Opinion ID: 195693
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Outfall Design and Location

Text: 60 In his request for an evidentiary hearing, Adams stated: 61 This outfall as designed is not in the best interests of the United States or the Town of Seabrook. If for no other reason the permit should be denied on this basis. It simply is not in anyone's interest to have the people of the United States swimming in sewerage water even if has been bleached so as to be invisible. 62 If there were any benefit to this outfall at all it would only be to the residents of Seabrook who would use the sewer and cared not about the Beach or the beach environment. There certainly would be no benefit to citizens of the rest of the United States, but on the contrary, anyone that used the beach would be more at risk to viral diseases or just the knowledge of swimming in filth is certainly no benefit and compared to the cleanliness that exists at the beach now, the depreciation of recreational value (as in 40 C.F.R. Secs. 125.121(3)) is not reasonable in relation to the small benefit to a few. 63 Adams also claimed that the EPA failed to consider alternative sites for this outfall. In response, the Regional Administrator denied Adams' request, explaining that Adams had failed to raise a genuine issue of material fact regarding outfall location which justified an evidentiary hearing. The EAB did not then disturb this determination. 11 64 The Agency did not act arbitrarily or capriciously in denying Adams' request for an evidentiary hearing. Adams' evidentiary request is completely bereft of any references to facts in the record which would create a genuine issue that a discharge from the planned outfall location would cause unreasonable degradation of the marine environment, which would be sufficient to rebut the regulatory presumption. Rather, Adams offered a conclusory opinion that the outfall, as designed, was not in the best interest of Seabrook or the United States because it was not in anyone's interest to have people swimming in sewage. This is not sufficient to warrant a formal evidentiary hearing. 65 Adams also suggested that the EPA erred because, based on the planned outfall location, the depreciation of the recreational value was not reasonable in relation to the benefits, referring to 40 C.F.R. Sec. 125.121(e)(3). This regulation partially defines unreasonable degradation of the marine environment as the [l]oss of esthetic, recreational, scientific or economic values which is unreasonable in relation to the benefit derived from the discharge. Id. Adams' request for a hearing, however, simply tracked the language of the regulation and stated his ultimate conclusion that the depreciation of the recreational value was not reasonable in relation to the benefits. The only rationale Adams offered for this conclusion was the unsupported statement that there can be no benefit to anyone when people would be swimming in filth and subjected to a greater risk of viral diseases. Adams has completely failed to point to any evidence showing that the proposed discharge from the outfall would cause the loss of any recreational value, much less evidence that would indicate that there was a genuine factual dispute that such a loss would be unreasonable in relation to the benefits to be derived from the discharge. See 40 C.F.R. Sec. 125.121(e)(3). We agree with the EPA that Adams has not tendered any evidence which on its face creates a genuine issue of material fact showing that the EPA's reliance on the state certification was improper, and we believe that the EPA properly denied the requested hearing. See, e.g., Puerto Rico Aqueduct & Sewer Authority, 35 F.3d at 609-11. 66