Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant - San Diego, CA - Wastewater Treatment Facilities on Waymarking.com

If visiting, go to Point Loma...follow the signs to Cabrillo National Monument...if you are going to visit the Plant or the more appealing tidepools...you don't have to pay the Park fee... tell the Park Ranger where you are going....and take the first right after the fee kiosk.I used to be the Union Representative for the workers here..... so, except for the smell, this is a beautiful location. The plant is located at the very tip of San Diego's Point Loma. Juan Cabrillo landed here when he discovered San Diego's harbor. Besides visiting the Cabrillo National Monument, many families bring their kids to see the gentle tidepools. Find starfish or sea cucmbers, etc. Watch the whales migrating up the coast.
As for the wastewater plant..it is huge...treating 175 million gallons of wastewater per day and a 240 million gallon capacity. It is owned and operated by the City of San Diego. Private citizens are not permitted past the front gate. Photos for this waymark (other than the front gate signs come from the City's website.)

Their website (visit link) adds:
"The Point Loma Ocean Outfall was built in 1963 for the discharge of treated wastewater into the ocean. In 1993, the Outfall was extended from a length of two miles off the coast of Point Loma to its present length of 4.5 miles. Twelve feet in diameter and operating via gravity-feed, the Outfall ends 320 feet below the surface in a Y-shaped diffuser to ensure wide dispersal of effluent into ocean waters.


The scum is skimmed off the surface of the water, dewatered and taken off site for disposal. The organic solids ("sludge") which have settled out of the wastewater are pumped into one of the eight digesters on site where they are reduced in volume through a heat and bacterial process similar to human digestion. After about two weeks, this digested sludge is pumped from Point Loma through a 17 mile pipeline to the Metro Biosolids Center for further processing.

Methane gas is a by-product of the digestion process. The gas is removed from the digesters and is used to power two Caterpillar engines in the plant's Gas Utilization Facility. These two engines supply all of the plant's energy needs, making the Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant energy self-sufficient. The plant sells the excess energy it produces to the local electricity grid, offsetting the energy costs at pump stations throughout the City. The plant also takes advantage of its location on a cliff's edge by operating a hydroelectric plant driven by effluent dropping 90 feet into the Outfall. This additional power is also sold to the local energy grid.

In November 1995, the City of San Diego received a modified permit (also called a "waiver") from Secondary Treatment requirements of the Clean Water Act. This modified permit was renewed in September 2002, and again in June 2010. Through a combination of factors, including industrial source control, Advanced Primary Treatment of wastewater, a deep ocean outfall and comprehensive environmental monitoring, both the Environmental Protection Agency and the Regional Water Quality Control Board agreed that the PLWTP fully protects the ocean.

The Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant recently received its 16th Gold Award from the Association of Metropolitan Sewerage Agencies for its 16th year of complete compliance with all Federal and State regulations."

What is the capacity of the facility?: 240 million gallon capacity Describe the biological treatment technology used.: The air is scrubbed with carbon filters. "The wastewater then passes through screens which act as giant rakes to remove materials that would interfere with the treatment process. These materials, called "Rags," are a diverse assortment of paper, plastic, pieces of wood, toys, and vegetable matter. The wastewater then flows into grit removal tanks, where heavy inorganic particles such as sand, gravel, coffee grounds and eggshells settle to the bottom. "Rags" and grit are dewatered and trucked off site for disposal. Following grit removal, the wastewater is pumped into sedimentation tanks where organic solids settle to the bottom of the tanks and "scum" (primarily cooking grease and oil) float to the surface. Chemicals such as ferric chloride and organic polymers are added to the wastewater to help waste particles bond together in large enough mass to settle out. At this point, approximately 80 percent of the total suspended solids in the water have been removed. After a final screening, the treated wastewater, called "effluent," is now ready to be discharged to the ocean through the 4.5 mile long Ocean Outfall." How are biosolids (sludge) managed?: pumped from Point Loma through a 17 mile pipeline to the Metro Biosolids Center for further processing. What technology is used for disinfection prior to dicharge of treated water?: ferric chloride and organic polymers Who is the owner/operator fo the facility?: City of San Diego How is the facility governed?: a Department of the City of San Diego What is the website of the WWTP?: [Web Link]

Visit Instructions:
Please post at least 2 original photographs of the site. We would much rather see photos of the plant itself as opposed to the front office, but we also understand that security and site layout may limit your opportunities.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log   03/18/2018 bluesnote visited it 04/22/2012 geenef visited it 11/15/2011 Metro2 visited it

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