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Monterey County Grand Jury • 2013-2014

Interim Final Report No. 1 Chualar Sewer System Chualar Sewer System

Published: May 16, 2014 6 pages
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Findings 14 findings

F1
The two sewage pumps in Chualar are two-three years old.
F2
From just west of the Highway 101 overpass much of the remaining two miles of pipe is over 50 years old and made of clay pipe and in some instances PVC.
F3
The clay and PVC pipe from west of the Highway 101 overpass to the treatment ponds are maintained through patching with PVC when there is a break in the line. These breaks in in clay and PVC pipes happen frequently, as may be expected due to the 50-year-old materials used.
F4
The treatment ponds are located within the 100-year flood plain of the Salinas River. Overflow of these ponds could cause major environmental contamination of the Salinas River and the Monterey Bay Sanctuary.
F5
Since 1911 the Salinas River, due to heavy rains, has over-flowed its banks 23 times, the latest being February 1998. This has allowed the treatment ponds to be breached by the River eight times since their inception in 1965. This overflow of the river has caused raw sewage from the treatment ponds to flow into the river and northwest into the Monterey Bay Marine Sanctuary.
F6
Standing water and the nutrients in the raw sewage in the treatment ponds provide an ideal place for cattails and reeds to grow in or along the banks of the pond. This in turn could provide an ideal place for disease carrying mosquitoes to lay their eggs.
F7
The Chualar sewage treatment ponds are not within the boundaries of the Northern Salinas Valley Mosquito Abatement District as established by the Monterey County Board of Supervisors in the 1950s. Therefore, any mosquito abatement would have to be provided by the Monterey County Health Department.
F8
Water recovered from a sewage treatment plant, built in or near the east side of Chualar, could provide a source of an agricultural water supply for the crops grown near Chualar, just as the sewage treatment plant near Marina provides agricultural water for the Castroville area.
F9
Building the treatment plant on the east side of Chualar would prevent the need to pump raw sewage under the Highway 101 overpass and the train tracks on the west side of Chualar.
F10
A sewage treatment plant on the east side of Chualar would eliminate the necessity for the pipeline and treatment ponds completely.
F11
Reuse of this water would reduce the amount of water that is pumped from the underground aquifer for agricultural use. It may also help to possibly reduce salt-water intrusion into the aquifer.
F12
To enhance CSA 75 revenue, soil removed from the treatment ponds when dredged, could be sanitized and sold for use as commercial fertilizer.
F13
The deterioration of the Chualar sewage system has a high potential to cause major problems including possible health issues. The system should be replaced as soon as possible.
F14
Through interviews with the Monterey County Public Works Department and its own research the CGJ has determined that, if built today, the cost to build a sewage treatment plant at or near Chualar would be about four million dollars.

Recommendations 4

Agency Responses 1

Government agencies' official responses to this report's findings and recommendations. Click on a response to see the structured breakdown.

No Responses Found 1

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