With a year left to build a sewer plant or face penalties from
the state, officials see little hope for finishing on time, meaning
a construction moratorium that has crippled the city’s economy
could be extended.
Hollister – With a year left to build a sewer plant or face penalties from the state, officials see little hope for finishing on time, meaning a construction moratorium that has crippled the city’s economy could be extended.
If Hollister doesn’t finish the plant by the Oct. 15, 2005 deadline implemented in 2002 as part of wider penalties and fines, it may have to cough up $200,000 to the state.
Some officials concede Hollister likely won’t make it, especially with recent opposition to the plan by two local agencies. And the city is already considering ways to convince the state to extend the deadline.
For one, Hollister Mayor Tony Bruscia said he doesn’t think the city will meet the October 2005 deadline – the last of six milestones that each carried a $200,000 if not reached. Hollister has met all the others and, in the process, avoided most of potentially $1.2 million in fines.
“The bottom line is – we’re getting close, the end is in sight,” Bruscia said. “We should be done soon, and that’s encouraging.”
Maybe not soon enough, though. The recent delay stems from opposition from San Benito County and the San Benito County Water District.
Their disapproval of Hollister’s planned method of disposal – using percolation ponds which those agencies say could damage the groundwater supply – led the city to re-think that portion of a $38 million sewer plan. For now, the whole project’s on hold.
The delay comes at the latter stages of plans to build a new plant. Hollister’s been on a fast track since the Regional Water Quality Control Board penalized the city for a 15-million gallon sewer spill in May 2002. The state board’s sanctions included a ban on new construction permits – known as the building moratorium – along with the suspended fines.
The building moratorium’s effects on Hollister have ranged from reduced tax revenues to the city’s coffers and parks fund, to a severely damaged local construction industry.
Water board engineering staffer Matt Keeling said Hollister officials have kept them abreast of any new developments, including possible revisions to the disposal method.
“I think there is still a chance they may be able to make that deadline,” Keeling said Thursday. “My personal feeling is that it’s unlikely.”
Keeling, however, didn’t rule out water board consideration of an extended deadline – which would also likely keep intact a building moratorium that’s crippled the local economy.
If Hollister does approach the water board with such a request, Keeling had two pieces of advice: Do it sooner than later, and show that other area agencies support the plan. Keeling mentioned the water district, in particular, as an agency whose support could go a long way.
“I don’t think our board’s going to be very happy if the city of Hollister comes to them alone,” Keeling said.
The water district says Hollister’s disposal plan wasn’t mindful enough of long-term effects it could have on the aquifer. Percolation involves allowing treated wastewater to seep into the ground.
Hollister had planned to expand its use of percolation ponds – the same kind used now – until a way to recycle wastewater could be implemented. Hollister figures that transformation would have taken anywhere from two to four years, according to City Manager Clint Quilter.
Some council members see the county and water district’s involvement as a positive step toward better communications among agencies.
“I’m really excited about teaming up,” Councilwoman Pauline Valdivia said.
Others, however, are upset at the water district’s level of involvement – especially this late in the game.
“It’s altogether frustrating that the water district keeps throwing obstacles in our path,” said Councilman Tony LoBue, who isn’t sure if Hollister can beat the final deadline. “They should look and see what’s best for the community.”
Water district chief John Gregg says the agencies are indeed looking out for the area’s best long-term interests. One of the San Benito County Water District’s primary purposes is to oversee health of area groundwater.
Reclamation, or recycling the water for future use, would provide a more environmentally conscious form of disposal, he said. But other options, he said in a recent interview, would also serve as better methods for the community.
He mentioned how San Juan Bautista, with a discharge permit, releases highly treated wastewater into a stream. He has other ideas, too, such as more involved forms of reclamation and drilling a pipe from here to the Monterey Bay, though that would be pricey.
Gregg said Hollister, with its sewage plan, may have been headed in the wrong direction.
“It was certainly possible, and the communications hadn’t been clear enough,” Gregg said.
Bruscia, though, defended Hollister leaders on the issue of inter-agency communication.
“I have no regrets we didn’t involve them sooner or at a higher level because we made efforts,” Bruscia said. “What I do regret is that they’ve taken so long to understand and trust that the city wants to work with them.”
Gregg, like Bruscia, is among local officials skeptical of Hollister meeting the October 2005 deadline.
“We’ve come to accept the fact that those efforts and that work was flawed,” Gregg said. “I think we need to give the city the opportunity to restate itself.”
Kollin Kosmicki covers politics and the environment for the Free Lance. Reach him at 637-5566, ext. 331 or [email protected].
