The city of Oceanside has agreed to pay $1.5 million for illegally discharging almost 2 million gallons of sewage during what water regulators called a record-breaking storm in 2020 that overwhelmed a sewage lift station and a water reclamation facility.  The city released the sewage into several creeks, one of which flows into the Buena Vista Lagoon, a wildlife refuge home to a number of endangered species, eventually reaching the Pacific Ocean. The spill affected waters also used for recreational and fishing purposes. The fine is part of a settlement with the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board. The spill is one of several sewage system failures brought on by the increasing intensity of weather events affecting the region more broadly.