Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
December 10, 2007
4. Water Quality
As discharge permit comes up for renewal, a debate centers on wastewater's effect on the Santa Clara River estuary - Ventura County Star
WASTEWATER ISSUES:
Casino wins OK to release wastewater; Chukchansi permit allows discharge in creek - Fresno Bee
WASTEWATER PLANT PROPOSED:
Study clears plant for some - Imperial Valley Press
GROUNDWATER CONTAMINATION:
As discharge permit comes up for renewal, a debate centers on wastewater's effect on the
By Zeke Barlow, staff writer
In a corner of the
Under the surface, endangered species such as the tidewater goby and steelhead trout swim in the ready supply of fresh water in one of the last estuaries of its size and ecological complexity in
And much of this is because of treated sewage.
The city of
Now, the city faces the possibility of having to divert its wastewater elsewhere. Engineers say that could cost up to $35 million — a tab ratepayers would be asked to cover.
"For $35 million, we'd give you an estuary that is worse off than it is now,"
For more than 50 years,
Board hears testimony
The issue is now before the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board because the city's discharge permit is up for renewal. After hearing more than an hour of testimony at a Thursday workshop, the board requested more analysis and asked staff members to develop a permit that takes a systemwide approach and possibly caps the discharge volume.
"The board wants to make sure the water coming out of the facility is as clean as it can be," said Tracy Egoscue, the board's executive officer.
A decision is expected sometime next year.
The effluent flows from a 24-inch pipe into the estuary after undergoing a three-step, five-day treatment process at the sewage plant near the
The city contends the wastewater is cleaner than ground water in the area. All along the
This is a nasty issue'
"It's not ideal here," said Dan Pfeifer, the city's wastewater superintendent, but "we think it's an enhancement" to the ecosystem. If the city is forced to divert its effluent directly to the ocean, the ponds will greatly shrink, he said.
Environmental groups are still debating whether the effluent helps or harms the estuary.
"This is a nasty issue," said Ron Bottorff, executive director of Friends of the
Bottorff is in the camp that thinks the best option is to build a costly outfall pipe into the ocean.
Santa Monica-based Heal the Bay says science doesn't support the city's claims. Further, the group says the regional board is mandated to phase out discharges into estuaries as soon as possible.
Enhancements questioned
"The city has been dragging its feet," Heal the Bay's Kirsten James said. "For us, the facts don't line up that the discharge is enhancing the estuary and helping the goby (fish)."
But other groups say cutting off the discharges will harm the delicate ecosystem.
Reed Smith, science chairman of the Ventura Audubon Society, has spent hours watching birds around the estuary, where he recently saw about 3,000 migrating ducks resting. He said birds have come to rely on the estuary as a respite in their long treks south. Log books at the treatment facility tell of hundreds of birders who have come from all over the world to birdwatch there.
"Who is suffering because of the discharge? Nobody," Smith said. "Is wildlife being enhanced? Yes."
He argues that taking away the water source will stress migrating birds, potentially putting them in jeopardy.
Because the estuary is also a potential habitat for endangered steelhead trout, the National Marine Fisheries Service has advised the board to continue to allow the discharge.
Taking a holistic approach
"I think it's reasonable and prudent to keep the discharge going, especially since all the evidence we have now is that this is a healthy place," said Stan Glowacki, a fisheries biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. He said the
Jeff Phillips, environmental contamination program coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said although the situation is not ideal, it helps the tidewater goby by providing a channel for them to shelter during storms.
The water board, however, needs to take a holistic look at the issue and not focus on one species, he said. "There are a lot of interconnected pieces that may be affected beyond just the endangered species alone," he said.
Ventura Councilman Brian Brennan says the estuary is an incredible resource for the city.
"It's not wastewater, it's gold water in my mind," he said. "I don't see the city causing a major problem there."
The regional water board has suggested a compromise, where the city would have to reduce its daily release by 1 million gallons annually over 10 years. The end result would be zero discharge.
Pipe system would be costly
But Pfeifer said it would cost the city millions to design and build a pipe system to the ocean, whether it has to divert 1 million gallons or all of it. An ocean outfall pipe could have to go as far as a mile out to sea. Another option is pumping the water upstream, where it would slowly percolate and travel back to the estuary.
"Incremental reduction doesn't make sense for us," he said.
The city currently pipes some of the treated water to the city's golf courses and parks, but it would cost millions to build more pipes to carry reclaimed water to other parks.
This week, the city agreed to spend $100,000 to hire a consultant to evaluate and price the different discharge scenarios. Those results should be available early next year.
Ultimately, even if environmentalists are split on the issue and the city has trouble getting ratepayers to fund the project, the city will likely have to divert the wastewater if the regional water board says so.
"It's a little bit of a can of worms,"
http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2007/dec/08/waste-in-the-wetlands/
WASTEWATER ISSUES:
Casino wins OK to release wastewater; Chukchansi permit allows discharge in creek
By Paula Lloyd, staff writer
The Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino has received a permit that would allow treated wastewater to be discharged into Coarsegold Creek, despite the protests of people who live and farm downstream.
