Richmond City Council approves 45-day moratorium on Keller Beach Sewer connections

The Richmond City Council unanimously approved a 45-day moratorium on new sewer connections to the aging Keller Beach Sanitary Sewer system Tuesday night, extending restrictions that have stalled home construction for three years.

The moratorium, which requires approval from the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), temporarily halts new building permits that would connect to the 65-year-old sewer system, parts of which are in “imminent failure,” according to city officials.

“The Keller Beach Sanitary Sewer is a critical but aging piece of infrastructure, and without intervention, it presents serious environmental risks,” said Deputy Director of Public Works Robert Armijo during the hearing. He emphasized the moratorium is designed to prevent sewage overflows, address infrastructure limitations, and protect the San Francisco Bay from contamination.

The sewer spans approximately 5,392 linear feet of concrete-encased cast iron pipe, extending from Keller Beach into the San Francisco Bay. Over the decades, the pipeline has suffered severe corrosion, structural instability, and sagging due to tidal activity, making it increasingly vulnerable to failure.

However, residents like Rod Satre argued that the moratorium prevented people from building their houses.

“It is unconscionable that we’re just saying, wait, wait, wait until you’re old and die, and then we’ll let you build your house,” Satre said during the public hearing.

The Keller Beach sewer system, installed in 1959, has been under scrutiny since environmental group San Francisco Baykeeper issued settlement agreements in 2002 and 2018 after the city failed to meet regulatory requirements to prevent overflows. A 2021 consultant’s report revealed that some sections of the sewer line are at risk of imminent failure.

The sewer’s location and condition make it extremely difficult to maintain and repair. In some areas, the pipeline is in poor condition and physically inaccessible for modern maintenance until long-term infrastructure improvements are in place. Armijo said the moratorium ensures that the city stops making the problems worse while working on solutions.

“Adding more strain to the system is not a responsible option,” Armijo said. “The San Francisco Bay is one of our region’s most important natural resources, and so it deserves to be protected. A failure in the Keller Beach Sanitary Sewer could result in untreated sewage entering the bay, harming marine ecosystems, water quality, and recreational areas.”

Despite multiple moratoriums since 2022 and efforts to explore interim solutions like sewage holding tanks, the city has yet to implement a permanent fix. Norman Hanchey, a civil engineer and longtime resident, proposed rerouting sewage flow from 50 to 60 homes currently connected to the system.

“These are changes that can be done fairly quickly as capital improvement projects by public works,” Hanchey said.

Rudi Garbelmann asked the council not to approve this moratorium extension and discussed its impact on property owners who have been waiting for a solution for over three years.

“There are only 13 approved projects in question here who have been waiting patiently for three years to begin building their dream homes,” Garbelmann said. “Our impact to the overall problem is small compared to the nearly 300 homes currently connected to the sewer.”

However, according to Water Resource Manager Mary Phelps, the city was required to prevent sanitary sewer overflows under a 2002 settlement with San Francisco Baykeeper.  In response, the City Council issued a series of moratoriums beginning in January 2022, halting new sewer connections. The most recent, in April 2023, was intended to provide time to evaluate repair, rehabilitation, or relocation options.

Community meetings on the issue have been contentious.  

A March 2023 community meeting, facilitated by Councilmember Cesar Zepeda and attended by public works staff and a consultant hired to work on the project, became heated and unproductive. Later, the consultant informed Public Works staff they were terminating their contract with the city.

“They were just concerned with the difficulty in communications,” Armijo said of the consulting group's departure. “I think they were referring to how the meeting went, and they wouldn’t be able to provide a good service to the city because of the kind of distrust that was built.”

The council also discussed the need for HCD approval before the moratorium can take effect. Chief Assistant City Attorney Shannon Moore said, “The moratorium can’t go into effect until HCD approves it.”

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