San Jose Agrees To $100 Million Program To Reduce Trash, Sewage Spills

"SAN JOSE -- Settling a major lawsuit from environmentalists, San Jose city officials on Tuesday agreed to spend more than $100 million over the next decade and beyond to reduce tons of trash that flows into creeks and San Francisco Bay, repair miles of leaking underground sewage pipes and clean stormwater contaminated with harmful bacteria.

The agreement -- a Silicon Valley environmental milestone -- comes a year after Baykeeper, a conservation group based in Oakland, sued the city, claiming it was violating the federal Clean Water Act by not doing enough to clean up trash, sewage spills and other pollution in its two major waterways: Coyote Creek and the Guadalupe River.

"We're proud to have reached this historic agreement that will not only reduce harmful pollution into San Francisco Bay but also make San Jose a greener place to call home," said Sejal Choksi-Chugh, executive director of Baykeeper."

Paul Rogers reports for the San Jose Mercury News June 15, 2016.