Opponents had been fighting the permit for months. "I was very disappointed," said Alan Turner, general manager of the Madera Irrigation District.
A casino spokeswoman said Friday that there are no plans to use the permit right away, however.
The casino had applied for the permit as part of its long-term plans for an expansion that would include an 11-story hotel tower.
The casino's wastewater treatment plant would have to be enlarged for that project, but there's no timetable yet, said Chanel Wright, public relations manager for the casino.
"Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino has no intentions of discharging water at this time," Wright said. "The permit is merely a measure the casino is taking in the event the water discharge is needed."
The Environmental Protection Agency's water division issued the permit Tuesday. It takes effect Jan. 4.
Treated sewage would be released into a creek on the Picayune Rancheria that feeds into Coarsegold Creek, which flows into
The presence of wastewater could be a big problem for organic farmers, Turner said, because they must certify that they don't use recycled water on their crops.
In addition, he said, recycled water cannot be distributed by the irrigation district. Those issues prompted Turner to speak out against the permit at an Environmental Protection Agency public hearing in the spring.
In a report released with the permit, the Environmental Protection Agency responded to public comments such as Turner's. But Turner said those responses did not appear to address the issues he raised.
And now that the permit has been issued, he said, it appears there is no way to fight it.
Before Coarsegold Creek reaches
In warm weather, some Park Sierra residents wade in pools that form along the creek, said Bill Wilbur, who has lived in the park for 12 years.
"Our immediate concern is with biologicals building up in those ponds," Wilbur said.
Chukchansi's current treatment plant serves residents of the Picayune Rancheria and the casino in Coarsegold. The plant processes about 100,000 gallons of wastewater daily, reused in toilets and landscaping.
Expansion of the Chukchansi treatment plant would increase the daily peak capacity of treated water to 350,000 gallons. About 120,000 gallons would be released into Coarsegold Creek daily, a tribal spokesman said in February. #
http://www.fresnobee.com/263/story/253324.html
WASTEWATER PLANT PROPOSED:
Study clears plant for some
By Victor Morales, staff writer
HEBER — A wastewater treatment plant here adjacent to a 3.7-acre lot designated to be park space does not pose a “significant” health risk to its users, a new study said.
The lot was a subject of much contention for the residents of the Heber Meadows subdivision, who had demanded the builder, Irvine-based Pacific Century Homes, relocate the park, citing the potential but unsubstantiated health risks.
The study, funded by Pacific Century and conducted by Los Angeles-based Environ International Corp., appears to have disproved those claims.
But some in the subdivision have not been convinced, seemingly conditioned to reject anything Pacific Century offers as a remedy to their prolonged dispute with the builder over alleged negligence and fraud.
“How can there not be any danger? Every day the kids are suffocating from the odor. It’s an injustice,” Susi Gacia, 35, a Heber Meadows resident, said.
The study indicated that the cancer risk from being exposed to wastewater treatment emissions for an average visitor over the span of 30 years was 0.0002 chances in a million, significantly lower than the California Office of Environmental Health Assessment threshold recommendation of 10 in a million.
“The cancer and chronic non-cancer health risks posed by the volatile pollutants coming from the wastewater treatment processes are not expected to be significant to a park visitor,” according to the study.
The study did indicate that “occasionally” the short-range health effect from certain elements in the processes may surpass acceptable levels depending on weather conditions.
But those potential risks could be mitigated by establishing a vegetation line along the water treatment plant.
The treatment plant is operated by the Heber Public Utility District.
The study’s findings are consistent with other environmental studies, Pacific Century spokesman Diego Santana said.
Santana said the builder chose to conduct an additional independent study to appease residents.
But the study has not been enough to some Meadows residents, who have shown to be distrustful of the builder and county agencies. Some residents refused to physically accept the study when it was offered to them at their doorstep Nov. 28.
When last week’s rain storm hit the Valley, flooding the street near the park site, Meadows resident Humberto Montiel called the Imperial County Fire Department to report a sewage spill.
He claims to have seen solids on the street.
Heber Public Utility District manager John Jordan said it was a “false report.”
“The Fire Department responded with a team and didn’t find anything and the environmental health department inspected the plant and found nothing wrong with it,”
The HPUD assumed legal possession of the park site after approving Pacific Century’s offer on Aug. 8, over the objection of some Meadows residents, The deal likely seals the fate of the park’s location. #
http://www.ivpressonline.com/articles/2007/12/09/local_news/news03.txt
GROUNDWATER CONTAMINATION:
By Jeff Thomas, staff writer
The city of
The Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board approved a cleanup plan that orders Olin, the company that ran a now-defunct road-flare plant in
Morgan Hill City Manager Ed Tewes, who spoke at the board hearing in San Luis Obispo, expressed disappointment at the vote, but said the city would "review our options after we see the final" order. #
http://www.mercurynews.com/search/ci_7669400?IADID=Search-www.mercurynews.com-www.mercurynews.com
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