Implementation of Wastewater Program

RBI provided professional services to assist the City of Ione (City) with continued implementation of its Wastewater Program. As Principal Engineer for RBI, Art O’Brien served as the City of Ione’s Wastewater Program Manager. In this role, Art managed the development of the City’s Seepage Discharge Compliance Plan required by the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board (Regional Water Board) and developed their capital project to meet the requirement of the Regional Water Board. In addition to the Seepage Plan development, Art prepared several council briefings including a rate analysis that provided Council information on the best funding approach for an improvement project.

RBI also managed the preparation of an Isotope Study, which was conducted by our teaming partner, HydroFocus, to address the question of whether water from the City’s wastewater ponds was seeping into Sutter Creek. RBI then assisted the City in negotiating the most favorable language possible in the Cease and Desist Order (CDO) adopted by the Regional Water Board on April 7, 2011. This CDO requires the preparation of the following:

• Seepage Discharge Compliance plan 
• Revised Report of Waste Discharge (RWD) in anticipation of revised Waste Discharge Requirements (WDRs)
• Technical Report certifying that the improvements/expansion project has been completed
• An updated Anti-Degradation Analysis consistent with State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) Resolution 68-16

RBI prepared the Seepage Plan in accordance with the CDO. To accomplish this task, RBI conducted an iron and manganese evaluation in addition to a groundwater evaluation. RBI also reviewed PERC’s facility improvements design, created an implementation scope and schedule, and a capital cost and financing plan.