Pescadero Waste Water Treatment System Status (July 7 , 2008) July 7 , 2008 A community meeting is being planned for September to discuss the waste water treatment grant for Pescadero. The interim report has been updated on June 23
June 10, 2008 The PMAC passed a resolution recommending to the board of supervisors that the work on the Pescadero waste water treatment study should be halted until public input can be brought into the process. The major concern is that the feasibility study will be completed and the $154,000 in grant funds spent prior to community input. June 8 , 2008 The PMAC communicated with county staff (Email From PMAC) with their concerns about lack of public input and their concern that the WWT process was being driven by internal staff requirements not community interest. Their response was that the report was an internal working document. After further correspondence the interim report was posted on the county web site. June 2008 A one page status was given to the PMAC from county staff. (5-29-2008 Status) February through May 2008 The PMAC requested status on the WWT grant with no response form county staff. May 21 , 2008 The county staff met with HydroScience and presented comments and requested major changed to the proposal.
March 2008 HydroScienc completed a preliminary report and submitted it to the county. The report was not shared with the community. 1/5/2008 The County has selected the firm of HydroScience Engineers, Inc to perform the preliminary design and feasibility study. 8/13/2007 The County is in the process of reviewing proposals and selecting a consulting firm. The first phase of the project will look at water treatment alternatives, construction costs and operating costs. The selection of a consulting firm for the first phase should be finished in August, with the contract submitted for board of supervisor's approval in September. June 10 , 2007 San Mateo County has released a request for proposal for the initial feasibility and preliminary design for a waste water treatment system for the Pescadero community San Mateo County has received a $2,000,000 planning and construction grant for a waste water treatment system for the Pescadero community. The grant was obtained through the efforts of Pescadero residents and the San Mateo County Department Of Environmental Health. Responsibility for the grant transferred from County Environmental Health to County Public Works in March of 2007. The project contact at a the county is Ed Garcia, at 650-599-1436 or at egarcia@co.sanmateo.ca.us The next phase of the project is for the county to write a request for proposal and go through the bid process to select a consulting firm to gather community input and do the conceptual design. The funding source, construction, and operating costs will be estimated during this first phase. The grant is through the California State Water Resources Control Board The grant was accepted by the board of supervisors in their March 27 , 2007 meeting. The grant covers the design and construction of a waste water treatment system. The grant will reimburse the county 90% for costs on the project. The state has authorized $140,207 for the planning and community input phase. The board of supervisors approved a $14,021 (10% match) from the general fund to start the planning process. In October 2004 the California Regional Water Quality Control Board issued a resolution recommending Pescadero for assistance under the 2004 Small Community Grant program.
Before significant funds are expended or consultants hired it is appropriate to step back and define what the waste water treatment system looks like, its estimated cost, funding sources, operating costs and community impact. Because the town of Pescadero has already expressed its wish, through the community wide 2004 Town Planning Workshop, for this infrastructure improvement, it is important that we continue to build on the established base of community support to assure a successful outcome. As system concept(s) are being defined, it is essential to continue to seek input from Pescadero CSA11 residents on these questions: What does the system look like? Is it a traditional waste water treatment plant located on county land with effluent pumped from CSA11 up hill to the county land ? Is it a constructed wetland? This type of system can be in a structure or ground-based. Should the system work with the existing septic systems or replace the septic systems? What is the water quality of the treated water? It is likely the Pescadero community may want a higher then minimum
standard for the Should the goal of the treatment be water treated to near drinking water standards? No one is going to want to
drink it, but it should be “clean” when
put back into the How do we define “Clean”? Discharge Water Use Where does the discharge water go? Can the discharge water be used to improve the CSA11 groundwater quality? Can it be used to help reconstruct marsh wetlands? CSA11 and Pescadero Community Input How is community-input going to be coordinated? Will the outreach be to CSA11 only or the wider community? Will State Parks be involved? Constructed Wetlands One of the water treatment concepts of interest to the community is the constructed wetland. There are several firms that will evaluate alternative treatment methods alongside traditional methods as part of system design. There are firms that specialize in non traditional treatment approaches Here is a link to a large PDF file (8 Mb) with 72 pages of alternate water treatment concepts. Constructed Wetlands Water Treatment (8 Mb) Here is a link to another large PDF file ( 4 MB) with case studies from 1993 including the Arcata, CA system. Constructed Wetlands Case Studies Below are a few pages from the presentation. Click on the diagram below for a lager image.
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