Turlock and Ceres give final OK to river treatment plant, after 30-plus years of talk
A vote Monday was the final approval for a Tuolumne River treatment plant serving Turlock and Ceres.
The $202 million project, discussed off and on since the 1980s, will reduce the cities’ dependence on groundwater. Both have already approved the sizable rate increases that will cover most of the cost.
The unanimous vote was by the Stanislaus Regional Water Authority. It is made up of Mayor Amy Bublak and Councilman Gil Esquer of Turlock, and Mayor Chris Vierra and Councilman Bret Durossette of Ceres.
The project had paused earlier this month while Turlock considered the alternative of buying surplus water from the Tuolumne treatment plant that has served Modesto since 1995. Turlock officials decided that this option would cost too much and take too long.
Water could flow in three years
The authority Monday approved a contract with CH2M Hill, part of a Colorado-based company, for detailed engineering and construction on the project. The latter could start in February 2021 and finish in June 2023, General Manager Robert Granberg said.
The cities aim to draw less from wells, which can run short during drought and fall below drinking-water standards at any time.
Each city council voted in 2017 for a series of rate hikes to cover part of the plant cost. A typical customer in Turlock, using an average of 300 gallons a day, will see an increase from $30.76 in 2017 to $68.54 in 2022.
Granberg said the final year of the rate increases might be reduced or canceled because the treatment plant is costing less than expected.
The cities also are using $35 million in state and federal grants on the project. They continue to seek grants and expect to soon line up a low-interest loan from the state.
More water for fish
The Turlock Irrigation District has already agreed to sell some of its Tuolumne water to the plant.
TID and its partners cite the benefit for the river fishery: Water for district farmers is diverted at La Grange Reservoir. The project will allow some of that water to run for about 25 more miles before being taken for treatment.
The water will be withdrawn through perforated pipes already installed under the stream bed near the Geer Road bridge. The authority also just completed a “wet well,” an underground chamber that will hold water bound for treatment. A drone video of this work is at www.stanrwa.org.
Several cities within the TID boundaries had been part of the treatment plant discussion, but they dropped out because of cost or other concerns. They include Hughson, Keyes, Denair, Hilmar, Delhi and the part of Modesto south of the river.
They can still get the treated water someday by covering their share of the cost, Granberg said.
