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.”
