Plant Restoration Project

The ambitious plant restoration project that Oro Loma and Castro Valley (which owns25% of the District's wastewatertreatment plant) embarked on in July 2004 is now a little more than half-way through its anticipated 1000 days of construction, and it is 83% complete. This puts the project well ahead of schedule and on budget.

All three new circular clarifiers, which have a diameter of 120 feet and a depth of 18 feet, are complete. The new disinfection channel and connection to the existing disinfection channel are all complete. This new channel system more than doubles Oro Loma's disinfecting capabilities and allows the District to shut down one channel or the other for maintenance and repair.

The massive new pump station still needs some electrical work and piping. This should be finished by April of this year. Then extensive testing of the plant will begin. Testing will be carried out in two phases-operation and stress testing. The District anticipates that the newly restored plant will be fully functional and online by this summer. An open house to celebrate the successful completion of this historic project is planned for fall 2006 or spring 2007. Look for details in upcoming newsletters.

Completion ahead of schedule on such a complex and ambitious project would not have been possible without the successful collaboration between the District and the project's main contractor, Monterey Mechanical of Oakland.

Despite encountering unforeseen obstacles 10-50 feet below the surface, and a water table that is only 7-8 feet below the surface, Monterey Mechanical continued to work without delay. When challenged with the need to shut down half of the existing disinfection channel, they worked 10 hours a day, six days a week for seven weeks to create a 48-inch pipe bypass that allowed them to complete work on the new channels in record time.

When complete, the plant will produce treated discharge that meets stringent environmental standards well into the future, both in dry and in wet weather.