Balancing Growth, Tackling Water Challenges

WILLIAMS, CA (MPG) – The City of Williams has witnessed significant economic growth the past few years with the opening of the new Tractor Supply, the near completion of O’Reilly Auto Parts, and the planned new developments for another freeway-access truck stop and a new electric vehicle charging center on Highway 20 at Virginia Street.

Officials said economic development benefits the city by increasing sales tax revenue – boosting the funds available for local services, infrastructure, education, and public safety – while also fostering job creation that contributes to greater consumer spending and sales tax collections.

But for Williams to grow, City Administrator Frank Kennedy and Public Works Director Colt Esenwein said the city must increase water and wastewater capacity for the city to accommodate future development.

“There are some things we have to get done,” said City Administrator Frank Kennedy, who has been working with staff for several years on multiple projects, as well as fielding new proposals all the time that may or may not come to fruition. “We have a lot of needs before we take on a whole bunch of new things.”

Among the biggest challenges, Kennedy said, is making sure the city has sufficient water supply and sufficient capacity at the wastewater treatment plant to accommodate new growth.

The Williams City Council on March 19 authorized Esenwein to task the city’s contracted engineering firm, PACE, to do an antidegradation study for the purpose of expanding the city’s wastewater treatment plant.

Esenwein said the city’s sewer plant is within 10% of its existing cap for treating and discharging wastewater and will be closer to 5% when the current projects under construction are completed.

“Without the expansion of the plant, it will be difficult to give ‘will-serve’ letters to future developments,” Esenwein said.

The Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board regulates wastewater discharge and just recently included more stringent discharge requirements, including new effluent limitations on zinc and electrical conductivity monitoring requirements that will provide the state additional insights into salt and ions in wastewater and their potential impacts on ecosystems and agricultural use.

Esenwein said the city currently does not have the technology at the plant to meet the new standards and is working with the state on a compliance order, which could give Williams 10 years to comply.

Meanwhile, the city is currently being issued new waste standard permits, which provide Williams with the opportunity to increase treatment and discharge capacity at the same time.

“In order to do this, the city must complete an antidegradation study,” Esenwien said.

An antidegradation study for water quality in California evaluates whether proposed activities, such as increasing wastewater discharge, will degrade water quality.

California’s Antidegradation Policy and the federal Clean Water Act’s antidegradation requirements guides the study, Esenwien said.

The study will involve assessing baseline water quality and evaluating potential impacts new and proposed activity has on water quality to ensure that the best practicable treatment or control measures are in place to minimize pollution.

The antidegradation study will cost about $50,000, which the City Council approved as a budgetary increase to the city’s sewer enterprise fund.

Kennedy said the completion of the study will result in the state allowing the city to increase wastewater treatment and discharge capacity from 500,000 gallons to 700,000, which will allow new development to come into the city.

“This should last us several years,” Kennedy said. “This will not increase the efficiency that we need to build into that plant. There will be more items coming into the future to become more efficient.”

However, Kennedy and Esenwein agreed the study was a crucial first step for the city to manage its wastewater.

“The more capacity you have, it’s actually easier to maintain compliance because you have a larger flow and more wiggle room,” Esenwein said.

As for increasing water supply to accommodate growth, Esenwein said new water Well 11 will come online this summer as the city is still awaiting the pump, which was delayed.