Area officials struggling to build a sewer plant have embarked
on a course of action they hope will lead the state to raise the
building moratorium on Hollister in phases.
Hollister – Area officials struggling to build a sewer plant have embarked on a course of action they hope will lead the state to raise the building moratorium on Hollister in phases.
The three agency board charged with developing a master plan to deal with Hollister’s sewage and water is creating a work plan that will lay out key milestones and deadlines to meet them in their quest to build a sewer plant and lift the moratorium that has been in place since 2002 when 15 million gallons of treated sewage spilled into the San Benito river.
“It’s very encouraging. It shows specific dates,” said San Benito County Supervisor Don Marcus, who sits on the Governance Committee for the Hollister Urban Area Water and Wastewater Plan. Formed in December 2004 for the purpose of creating a water plan for the city, the governance committee consists of elected members from Hollister, San Benito County and the San Benito County Water District.
Marcus said that he is hoping that as the city meets the deadlines included in the work plan, the Central Coast Regional Water Quality will begin to slowly lift the building moratorium that has been draped over Hollister for more than three years.
“As we reach these benchmarks and show good faith, I’m hoping the restrictions will be lifted in phases,” he said.
Among the tasks included in the work plan are:
n Use Hollister’s general plan draft to identify future growth areas in the city and determine projected water use.
n Summarize information on wastewater collection, treatment and disposal options in Hollister
n Develop five urban water resources alternatives
Mayor Pauline Valdivia, who also sits on the governance committee, said she thinks the work plan is a positive sign that Hollister, and the region, are making concrete gains in achieving these goals.
City Manager Clint Quilter has said that, barring a hang-up during the environmental analysis phase of the project, he expects the city to construct a new sewage plant by late 2007.
Quilter said he was reluctant to discuss the details of the work plan because the members of governance committee have not yet selected a spokesperson.
The governance committee is now seeking a firm to implement the work plan. Last week, the governance committee authorized the San Benito County Water District to begin accepting bids from firms experienced in creating master plans. A firm will be chosen in mid September.
“I believe the city has really laid out an aggressive plan,” said Supervisor Pat Loe, who sits on the governance committee. “I look forward to getting the project up and running.”
Originally, the deadline for Hollister to build a new sewage treatment plant was Oct. 15 of this year. Next month, Quilter will request an extension of that deadline during a RWQCB meeting. Quilter and other city officials have said they are confident the extension will be granted.
Though, according to Quilter, plans for a new sewage treatment plant are 90 percent complete, the problem is figuring out what to do with the water once it’s treated. Currently wastewater is percolated into the ground, but once the new treatment plant is completed there will be too much water to continue doing that.
One proposed solution is to use the treated water for irrigation. But because Hollister’s water has a high content of salts and undissolved minerals that can be harmful to plants, more treatment will be necessary before the water is suitable for agricultural use.
Luke Roney covers politics and the environment for the Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 335 or at [email protected].
