Vallejoans learn about flood and wastewater treatment plant

With perfect temperatures in Vallejo on Saturday, those on hand at the Vallejo Flood and Wastewater District’s “Behind the Flush” event wanted to make sure they didn’t waste the opportunity to learn more about the environment.

OK, well, maybe they just wanted to make sure they were wasting it correctly.

Saturday’s behind-the-scenes experience offered an opportunity for community members of all ages to tour the wastewater treatment plant and discover how wastewater is cleaned, treated, and safely returned to the environment.

“We’re excited to show people the work that our dedicated team of professionals does every day,” Vallejo Flood and Wastewater District Community Outreach Specialist Rachelle Canones said. “We’re one of those utilities that people don’t think about until something goes wrong. A lot of people don’t realize the work that goes on behind the scenes, which is why we titled the event ‘Behind the Flush.’ We want people to realize that the work we do not just allows them to benefit from plumbing and being able to flush their toilet, but we’re also protecting the environment and public health.”

Members of the Vallejo Flood and Wastewater District wore T-shirts reading, “You’re Number 2 is our Number 1.”

Leading the tours was Orlando Cortez, who is the facilities operations superintendent.

“I have a sense of pride, and I like to show off our facility, and this is a great turnout of the public,” Cortez said. “We want to let people know who we are, what we’re doing, and where their funds go. I’m really glad a lot of youth showed up. The more we can get kids involved is huge. This is our next generation. It’s good to see families out together and engaging children.

“A lot of the adults wanted to know the amount we did treat here and also the odors. How are we trying to mitigate that? Where do they come from?, etc.”

Longtime Vallejoans Vic and Sharon Chaney came to the event curious to see what it was all about.

“We wanted to see how all this worked,” Vic said. “We learned how they treated it and what chemicals they use and how they filter it and how the flushable wipes have to get pulled out in the beginning.”

“I didn’t know that the water treatment plant was different than the wastewater treatment plant and that the water goes into the Bay,” Sharon said.

Guided by District staff, visitors were able to follow the journey of wastewater through each stage of the treatment process and learn how these essential operations protect local creeks, watersheds, the San Francisco Bay, and public health.

“I liked the tour and how the toilet paper was gotten rid of,” 12-year-old Oliver Godinez said.

“We also learned everything got clean and how the algae grows in there,” 7-year-old Eliot Godinez said.

A soft launch of the community’s new Adopt-a-Drain program also made its debut, while the event also featured vendors and informative booths to offer more educational opportunities to the public. It also offered face painting and hands-on activities for children and aspiring young scientists. There was also ice cream, popcorn, and giveaways for kids.

Community partners on hand included the Vallejo Watershed Alliance, California Native Plant Society (William L. Jepson Chapter), Solano Resource Conservation District, the Greater Vallejo Recreation District, Greenbelt Alliance, and more.

Questions also centered around new safety rules and regulations that require building a secondary biological process that can meet the state’s requirements of stricter nitrogen removal. According to Cortez, the removal needs to be cut in half by 2035. Cortez said that the plant is currently at around 1,000 milligrams per liter, and by 2035, that needs to be roughly below 500 milligrams per liter. An engineering firm has been hired as a consultant.

“We want to make sure we right-size it but also make it maintenance-friendly,” Cortez said. “Operationally friendly. We don’t want to get a new shiny tank that needs a ton of maintenance.”

Vallejo Flood and Wastewater District Environmental Services Director Jennifer Harrington said, “The treatment plant does a lot of things well, but removing nutrients is not one of them.”

“The plant wasn’t designed to remove nutrients when it was built,” Harrington said. “What the public can do is be involved at public meetings.”

Harrington also said a way to be involved is to sign up to adopt a storm drain. The way to do that is to sign up online and adopt a drain at adopt-a-drain.org and then use a broom or rake to sweep leaves, trash, and other debris off the drain surface year-round. Then one needs to track their estimated total amount of debris they collect into the online account, so the district can then track those results.