California Water News Daily Your Source For Water News in California
The city of Hollister, which operates a municipal sewer system and industrial wastewater treatment plant, agreed to a $181,110 settlement with the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board for the unauthorized release of approximately 38,500 gallons of tomato processing wastewater into the San Benito River.
Under the agreement, half of the funds will pay for construction of a project to permanently redirect stormwater and wastewater to the treatment plant for discharge to land.
“We work hard with local entities to prevent these types of spills,” said Dr. Jean-Pierre Wolff, chair of the Central Coast Water Board, “and we take these violations and threats to the environment very seriously. This settlement demonstrates our and the city’s commitment to protecting and restoring our region’s waters.”
The illegal discharges occurred in 2016, when a temporary plug installed at the slide gate failed after coming into contact with high-temperature tomato processing wastewater. The project will prevent similar environmental mishaps by ensuring that any future spills are driven away from the river, captured and treated before being released to land.
The Central Coast Water Board is responsible for protecting and restoring water quality in the 300-mile-long coastal region from southern San Mateo and Santa Clara counties to the northern part of Ventura County. Protecting aquatic habitat in streams and groundwater is essential to ensuring water quality and the health of humans and wildlife.
