Raw Sewage Releases Draw New Lawsuit Against California City

The Northern California city of Eureka is failing to maintain its sewer system, allowing raw sewage to spill into homes and businesses, streets, and nearby waters, an environmental group told a California federal court Tuesday.

The city’s poor practices have led to sewer line blockages, cracked and broken sewer lines, and the overwhelming of system capacity during high rainfall, Ecological Rights Foundation says. The spills pose public health risks and threaten sensitive freshwater and marine environments, according to the complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

Eureka violated the Clean Water Act by releasing ...