Alameda County officials press fair staff on water‑discharge permits and compliance as horse events resume

Supervisors and fair officials spent the meeting probing when temporary storage tanks and related permits were installed at the Alameda County Fairgrounds and what steps are needed to address alleged discharges of animal waste.

At the outset, a supervisor asked fair staff when the Baker tanks were put on site and how soon permit approvals followed; the executive director (speaker 2) said the tanks arrived in January and that one permit had been granted while a second, for opening a valve during the fair, was still under review. "We submitted [the permit] about a month apart," the director said when asked about timing.

The exchange returned the board to a longer history: staff said water‑quality concerns were raised in 2014, the city installed a bypass valve around 2016 that mitigated off‑site impacts, and the issue resurfaced in 2024 after year‑round racing resumed and horse counts increased. "When we started racing year‑round, the valve was determined not to be an appropriate solution," the executive director said, adding that regulators asked the fair to pursue alternatives.

Supervisors pressed jurisdictional questions: who must hold permits if projects cross city and county property, and which agencies (city, county, state, federal) must sign off on engineered solutions. Staff said the valve sits on or affects adjacent city infrastructure and that some discharges reach the municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4), so resolving the problem will require coordination and legal review.

Board members also questioned what regulatory standard the fair is being measured against. Officials described a threshold used in the region: events with more than 500 horses for longer than 45 days can trigger additional regulatory review under concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) interpretations. "If you go over 45 days with more than 500 horses, it's a significant change in what the requirements are," one board member said.

To address technical questions, the board directed an engineering study now under contract with Kieran Wright (referred to in the meeting). Staff said the consultant will measure flows, install detectors and produce bacteria counts and flow calculations; the study is expected to inform whether a filtration or capture system could be approved for limited events (the director said a deliverable is due by October). "We're just waiting for Kieran Wright to come back with all of their flow calculations," a board member summarized.

Supervisors repeatedly framed the issue as one of preserving fair activities while meeting regulatory requirements. "This property, the Alameda County Fairgrounds, the operations that occur on this facility get to the heart of our heritage," one supervisor said, adding that the board wants equestrian events to continue if they can be made compliant.

Staff emphasized the sequence: the county and fair are pursuing permits and data; temporary measures (Baker tanks) have been permitted for now; engineers must show to regulators that any proposed capture/treatment system prevents noncompliant discharge. The board asked county legal counsel to confirm which party—county or fair association—is responsible for obtaining any required permits for on‑property projects and to report back.

The meeting closed the topic with direction to keep the joint fair committee informed and to return with clear documentation of permits, engineering findings and a timetable for regulatory approvals.

The board moved on without taking a formal vote on compliance measures; staff said inspections and testing by city/regional staff have occurred and that further permit applications are in active review.