Yuba City wins fight on water quality

A tentative wastewater treatment permit has been issued to Yuba City, which — if approved — would save residents about $65 million.

The city has been fighting with the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board since 2003 when it was issued a permit requiring stringent limits on the water coming out of the plant and being discharged into the Feather River, said Utilities Director Bill Lewis.

"Our drinking water would not have met the criteria," Lewis said.

Meeting those limits would have required significant improvements at the wastewater treatment plant, he said. To construct facilities to meet those requirements would have raised residents monthly bills from $28.81 to about $100.

The city appealed to the State Water Resources Control Board and was successful. It then returned to the regional board to rewrite the permit, which is what it operates with today.

The few problems that remain in the existing permit would be resolved if the tentative permit is adopted, Lewis said. The board will hear and consider its adoption Jan. 27-29.

If the permit is approved, it would expire in 2012 and the city would be able to meet all the new limits without building any facilities, Lewis said.

The city appealed on the basis that it should get some credit for the dilution of materials in the Feather River.

Once wastewater is treated, it goes into the Feather River and any toxins, such as ammonia, must be diluted to specific levels within five feet in one hour. Yuba City reaches that criteria within five seconds.

About 5 million gallons of treated wastewater, which is generated by any water used inside a house, is released into the river each day.

Contact Appeal-Democrat reporter Ashley Gebb at 749-4724 or agebb@appealdemocrat.com.