The City of Coronado formed a temporary committee known as the Ad Hoc Ocean Water Quality subcommittee in April 2023 to address the cross-border sewage pollution, and on March 18, the council decided to revive the committee for another year.
Starting April 1, Mayor John Duncan and Council member Mark Fleming will serve on the subcommittee. Duncan has been a member of the committee since 2023, along with Coronado’s former mayor, Richard Bailey.
The Ocean Water Quality subcommittee worked to achieve essential improvements for the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant and other wastewater infrastructure.
I think the subcommittee is one of the best things this council has done to address this issue.
Council member Kelly Purvis
“I think the subcommittee is one of the best things this council has done to address this issue,” Council member Kelly Purvis said at the March 18 City Council meeting.
However, the council did discuss the option to rotate out who attends advocacy meetings to lobby Congress.
Council member Carrie Anne Downey suggested having the members of the subcommittee rotate with the other members on the council so each council member can bring their own personal experiences to advocacy meetings in Washington, D.C.
She said every council member who has direct experience with the contamination would be helpful when making the advocacy trips.
“It may be worthwhile rotating when we want to bring out that story,” Downey emphasized, referencing a personal anecdote about the sewage-contaminated waters from Council member Amy Steward.
The motion did not include rotating members out, however Duncan said he is 100% open to it.
