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The Groveland Community Services District has an approved, updated master plan for its sewage treatment system. The district Board of Directors on Thursday voted unanimously to approve a Sewer System Management Plan, a state-mandated document that sets guidelines for the district’s wastewater system. The district has been operating without an updated, board-approved plan, which has recently drawn the ire of the Central Valley Water Quality Control Board.
“We feel it’s very important to get a document in place,” District General Manager Gary Mello said. “If we find that there are some things that need modifications down the road, we will bring that back to the board. The management plan lays out procedures for maintenance of the sewer system, reporting and testing, spill response, communications and other requirements dealing with the district’s sewage plant and connected infrastructure. The plan also lays out regulatory requirements for issues like fats, oils and grease, something Operations and Maintenance Manager John Sterling said is a problem for the system. Sterling told directors that district staff plans to start more public outreach about grease trap requirements and other regulations with local businesses, it appears some aren’t following district guidelines. “A good portion of what we need to do is education,” Sterling said. The state water board cited GCSD last month for a number of possible violations, most of which were related to the lack of a Sewer System Management Plan. The state started requiring the official plan for sewer districts in 2006, Mello said. The violation notice came as representatives with GCSD and the regional water board continued settlement talks over sewage spills that occurred in August 2010 and March 2011. The district faces up to $1 million in fines for reporting violations surrounding those spills, though water board officials have said the fine could come down if the district improves its systems and policies. “I don’t want to get another (violation notice),” Mello said. “We are making strides forward to satisfy these requirements.” District directors showed unanimous support during the meeting for implementing some sort of performance measures or audit system as part of the new plan. They plan to make sure the district is keeping up proper maintenance and following the procedures. The board will likely decide on that at a future meeting. |