San Diego environmental groups and the City Council agreed Jan. 27 to take on a “comprehensive assessment” of the city’s wastewater treatment system in Point Loma. The study would move the city toward a water reuse and recycling program. There are a couple of facilities in the region that could handle more water recycling, according to a 2005 water reuse report to the city. San Diego Coastkeeper and the Surfrider Foundation had threatened to oppose the city’s choice to apply for a waiver exempting it from having to upgrade sewage treatment processes for the Point Loma wastewater treatment facility. The city took the waiver application before the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for approval on Jan. 21, according to a statement released by San Diego Coastkeeper. The agencies tentatively approved the 5-year waiver with a final approval expected in March. It could be the last time the waiver is approved, according to the statement. San Diego is one of the largest cities that does not use upgraded treatment process for wastewater dumped just miles out into the ocean, according to the statement. The agreement is a move from opposition to cooperation between environmental groups and the city.