Wastewater Subcomittee to Look at Recycling, Plant Upgrade

The joint committee that oversees the Pinole-Hercules wastewater plant will meet Wednesday to deliberate on the plant budget, planned upgrades, an operational permit and a proposal for recycling water.

The two cities share the plant, which collects and treats sewer flow and the treatment of sewage. The committee agenda includes review of the 2012-13 operations and capital improvement budget, how to fund required plant upgrades, and a proposal by a private company to building a water recycling facility.

to the cities for a new recycling plant that it contends could save ratepayers from increased costs that are anticipated for an upgrade that would increase needed capacity to treat dirty water before it's discharged into San Pablo Bay. The company has proposed to finance and build the plant and to sell treated water to the East Bay Municipal Utility Water District. The district then could sell it to the ConocoPhillips for use at its oil refinery in Rodeo. The new facility would be built on refinery property.

The company has proposed that the partners in the project would share the cost of designing the recycling plant.

The alternative is for the two cities to finance an expansion of the existing plant at the foot of Tennent Avenue.

Pinole Director of Public Works Dean Allison has raised concerns about the technical feasibility and the time and expense for environmental approvals for the Perc Water project.

The plant faces a pending deadline to renew a permit from water regulators that requires reducing the amount of untreated watewater that is emitted to the Bay during periods of heavy rainfall that overwhelm current treatment capacity at the plant. Untreated discharges expose the plant to fines for exceeding mandated water pollution discharge levels.

The meeting is scheduled for 9 a.m. in the Pinole City Council chamber, 2131 Pear St.