Work moving forward on City of Santa Paula’s new wastewater treatment plant
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula News
Published: June 18, 2008
Work is moving forward on the city’s new wastewater treatment plant, those who attended Good Morning Santa Paula learned at the June meeting.
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula Times
Work is moving forward on the city’s new wastewater treatment plant, those who attended Good Morning Santa Paula learned at the June meeting. The Chamber of Commerce-sponsored event was held at Logsdon’s at the Santa Paula Airport.
Special Project Director Cliff Finley - who Chamber President/CEO John Blanchard said he’s know since Finley used to share playpen “play dates” with his own daughter - introduced Steve Owen of PERC (Pacific Environmental Resources Corp.), the company that is designing, constructing and will operate the new plant. The plant is the result of the Design/Build/Operate/Finance process, which Finley said would speed up the process to meet the required state completion deadline of September 2010.
“We’re breaking ground July 15 on a state-of-the-art MBR, very attractive, odor free plant, all the things we’ve been talking about for several years now,” said Finley.
“There are things occurring daily,” said Owen, who displayed a rendering of the plant site and facility. The plans have been submitted to the state Regional Water Quality Control Board, and a meeting held with same.
“First and foremost I want to thank the City Council, citizens and staff,” said Owen. “We’ve been pushing forward since May 5,” when the contract was awarded to PERC/Alinda. “In spite of the contract status, we’ve been working non-stop on the project and have some great progress we’ve made so far.”
The “very small” footprint of the new facility, located to the south and west of the city’s existing plant, is, Finley noted, a great advantage and allows for percolation ponds as well as “extra room adjacent to the plant... it’s one of the big advantages to the PERC-proposed process.” Discharge will be of “very high quality” and will forego dumping into the Santa Clara River.
The percolation ponds will bring a “short-term solution, and in the long-term reuse for the best and highest use. We’re real excited, it’s a big future step for the city to take,” Finley said.
Questions from the audience centered on habitat - Finley said new habitat would be created from the existing river - and financing. Alinda is providing the funds for the loan.
“Santa Paula won’t pay any money until the project is complete,” and has more than $8 million set aside for an initial payment. “Then we’ll make monthly payments,” and Finley said once the plant is completed the city will have the option to purchase the plant: “It’s similar to buying a house, we can refinance.” The “bricks and mortar” cost of the plant is “just under $60 million.”
Uses for recycled wastewater are now being examined in a Master Plan, and Finley said determining how the recycled water would be reused is the first step. “The linear park, railroad right of way bike trail... would be an excellent place to install pipe,” as an example.
One question centered on finalizing the contract, and Finley noted it is a “very complicated 30-year contract... there are a lot of ‘what ifs’. To say the contract is not complete is true, but everyone is narrowing down the issues” of the long and complicated agreement.
Discussions centered on water shortages and reuse “ebbs and flows based on how much water there is,” but Finley said the “future of additional water will be conservation and reuse... and I’m excited we’re putting in a plant that will use to move into that future.” Storage is an issue that is being examined, as is the possibility of a partnership with United Water Conservation District on creating recharge basins near Santa Paula Creek.
“Choices are direct use, the most efficient way to use recycled water,” and Finley said recharging groundwater is “the best storage there is.”
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