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Gonzales council approves $1.5 million emergency spending as wastewater plant struggles
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Summary
After a staff report detailing chronic percolation problems and biomass buildup, the council declared an emergency and authorized up to $1.5 million for filtration, aeration and other repairs; council also ratified $1.15 million in prior hauling costs and authorized additional hauling contracts up to $300,000.
Gonzales City Council on a unanimous voice vote approved an emergency declaration authorizing up to $1.5 million in immediate work at the city's wastewater treatment plant after staff warned the facility is struggling to manage effluent and maintain percolation basins.
"My name is Megan Panofsky. I'm with M and S Engineers. I've been serving as your wastewater program manager, for about a year and a half now," said Megan Panofsky, who presented a detailed timeline of technical fixes and persistent challenges, including high groundwater, declining percolation rates and basins sealed by biomass.
Panofsky described steps already taken: construction of an "Emergency Basin D," repeated "ripping" and removal of fines from basins, installation and removal of a short-lived spray field, bioaugmentation dosing to break down sludge, and trial use of infiltration basins at a new industrial plant site. She said the plant's permitted capacity is about 1.3 million gallons per day and that recent influent trends have edged upward, increasing strain on the system.
Staff told the council the immediate technical priorities are continued bioaugmentation, draining and ripping basins to remove accumulated fines, piloting a filtration setup to improve effluent quality before it hits the ground, and installing a dechlorination system. Panofsky also said the city is evaluating additional sites and long-term options to manage flow.
To start work immediately, the council adopted Resolution 2025-86, declaring an emergency under the Public Contract Code and relevant Gonzales City code sections and authorizing work "in an amount not to exceed $1,500,000." City staff said the funds would first target a filtration system to address water quality and then other urgent improvements including aeration and sludge removal.
Separately, council approved Resolution 2025-87 to ratify prior effluent-hauling expenditures of $1,150,000 incurred earlier this fall and to allow the city manager to sign hauling contracts with vendors for future pumping up to a $300,000 not-to-exceed amount. Staff described hauling as a costly but occasionally necessary last resort to create freeboard in basins while repairs proceed.
City staff said some Capital Improvement Program projects can be postponed to free up funds; staff's review of the CIP identified roughly $2,120,000 that could be reprioritized if council chooses to shift projects.
Council members asked few technical questions during the report and characterized the request as time-sensitive. The emergency declaration and the hauling contract authorization passed by voice vote; the minutes record the motions and unanimous approval but do not list individual roll-call tallies.
Next steps: staff said they would begin contractor outreach immediately if the emergency declaration is signed and return to council with progress updates and any additional requests for funding or contract approvals.
