By DAVID ROSS
A waste disposal system, new to this county, with elements of a sewer and a septic system is being envisioned by developers of the Village Square at Valley Center—And they want the VC water district to run it.
About 20 investors and residents who support a shopping center in town turned out to Monday’s water board meeting to give moral support to the idea of the water district eventually owning and operating what is called a “subsurface wastewater treatment and disposal system.”
Some facts about the proposal:
• The State Water Quality Control Board requires that a public agency, rather than a private company, hold the waste water discharge permit associated with this type of system.
• The system would be built by the Puyallup, Washington-based company of NCS, (Northwest Cascade-Stuth), a firm that was recommended to the developer by the County’s Dept. of Health.
• The system would be funded by a sewer assessment district that would collect sewer assessment fees.
• It would provide sewer service at about $20/month to residences.
VCMWD Gen. Mgr. Gary Arant introduced the presentation: “What this is not about is does Valley Center need a shopping center or whether VC needs this particular shopping center, or does VC need a shopping center in this area, or of the merits of a shopping center,” he said.
“What this presentation is about today is simply this: Does the water district want to get into the business of managing, maintaining, operating and being responsible for subsurface disposal systems?”
It would be a first. To date, VCMWD operates a district wide water system and three small sewer systems.
Arant said it is not unknown for a public agency to run a large septic system. “There are septic tank agencies in California, but to date our district has not done so. The question is whether or not the district should get into that business.”
The request is being made by Weston Communities, developer of the shopping center and 63 condos bordered by Cole Grade Road and VC Road. The subsurface system includes 12 acres of leach field along Miller Road.
The center would be served by its own collection and disposal system. A separate system would serve the residential units. Effluent would be collected and pumped to an onsite treatment system and then go into a leach field. The system could handle in excess of 50,000 gallons per day.
Arant said staff has concerns. One is that they would be asked to take over operating a system that staff isn’t familiar with.
He added, “We would be concerned about long term viability for issues dealing with subsurface disposal systems to make sure that its adequate for the long term as well as the short term.”
“What we are looking at is a long term relationship—like forever,” said Arant.
Rather than making a decision on this particular subsurface disposal system, Arant is asking the board to make a policy decision about the system in general.
“This is not about this specific project. If the board says to move forward, we would ask to go forward and develop a policy.”
The district must be involved since the state agency responsible for discharging treated water requires that such systems be operated by public entities.
Arant said staff feels that all projects using this system would be within the Country Town— and should be confined there.
Proponents would pay the district to conduct an independent hydro-geologic analysis.
If the district agreed to run the system, it would form a sewer assessment district to pay for it.
Proponents would provide a licensed and bonded operator for the first five years.
Arant told directors that if they instructed him to move forward that staff would then develop a policy that would apply to all future projects of this nature.
The Roadrunner asked Arant if the proposal is actually a package sewer by another name.
Deciding that will be part of the feasibility study, he said.
Herb Schaffer, managing partner for Weston Communities, told the board “We’re trying to create something that’s more than a shopping center.”
It will be heavily landscaped. It will include a civic center, two parks, and outdoor restaurants. “It will be more of a focal point for the community. It will look and feel like a community center,” he said.
It will, he said, provide moderate priced housing “which does not currently exist today in the community. These will be more moderately priced and keep Valley Center residents in Valley Center. They will be able to walk to work to two small office buildings and walk to shop.”
Gary Wynn, civil engineer for the project, went over the history of the Moratorium, when no building was allowed in the town center and two unsuccessful attempts were made to sewer the area. At the same time residential development continued on the periphery of the community.
“We didn’t have any real commercial services,” said Wynn who said the project would develop half of the northern node of VC.
Wynn and Schaffer called the ability to develop this particular piece of property, “a fluke. It’s a property that has the ability to sewer itself,” said Wynn. “This property has the capacity to stand on its own. No other property in the valley has the capability to do what this property can do.”
Craig Goodwin of NC, said his company has done hundreds of such projects all over the country. They specialize in treating waste created by shopping centers.
Their clients include Safeway, Albertsons, Wal-Mart, Mc-Donalds Wendys, Pizza Hut, Burger King etc., etc.
They design and manage their systems, but they are also happy to give them to a public agency, or train a public agency to do it, or to run it for a public agency.
They have been in business since the 1960s and have been managing these types of systems since 1989.
Because this system is subsurface, it conjures up images of a septic tank, he said. “But this is somewhat different. Septic systems last for about 50 years. This kind of system is a permanent solution.”
Arant was skeptical and asked how, since the company has been in the business since 1989, it knows the system is permanent.
Goodwin said engineering studies predict that such systems will last for the forseeable future.
It would be a permanent solution if a sewer never comes to VC, said Goodwin. But it would be easily be retrofitted to connect to a sewer if one happens.
The system treats waste to a high level, removing organics, and discharges it into the soil, which finishes the disinfecting.
“It is dramatically different from what you would normally think of as a septic system,” he said.
The soil of the 12 acres is deep and “perfect’ for this type of system, he said. “Wherever we see soil that is deep and good, as we see here, the best solution is to go subsurface.”
