EPA sues San Francisco for allegedly dumping billions of gallons of sewage into Pacific Ocean, bay

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The federal government is suing the city of San Francisco for allegedly dumping billions of gallons of sewage into the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay.

According to a new lawsuit filed by the Environmental Protection Agency and California water officials, the releases have been happening since 2016.

It amounts to an average of 1.8 billion gallons each year of combined sewage.

RELATED: SF's water bottle refilling stations are safe, experts say. So, why don't people use them?

That includes untreated sewage, wastewater and stormwater runoff.

The lawsuit also alleges the city allowed its sewer systems to fall into disrepair and didn't notify residents about the presence of sewage.

An SFPUC spokesperson called the suit "unfair" and told the Examiner that sewer discharges in the city have been reduced by more than 80% in the last 50 years.

If you're on the ABC7 News app, click here to watch live