While Chualar’s wastewater treatment plant is out of commission, Soledad is treating its wastewater.

During the recent winter storms, Monterey County’s wastewater treatment plant in the unincorporated South County community of Chualar was under water as the Salinas River flooded, and sewage was released into the river, according to a memo prepared by Soledad’s interim city manager J. Edward Tewes for Soledad City Council. 

Since Tuesday, Jan. 17, trucks have transported wastewater—about 60,000 gallons per day—from Chualar to Soledad for processing in that city’s wastewater treatment plant. On Jan. 18, Soledad City Council unanimously approved emergency mutual aid between Soledad and Chualar, and the city will continue to treat Chualar’s wastewater for up to 60 days.  

When Chualar’s facility flooded, the Central Coast Regional Water Board and Monterey County Water Resources Agency requested emergency aid and Tewes authorized it for a 60-day period. 

“It's going to be a while before the river subsides, and then for them to assess if it's just restoring the ponds and getting the pumps started again, or if the pumps and the electrical gear were submerged and ruined, that could take a significant amount of time,” said Don Wilcox, Soledad’s director of public works, during the council meeting. 

Soledad’s wastewater plant runs about 3 million gallons of water every day and the addition of 60,000—about a 2-percent increase—is not expected to impact the facility. Wilcox said Soledad doesn’t have an out-of-town wastewater treatment fee, and will use its by-gallon rate of $6,344 per million gallons, or about $380 per day. (The price doesn’t include transportation from Chualar.)

Soledad Mayor Anna Velazquez highlighted the importance of aiding and supporting each other. “This time was Chualar. Next time, it might be us,” she said at the council meeting.  

County officials are optimistic about reopening the Chualar facility. “Staff is out today assessing the condition of the Chualar wastewater treatment plant, in hopes of bringing it back into operation today,” Monterey County communications coordinator Maia Carroll writes via email. 

Once the Chualar plant comes back online, the community’s wastewater will no longer be trucked to Soledad for treatment.