Morro Bay Water Reclamation Facility Project:  Issues, Concerns, and Solutions



Project History


The Morro Bay Water Reclamation Facility (WRF) project, originally called the Wastewater Treatment Plant Project (WTTP) project, began in 2003. Concerned about the discharge of insufficiently-treated sewage into the ocean, the Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB) ordered the City to remedy the problem.  


It appears that the City staff, Mayor and Council have failed to learn from expensive past mistakes, and the mistakes of this group will cost taxpayers many times as much as the errors of the past.  Throughout the project, the City has pursued project approaches and technologies that have been disadvantageous to residents and benefited only the engineering consultants and  construction companies.  


The current Mayor’s statement, “Let’s finish what we started” is an alarming restatement of the disastrous attitude of the 2010 Mayor, Council and staff members who flatly refused to consider an offer that could have resulted in a plant being built in about 2 years for an $18 million guaranteed cost.


Initially, the City planned to upgrade the existing plant.  Considerable time, effort and money were expended on that plan until someone realized that a flood hazard study had not been conducted for the site.  


In 2009, the flood hazard study was completed.  The study conclusion was that the existing WWTP facility was at high risk of flood damage, should be demolished and replaced with a new one.


It was then decided that the new plant would be built adjacent to the old one.  Detailed design of the plant began, although the environmental impact report (EIR) for the new plant had not been completed.  


Instead of working collaboratively with the California Coastal Commission (CCC), the City chose to ignore this resource.   When the draft EIR was published, both the City of Morro Bay Planning Commission and CCC staff identified significant problems with the project and with the site.  The CCC’s findings were documented in a 12-page letter.


Because the Planning Commission agreed with many of the CCC concerns, the Mayor attempted to fire them.  Rather than try to work with the CCC to iron out the issues, the Mayor and Council defiantly ignored CCC concerns and certified the EIR.   Shortly thereafter, the CCC took control of project permitting away from the City.


In January, 2013 the Coastal Commissioners unanimously denied a permit to build the plant at the Atascadero Road site, citing the concerns outlined by their staff.


In February, 2013, a new Morro Bay City Council majority began taking steps to acquire a site for the new plant.  The attempt to find a site has been going on ever since.  Numerous sites were evaluated at considerable expense.  In December, 2013, in response to the site evaluation work, CCC staff stated that they recommended “that the existing WWTP site be eliminated from further consideration”


Site evaluation continued.   A great deal of time and money were spent looking at the possibility of a regional plant at the California Men’s Colony.  That was eventually found to be unfeasible. The City then settled on a Morro Valley site known as “Rancho Colina”.


In 2015, the Cayucos Sanitary District pulled out of the joint project, citing concerns that it did not have enough say in project direction.  The District decided to build its own plant.  Morro Bay pressed on, with the intent of building a new plant at the Rancho Colina site.  


In early 2016, disagreements with the Rancho Colina property owner prompted the City to change course and name the Righetti property as the preferred site.  Apparently, City officials and staff had forgotten earlier threats by site neighbors to sue if the City attempted to build a plant on that site.


Immediately, nearby property owners protested that their property values and quality of life would be seriously impacted by a plant on the Righetti property.  Protests were so forceful that the City backed down.


In response, with little additional analysis, the City announced it had chosen yet another site - “South Bay Boulevard”, also known as the “Tri-W” site.  At the first public meeting to discuss a draft facility master plan for this location, site neighbors expressed concerns, including traffic issues.  


Some believe that a traffic study would “kill” this site as a potential location for the plant.  Whether the site will meet the same fate as its predecessor is unknown.