This would be the first such system in San Diego county. It is similar to what was approved for Lilac Elementary School., which NCS will operate and maintain.
Schaffer stressed the uniqueness of the property in question. It won’t “open the floodgates” to other, similar systems, he said.
Deli owner Abe Boulos asked the board to approve Weston’s request. He said the community is paying the price for its past opposition to sewers. “If the board doesn’t approve this system, the project will be killed.”
It will, he said, force residents out of town to seek services, increasing traffic and fatalities. “We won’t have shopping center for a long time and this will encourage the casinos around here to build their own.”
Boulos said he has a petition signed by 44 people asking the district to approve the request.
Supervisor Bill Horn also sent a letter to the board, asking them to approve the request, although he noted that the Board of Supervisors has yet to act on the Weston development.
Board Pres. Gary Broomell siad, “We have been trying to get sewer in VC since I was a little kid. I think it’s time to move on. I don’t know how we as an organization can legally stand in their way and if they are going to go ahead with this project we should be part of it.”
Director Chuck Stone added, “We are in the wastewater treatment business,” he said.
On a motion by Bob Polito, the board approved going forward with the study.
A sometimes heated discussion between some VC Fire Board directors and Chief Kevin O’Leary May 22 highlighted a difference in philosophies.
Some directors feel that taxes VC residents pay should go for fire protection here first, with being a good neighbor to other districts running a distant second.
The chief is pushing for a more “regional” approach, where small districts that can’t always meet their own staffing requirements rely on each other to make up the difference.
The board and chief engaged in a recurring argument over mutual aid with other districts.
The chief was requesting that the district enter into an automatic aid agreement with San Pasqual Indian Reservation. Each department would automatically respond to each other’s fires and accidents. That would be a change from the current “mutual aid,” in which each department comes to the other’s assistance when requested to.
No director had a problem with responding to San Pasqual’s fire calls. The problem arises because San Pasqual has contracted to provide protection to Rincon Indian Reservation. If an automatic aid agreement is signed between the two departments, that VC units would also respond to fires and accidents on Rincon.
Since often rancorous and ultimately unsuccessful negotiations between VC fire district and Rincon Reservation two years ago led Rincon to contract with San Pasqual, directors felt that under an automatic aid agreement with San Pasqual Rincon would get fire protection from VC without paying for it.
“You’re looking at costs coming up that are going to break the bank on this district,” commented director Dan Thornton, “so I want to be careful how we make demands on it.”
O’Leary protested, “You can’t tie an incident commander’s hand to where he is thinking what he should be doing politically instead of helping people that need help.”
O’Leary said that one advantage of the agreement is that VC would be served by a ladder truck that San Pasqual bought to answer fire calls at the multi-story hotel at Harrah’s Rincon Casino.
“Would the tribe be paying for that truck if they didn’t have a casino?” asked Schuler.
“That doesn’t matter to me," said O’Leary. “We’re looking at it from two different points of view. I’m not into the politics of it, I’m into the safety of the firefighters.”
O’Leary noted that very few rural districts are able on their own to meet OSHA’s two in, two out, policy that requires two firefighters outside of a fire to be able to rescue the two firefighters inside the building.
“You’re right that the two in, two out requirement has led to a regionalized approach to fire fighting,” he said. “This is not Rincon asking me to do this. This is me coming to this board and saying we need to look at a regionalized approach. We need to help each other.”
Director Stan Johnson asked if when VCFPD was negotiating a contract with Rincon it could have fulfilled those obligations without help from other districts.
“No,” said O’Leary.
“Then what’s the difference?” said Johnson. He added that lots of people from Valley Center use the casino at Rincon.
Schuler said he trusts the chief’s judgment and would vote for the agreement, “but I’ll certainly want to watch it. I won’t feel comfortable with it but I’ll support it.”
Thornton said he didn’t see the same commitment to fire safety by some outlying areas and felt that VC taxpayers were paying for that.
“There is a cost to our material, to the wear and tear on the equipment. I think it’s a bad deal.
“It’s always us having to provide the regional approach. But the reality of it is we’re going to answer these calls whether we have these agreements or not. I am uncomfortable with that and want to have it monitored,” he said.
The board approved O’Leary’s request and the chief will bring the agreements back for final approval at a future meeting.
A rare collection of nearly 200 authentic Indian-crafted baskets has been provided to the Valley Center History Museum for display when the new facility opens on June 23.
Norman Syler, chairman of the museum, said the baskets have been in private ownership, and that the family that owns the collection has agreed to a public showing. Some of the baskets are more than a century old.
Syler said the entire collection would not be placed on public view at one showing. Instead, he said, the museum will show a limited number of the baskets at any given time, changing the display every month or so until all 200 have been seen.
The History Museum will open Monday, June 23, at 29200 Cole Grade Road, adjacent to the new Valley Center Library. Admission will be free.
For more information on the museum and its exhibits, visit www.valleycenterhistory.org or call (760) 749-1305.
