Will MB/CSD WWTP Get Built?
There is a lot of skepticism about the city of Morro Bay and the Cayucos Sanitary District board coming together and agreeing to a joint effort to build a new waste water treatment plant. But there are some knowledgeable people in and and of their two camps who think it is going to happen — if you can wait that long.
Is the Morro Bay-Cayucos Sanitary District wastewater treatment plant dead?
Some may think so after the Cayucos district has all but vowed over the past year to pull out of collaborating with Morro Bay in building a new wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), and after the newly-elected Morro Bay City Council switched positions of the previous Council majority, thereby opposing rather than supporting building a new WWTP on the site of the present one on the shores of Estero Bay.
By so doing, the new and present Council majority threw its support to the staff of the California Coastal Commission, which has opposed "upgrading" the old plant on grounds it is in a flood zone and is meant to be used for visitor-serving uses by the Coastal Act.
At a special meeting on January 3, the Council withdrew its support of the application for approval of a plant upgrade on the present site, and the Cayucos Sanitary District (CSD) declined to attend the meeting, even though it is partners with Morro Bay in developing the plant.
Robert Enns, the president of the CSD board, and others associated with the district, have expressed skepticism about the new plant project for years. About three years ago, Enns said this at a joint Morro Bay—CSD meeting (Joint Powers Agreement, or JPA) at the Morro Bay Community Center, "We don't need more water in Cayucos," referring to the additional water that a new WWTP will produce for irrigation and drinking, if refined water from the plant is injected into the city's old wells and pumped out as distilled for such use. As the Coastal Commission staff has pointed out, such water would be a great benefit — and likely at a lower cost — over state water, which is becoming less reliable.
But the reality may be different. Prominent people are convinced that guilding the new plant may take longer, but it is going to happen.
Katie Disimone oversees the WWTP at the Regional Water Quality Control Board, as well as operating permits for the plant, and provides waivers when the plant cannot meet requirements — such as meeting requirements for limiting discharges of water that the plant has not adequately cleansed through its processing. She said something has to be done to plan and develop a new plant. (The Coastal Commission has ruled out an upgrade of the old plant). The current waiver, she said, expires in March (20 14), and little time is left for the JPA members to start planning. "There is no way to put it (a new plant) off," she said.
A City staff member said about the next JPA meeting (Thursday, February 14, at the Cayucos Veterans Hall), the two sides are expected to discuss "how to proceed," such as do we jointly explore other sites than those selected by the Coastal Commission staff. "The Coastal Commission has not ruled out other sites," the staffer said. "If I had to wager, both sides will be investigating."
Rick Coon, manager of the CSD, said the direction the planning for the plant will take won't be known until the JPA meeting. He said he hopes and expects discussions between the Morro Bay Council, staff, and the Cayucos Board about planning for a plant site. One thing that is needed, he said, is a focus on keeping the existing plant running. Whatever plan is agreed upon, it isn't going to be quick, and the communities need to have the existing plant operating for their benefit. The City staff member made the same point.
A staff report to the Coastal Commission that was included in the agenda for the January 10 Commission meeting, said:
In conclusion, a WWTP project is needed to address ongoing coastal resource impacts, but a project at the existing WWTP site cannot be found consistent with the LCP (Local Coastal Plan) and the Coastal Act. In fact, an LCP amendment would first be necessary to even make it an allowed use at the proposed location.
The Commission's denial of the proposed project is not a denial of better treating wastewater in Morro Bay and Cayucos, rather it is a recognition of the constraints to WWTP development at the proposed site. The Commission believes that a more sustainable facility located out of harm's way is feasible, and that the time and investment in that process misappropriate and necessary at this juncture, and Commission staff is prepared to work with the Applicant, the City, the RWQCB, the SWRCB, other agencies and interested parties to help foster a better overall project that can meet LCP requirements, enhance and protect water quality,and meet the community's needs over the longer term with a sustainable and beneficial public infrastructure project. LCP and Coastal Act consistency, and good coastal planning and public policy, require nothing less.
