From the San Jose Mercury News, in a commentary by Richard
Santos:
In the midst of exceptional drought conditions, a new, locally
controlled, drought-proof water source for Silicon Valley could
not have come at a better time. The Santa Clara Valley Water
District, in partnership with the cities of San Jose and Santa
Clara, is celebrating the completion of the Silicon Valley
Advanced Water Purification Center.
Stockton is fighting a new wastewater permit that the city says
could cost its ratepayers anywhere from $195 million to $252
million and increase rates by perhaps 80 percent.
The most radical “green” features of the City of San Jose’s new
Environmental Innovation Center are concealed behind two doors
marked “Women” and “Men.” There, plopped between the other
conventional stalls, are two “composting toilets,” the first ever
installed in a California office building.
Sixty million gallons of wastewater are pulled from sewer pipes
and into the Fresno municipal wastewater treatment plant every
day. … The plant managers plan to treat to a higher level
and disinfect the water so it can be used to irrigate
schoolyards, golf courses, and cemeteries.
“The Ross Valley Sanitary District has known for a long time that
its sewer system is old and failing. … In addition, the
district has been slapped with costly fines by the state San
Francisco Bay Water Regional Quality Control Board, the agency
assigned to stem pollution.”
“The California State Water Resources Control Board says the new
rules were created in response to Governor Jerry Brown’s drought
declaration in January. The board says now there are more
streamlined rules around the production and use of recycled water
for irrigation.”
“Concerned about plans to develop a former sewer treatment site
and the capacity of the current treatment plant, Marin residents
urged the Ross Valley Sanitary District on Wednesday to oppose
Larkspur’s draft housing and business development proposal.”
“After months of delay, Healdsburg finally has approval to use
reclaimed water from its sewer treatment plant to irrigate
vineyards in a wide swath beyond the city.”
“Last year, the Antioch couple learned they were being charged
for Delta Diablo Sanitation District sewer service despite never
being connected to the district’s system. Their home, built in
1980, is on a septic tank.”
“Modesto is spending more than $3 million to rehab its Emerald
Lift Station, a pumping facility that ensures wastewater from
homes and businesses reaches the city’s treatment plant.”
“In April 2009, the Modesto City Council signed off on a $1.3
million public works project to upgrade the water quality control
laboratory at the city’s Sutter Avenue wastewater treatment
plant.”
“With mere inches to spare, crews gently lowered a 70,000-pound
disc of steel into place at the city’s wastewater treatment plant
on Thursday, marking a milestone in a $1.5 million project
expected to conclude this summer.”
“At two treatment plants in El Dorado Hills, millions of
gallons of brown wastewater pour in every week, and millions of
gallons of clean water pour out through purple pipes that
irrigate the lawns of 4,000 homes.
“City Manager Greg Nyhoff said Modesto has been taking steps to
address the findings in an auditor’s report that concluded the
Public Works Department’s water and wastewater divisions are
plagued by problems, including poor leadership, low morale and
high turnover.”
“Faced with an exponentially growing deficit in the sewer
wastewater treatment plant capacity fund, the city [Chico] must
make a decision by year’s end on how to address the gap between
revenue and loan liabilities.”
“Eastern Municipal Water District has completed its largest
capital improvement project ever, a seven-year expansion project
at the Perris Valley Regional Water Reclamation Facility.”
