Plant Master Plan Update

Charting the next 30 years of the San Jose/Santa Clara Water Pollution Control Plant and its 2,600-acre site

FEBRUARY 2010

Welcome to the Plant Master Plan Update, a snapshot of what’s happening in the three-year effort to develop a master plan for the San Jose/Santa Clara Water Pollution Control Plant (Plant) and its 2,600-acre site—a place twice the size of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. We appreciate your interest and participation in this unique project.

WHAT’S NEW?
The project team is shaping land use alternatives for presentation at community workshops this spring. The alternatives will reflect input from the 1,500 public values surveys collected in 2009 and the project team’s advancements on determining which new operating methods and technologies are adopted for the Plant’s future operations. Visit the Plant Master Plan Web site for more community workshop information.

KEY TOPICS
Forge your future with our Community Advisory Group: Our 18-member Community Advisory Group meets at least monthly and will discuss possible climate change impacts on the Plant and surrounding lands at the February meeting. You are welcome to attend these meetings and provide feedback on this project that will affect your future and that of the next several generations. For meeting information and summaries, visit the Plant Master Plan Web site.

How do we best clean the water? In a nutshell, the purpose of the Plant is to separate solids from the liquids. Expert analysis is pointing us to, for the most part, continue treating the liquid portion of wastewater in the manner that we have been, but to make adjustments to optimize the processes based on new understandings of the technologies, and conditions that have changed since the Plant was built (most notably the higher cost of energy). Entirely new processes may be appropriate for treating the solids that have been removed from the wastewater. These new processes are significantly more expensive, but would make better use of the value of these solids and free up hundreds of acres of land. Details of the treatment improvements are available on the Plant Master Plan Web site.

The Plant’s amazing energy story:  Using 11 megawatts annually – enough to power 10,000 homes year round – the Plant as originally designed is, admittedly, an energy hog. But instead of consuming only fossil fuels, the Plant meets two-thirds of its energy needs with clean methane generated in on-site digesters and by the neighboring landfill. By optimizing processes and upgrading equipment, our Plant is on its way to becoming energy self-sufficient and a global model of green energy production. Learn more about the Plant’s exciting energy story and how our facility will enhance our region’s sustainability.

Did you know?
The EPA named the Plant fourth-place leader for on-site green energy production and use in July 2009.

Yes, we do have a shoreline and we’re reshaping it:  The South Bay shoreline and wetlands are an amazing place, and the Plant site offers opportunities for a range of beneficial uses, including economic, environmental, and social land uses such as parks and trails. Based on the year-long technical and site evaluations and using community input, the project team is developing several land use alternatives to be shared this spring. We’ll ask people what they think of the alternatives, and use the feedback and ideas to form a recommended plan—the Plant Master Plan that will guide operational and land use decisions through 2040.

That’s fine, but what about cost?  $1.5 billion has been estimated for implementing operational improvements in the coming decades. A funding plan and cost analysis are central to the master planning process. Every idea is evaluated for its cost impact, and how it could drive down costs and generate revenue or jobs. Reducing energy expenditures has already been identified as a way to decrease operational costs. More details on possible costs will be presented at the spring community workshops.

YOU’RE INVITED
Visit our meeting calendar for times and locations

• February 10 – Community Advisory Group (CAG) meeting to discuss climate change.
• March 11 – Community Advisory Group (CAG) meeting to discuss Plant infrastructure.
• April 6 – Community Advisory Group (CAG) meeting to discuss regional planning efforts. 
• April/May – Community workshops to provide feedback on the land use alternatives. 
• June – Tours of the Plant begin. Sign up in advance.

CONTACT US
Submit your feedback through the online comment form or contact Project Manager Kirsten Struve at  kirsten.struve@sanjoseca.gov or 408-945-5180. Your feedback is always appreciated!

www.sanjose.gov/esd/plantmasterplan

• Operational – Result in a reliable, flexible Plant that can respond to changing conditions. 
• Environmental – Improve habitat and minimize impacts to the local and global environment. 
• Economical – Maximize economic benefits for customers through cost-effective options. 
• Social – Maximize community benefits through improved aesthetics and recreational uses.

WANT MORE INFORMATION?
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