB waste discharge permit eliminates the need for Oak Knoll Campground to submit monitoring reports and pay fees to the State Water Quality Control Board. The campground will be required to submit all waste pumping records and proposed treatment system upgrades to the county of San Diego.
The only violations of the waste discharge order committed by Oak Knoll Campground involve inadequate reporting rather than excessive discharge. Annual monitoring reports were not submitted in 2002 and 2010. A notice of violation was issued in August 2010, and no further violations have occurred.
On April 23, the RWQCB notified the Department of Environmental Health that Oak Knoll Campground was eligible to be regulated under the Local Agency Management Plan.
The elimination of the individual discharge order allows the RWQCB to utilize its resources for higher-priority projects which are more of a threat to water quality. The tentative rescission of the waste discharge order was released for a 30-day public review and comment period Sept. 17 and no public comments were received.
Joe Naiman can be reached by email at [email protected].
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