Sewage Plant Planning Starts ... Again

After years of wasted time and money, Morro Bay — under the leadership of a new City Council majority — has taken the first big step toward planning a new Water Reclamation Facility (WRF). But so much has changed. That new majority, of course, is mayor Jamie Irons, Christine Johnson and Noah Smukler.

Three years after Morro Bay and the Cayucos Sanitary District hired Montgomery Watson Harza (MWH) to design a new sewage plant that they would jointly own and operate, Morro Bay appears to be going it alone — at least for now — and the Cayucos Sanitary District (CSD) is apparently planning its own separate sewage plant.

Whereas "MWH was hired to produce a specific plant design on a specific site," Morro Bay public services director Rob Livick said, "the role of the new project planning consultant, John Rickenbach, of Atascadero, is to facilitate the selection of a site along with treatment technology, disposal options, reclamation level and bio solids processing that meet the desires of the community." The Rickenbach team is made up of local experts in planning, public outreach, biology, coastal issues and engineering, Livick said.

"Once (that team) completes their work, we will need to transition to the detailed planning, environmental review and design of a WRF () that has met the needs of the community. At this stage, we will need a different level of expertise the ... team can provide. The city will be issuing another RFP (request for proposals) at that time to select a new consultant team. I hope we can use the same type of community-based selection process that was used to select the (Rickenbach) team."

The city is expected to have a site chosen for a new WRF by December. Some 14 sites will be under consideration by the Rickenbach team, including the California Men's Colony (See: Morro Bay, Cayucos May Have to Go to Prison to Build WWTP)

The other three members of the Rickenbach team that were hired are Debbie Rudd, a principal at RRM Design Group and a public outreach coordinator, Kevin Merk of Kevin Merk and Associates, an environmental and coastal regulatory analyst, and Mike Nunley of Michael K. Nunley Associates, an engineer. The team will be paid not to exceed$117,256.

Livick's report said, "With denial of the upgrade project (by the California Coastal Commission), council directed staff to prepare a request for proposal to select a project planning consultant that would assist the community in meeting its goals for the development of a NEW . This process is an opportunity for the community to reevaluate some of the assumptions and decisions made during the development of the previous upgrade project."

That project would have involved an upgrade of the old plant on Atascadero Road just south of Morro Bay High School on the shores of Estero Bay, which the Coastal Commission staff and the Commission itself rejected (See: Will MB/CSD WWTP Get Built?)

Rickenbach's contract calls for two public workshops and presentations to the Council as it develops plans for the WRF. His report said the intent of this work program is to take input from the community and then guide them through a series of decisions regarding the features and siting of the new Water Reclamation Facility.

Among the decisions that the community through the City Council needs to make are, he said:

— Treatment technology. Approach to energy use,water quality and siting requirements;
— Type of disposal. Ocean outfall, land application, subsurface disposal, and stream discharge;
— Ownership/operation. Consideration of Private and Public options;
— Level of Reclamation. Urban uses, rural agricultural uses and ground water recharge;
— Biosolids Options. Composting onsite and hauling options;
— Siting Criteria.What criteria are important to the community in siting the new WRF?
— Scheduling. Given the other factors, what is a realistic schedule for the siting, permitting, design and construction of the new WRF?

Belted Kingfisher Image on Banner by Cleve Nash