The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and multiple California state agencies have filed a lawsuit against the city of San Francisco, accusing the city of allowing billions of gallons of untreated sewage to flow into the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay. The lawsuit, initiated by the EPA, alleges that the city has permitted massive amounts of untreated water and sewage to be discharged into the ocean since 2016, with an annual average of 1.8 billion gallons of combined sewage, wastewater and stormwater released.
According to the EPA, the situation has worsened, with more than 4 billion gallons of contaminated water discharged during the rainy season between October 2022 and March 2023, endangering both beachgoers and ocean life.
In response, federal authorities are seeking hefty penalties amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars, and they are pushing for court orders to compel the city to change its practices. The lawsuit also accuses San Francisco of neglecting its water and sewer systems and failing to inform residents about sewage problems.