Turlock and Ceres residents finally get treated river water, after 30-plus years of talk
Turlock and Ceres residents finally are drinking treated water from the Tuolumne River.
Officials gathered Tuesday at the plant, which reduces the cities’ reliance on wells. Hefty rate increases starting in 2018 are covering most of the $220 million cost.
The ribbon-cutting came after 30-plus years of off-and-on discussion about the project.
“High-quality drinking water is now flowing to our communities that are so much in need of a long-term solution to the declining groundwater levels and increasingly stringent water-quality regulations,” Ceres Mayor Javier Lopez said.
The Turlock Irrigation District is selling part of its river supply to the plant, just east of the Geer Road Bridge. Advocates say less pumping by the cities will mean a more abundant aquifer for farm and urban users alike.
To start, Ceres expects to meet about a third of its demand from the plant. Its first water ran Tuesday morning through a pipeline along Hatch Road.
Turlock plans to get about half of its water from the Tuolumne at first. Deliveries began Tuesday afternoon through a pipeline mostly along Berkeley Avenue.
Plant General Manager Christopher Fisher said customers should expect a somewhat “softer” taste as the river and well sources are blended. That refers to trace minerals in the water.
The plant can produce 15 million gallons of water daily. Future funding could bring the capacity to 45 million. Nearby cities could get their own shares of the water if they pay some of the cost.
State loan has just 1.2% interest
Most of the current funding is a low-interest loan of $185 million from the State Water Resources Control Board. It will be repaid over 30 years via the greatly increased customer bills. They now average about $78 a month in both cities.
The interest rate is just 1.2%. Officials said earlier that the repayment cost would be about $100 million more at the typical 4% rate for bond issues.
The rest of the funding is state and federal grants.
Construction began in February 2021 by Jacobs Engineering Group, based in Dallas and Denver. The operating staff is 14, under the Stanislaus Regional Water Authority.
It is governed by a four-member board from the two cities. They are Lopez and Councilman Bret Silveira from Ceres and Mayor Amy Bublak and Councilwoman Pam Franco from Turlock.
How the water is treated
The Tuolumne arises high in Yosemite National Park, but the water is hardly pristine. The river passes through the Stanislaus National Forest, foothill cattle ranches and irrigated farmland before reaching the plant.
The treatment starts with chemical agents that cause sediment to clump together and settle out. The water then goes through filters and is cleansed of pathogens with both chlorine and ozone.
The project also benefits fish. TID long has diverted its farm water at La Grange. The portion for the treatment plant is withdrawn 26 miles downstream, providing that much more habitat for salmon and other species.
“This is one of those once-in-a-generation projects that our community will be benefiting from for decades,” TID General Manager Michelle Reimers said.
The project did not require damming of the Tuolumne. Instead, water goes through perforated pipes in the riverbed and then is pumped to the plant.
Nearby cities had been interested
Leaders have discussed a treatment plant off and on since the late 1980s, but it was delayed by cost and other concerns. The potential partners have included Hughson, Keyes, Denair, Hilmar and Delhi.
The Modesto Irrigation District has treated some of its share of the Tuolumne for city use since 1994. This has been credited with boosting groundwater in Modesto and smaller locales in the service area.
Having both river water and wells can make the supply more flexible. Ideally, the river is the main source during wet and average years, and groundwater helps out during drought.
Turlock and Ceres also benefit from the fact that Don Pedro Reservoir, shared by TID and MID, is one of the biggest in the state.
Tuesday’s gathering included tours of the site, but a media advisory said photos and video were barred “for security reasons.” The Modesto Bee shot both during a 2021 visit to the construction site.
This story was originally published November 15, 2023 at 11:55 AM.