The Valley Center Town Center Design Workshop (General Plan 2020) will be presented by the County Dept. of Planning & Land Use Saturday, June 7, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. at Valley Center Library Community Room.
The community is invited to participate in a workshop to outline a plan for guiding future development in Valley Center’s Town Centers. A series of educational, informative, and productive design workshops will address future Town Center planning and design standards.
This public workshop process is intended to provide information and education on town planning principles in order to make better decisions on how to make great places.
“The workshop’s focus is to bring citizens together around a common vision and solutions for the future of Valley Center rather than to mediate disagreements about the present,” according to a press release from DPLU. “Following this workshop, it is General Plan 2020’s intention to provide graphic scenarios of your community’s vision as directed by input at the workshops. Please participate in this opportunity to plan for the future of Valley Center,” says the press release.
For more information call DPLU, Curt Gonzales, at 858-694-3696, curt.gonzales@sdcounty.ca.gov or Howard Blackson at 858-495-5403, howard.blackson@sdcounty.ca.gov.
For decades the San Luis Rey riverbed as it crosses Rincon Reservation, as well as a once formally closed dump site were convenient places for people to discard trash ranging from yard refuse and hazardous materials to worn-out appliances.
That’s all changing, and in a project that is expected to extend indefinitely, Rincon Reservation is getting cleaned up.
According to Chairman John Currier, “Cleanup of our reservation was among the highest priorities voiced by tribal members in the all-member survey the Business Committee conducted in spring 2002. I am pleased that the Business Committee has authorized the start of what eventually will be a reservation-wide cleanup. Other programs to educate and assist our people in the proper and safe handling and disposal of hazardous waste are in the planning stages. We’ve only just begun to beautify Rincon Reservation and work toward creating a more safe and healthy place to live.”
Two factors have spurred the cleanup. One, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s mandate to protect the habitat of the arroyo southwestern toad, and two, revenues from the tribally owned Harrah’s Rincon Casino and Resort generate funding to field a crew to cleanup the riverbed and an old dump.
Pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended, the federal government, Jan. 17, 1995 classified the arroyo southwestern toad (Bufo microscaphus californicus), as “Endangered.”
As plans for Rincon’s temporary casino and subsequent permanent casino and resort moved forward, including environmental impact assessments, the Fish and Wildlife Service ruled that the San Luis Rey River, its flood plain and adjacent area were critical habitat for the toad. This resulted in the federal mandate to protect the toad’s habitat.
Reservation cleanup, as authorized by the Business Committee, is overseen by Rincon Environmental Coordinator Robin Kinmont. Working under Kinmont’s supervision is a four-person temporary, all-Indian cleanup crew.
The toad habitat area covers 94.5 acres, which includes the riverbed as it extends southeast to northwest across Rincon Reservation and the flood plain.
According to Kinmont, the cleanup included removal of household garbage, yard clippings, tires, batteries, used motor oil in unmarked plastic containers or open containers, refrigerators, stoves, freezers, washers and driers and assorted auto parts.
“The river cleanup protects the reservation ecosystem,” Kinmont says, “because it restores the river to its natural state and reduces the probability of contamination to surface and groundwater.”
As part of the project, signs have been placed marking the habitat protection area along the river.
Currently, anyone – Rincon member or not – who disposes of anything in the San Luis Rey Riverbed is subject to federal penalties that can include a fine up to $200,000.
Operation of motor vehicles, especially off-road vehicles, is strictly prohibited in or near the riverbed. Non-Rincon tribal members are also prohibited from access to the habitat area.
Agents of the Fish and Wildlife Service have the power to patrol the toad habitat protection area at any time day or night and take appropriate enforcement action.
A 15-acre Habitat Management Plan Area parcel was graded and a levy built as part of the casino and hotel project. The Fish and Wildlife Service requires this area to be restored to its natural riparian habitat.
Restoration includes planting 69 trees native to Rincon (coastal live oak, California sycamore and cottonwood) and removal of non-native vegetation (nine species) and non-native predators (Argentine ant, bullfrogs, and African-clawed frogs).
Kinmont is responsible for monitoring this area that serves as a natural buffer zone between the river and the 53-acre casino and resort project area.
In addition to the federal mandate covering the toad habitat, two Rincon tribal ordinances govern waste disposal.
The Waste Matter Dumping Ordinance was certified and adopted by the Business Committee on Aug. 13, 1987.
The Emergency Interim Ordinance Regulating the Disposal of Waste Materials within the Boundaries of Rincon Reservation was adopted June 11, 1989 by the Rincon General Membership and certified by the Business Committee.
The tribe is also operating under guidelines covered by the Rincon Solid Waste Management Plan of June 30, 1990, as adopted and certified by the Business Committee. This plan is undergoing a revision, pursuant to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency four-year American Indian General Assistance Program grant that funds the Rincon EPA.
The Valley Roadrunner
P.O.B. 1529, Valley Center, CA 92082
Tel. 760.749.1112 Fax 760.749.1688
Website: www.valleycenter.com
Email: editor@valleycenter.com
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