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Town engineer outlines sewer alternatives; residents and groups urge consideration of recycled water and phased approach
Summary
Town engineer Mark Maddox provided an update on the Paradise Sewer project’s alternatives analysis and public outreach; residents and stakeholder groups urged the council to consider recycled water (purple pipe), scalability and local impacts during planning.
Town Engineer Mark Maddox briefed the Paradise Town Council on progress toward a revised, localized wastewater project that would provide collection, treatment and dispersal for the town.
Maddox said an ad hoc committee made up of town staff, council members and regional partners has been evaluating alternatives and touring municipal wastewater facilities to inform sizing and cost estimates. “We continue to progress our project alternatives analysis, including hydraulic model analysis and cost estimates,” he said, and noted the ad hoc committee will present a recommendation following the short-list evaluation.
Maddox announced two public special town council meetings about the project: July 24 and Aug. 14 at 6 p.m. at the Paradise Performing Arts Center, 777 Natalie Road. He said the team has discussed anticipated regulatory requirements with Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board staff and continues to pursue funding and advocacy.
Public commenters represented a range of viewpoints. Cliff Jacobson, identifying himself as someone who researched the topic, disputed some circulating claims about costs and utility coordination, saying he spoke with PG&E and that the utility “knows exactly where everything is to the inch,” and that recycled-water infrastructure increases costs by about “15 to 20%,” not 50 percent as he had heard repeated in town.
Representatives of the Paradise Citizens Alliance (PCA) and the Paradise Ridge Chamber of Commerce called for continued analysis of alternatives and for a “scalable solution with the broadest reach” to serve the most properties and enable commercial recovery. Alma Green of PCA said the group had convened stakeholders and compiled seven months of research and recommended the council consider alternative approaches following the termination of the earlier pipeline-to-Chico plan.
Arby Prewis, CEO of the Paradise Association of Realtors, and others urged the council to prioritize a solution that minimizes business disruption during construction, phases deployment by area, and includes purple pipe (reclaimed-water) infrastructure where feasible.
Council members and staff reiterated that the ad hoc committee has not yet selected a preferred alternative and that the July 24 meeting will review a short list of options and solicited public input. Maddox said additional facility tours and focused workshops are planned as the group completes system sizing and cost estimates.
No formal action or vote occurred on the sewer alternatives at this meeting; the ad hoc committee will bring a recommended alternative and any required environmental or permitting steps back to council for decision.
