Pollution’s high price tag

Stockton is set to dole out some serious money to conservation efforts thanks to a fishing group’s lawsuit over environmental hazards.

Last week, the City Council agreed to a $4 million settlement in a case alleging violations of the federal Clean Water Act, reported the Stockton Record.

The California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, which is based in Stockton, claimed that the city’s more than 1,500 sewer overflows during a five-year period imperiled the health and wellbeing of residents and the environment.

Wastewater spills are a threat to the fragile Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta because the sewage may find its way into storm drains leading to the estuary.

The multimillion-dollar settlement will force the city to maintain the sewer system better, reducing the number of spills. A spokesman for the fishing group, Bill Jennings, said the objective of the lawsuit was to bring the city into compliance with state regulations.