The San Juan Bautista City Council approved three of the San
Juan Valley’s vegetable processors connecting to the city’s sewer
system in an attempt to improve groundwater quality.
The San Juan Bautista City Council approved three of the San Juan Valley’s vegetable processors connecting to the city’s sewer system in an attempt to improve groundwater quality.
With a 5-0 vote, the Council accepted the San Juan Valley Vegetable Processors Domestic Wastewater Connection for Pride of San Juan, Natural Selection Foods and Coke Farms to connect to the city’s sewer pipeline for domestic wastewater only.
The project is intended to benefit the area’s groundwater quality and public health from the proper treatment of domestic wastewater. Officials have said the two have been inhibited because of high groundwater conditions that prevent proper functioning of septic systems.
Residents were concerned the agreement would encourage development in the San Juan Valley, but under the restrictions set by Local Agency Formation Commission, the sewer pipeline can only be used for the domestic wastewater.
No additional connections will be allowed without the approval of LAFCO, the San Benito County Planning Department and the City of San Juan Bautista.
Also, no further expansion of the processors will be allowed without additional environmental review and permits from the county planning department.
In the past, Mayor Priscilla Hill voted against the project, but because of LAFCO’s restrictions, she agreed with the project.
Originally, Pride of San Juan, Natural Selections and Coke Farms filed separate applications for outside sewer services, but LAFCO said that the three separate applications were piece-mealing and not permissible under the California Environmental Quality Act.
In about five years, Natural Selections hopes to expand its facility and construct a 195,000-square-foot factory that would include food processing facilities and office space. It would generate about 10,000 gallons of domestic wastewater per day from the facility for up to 500 employees.
The project was endorsed by LAFCO, the county water district, the county planning department and the Regional Water Quality Control Board.
The city’s sewer plant is permitted by the RWQCB to take in 270,000 gallons of effluent per day. San Juan Bautista averages between 190,000 and 210,000 gallons per day.
Rather than having the vegetable processors create their own leech fields, the sewage would come to the city’s sewer treatment plant and would be treated, then released into the ground before it makes its way into the San Benito River. An advantage is that the water entering the treatment plant would be free of softeners, decreasing the amount of salt content in the city’s sewer plant.
Pride of San Juan would add 1,250 gallons per day to the treatment plant while Natural Selection paid for the right to discharge 10,000 gallons per day.
In May 1999, the Council approved Pride of San Juan’s request and in July 1999, LAFCO accepted its request for outside services.
The company then paid $55,000 for capacity reserve fee and all other expenses to build the pipeline from its plant to the city’s station on First Street.
In May 2001, the Council agreed to allow Coke Farms to connect to the city sewer system. The capacity reserve fee was set at $15,000, which has yet to be paid pending LAFCO approval.
In January 2002, the Council approved Natural Selection Foods’ application, which again approved a resolution for outside services. The company also paid a capacity reserve fee of $55,000.
