Thank you for your interest in the San Jose/Santa Clara Water Pollution Control Plant Master Plan. The Plant Master Plan is the result of a five-year effort and provides a roadmap for the next 30 years of capital projects for wastewater treatment and defines the future land uses for the 4.5 square mile site at the southernmost end of the San Francisco Bay based on the principles of sustainability.

The Plant Master Plan is comprised of 33 individual project memoranda covering specific topics. All of the project memos are now available for download. The project memos cover 5 main areas:

• Goals and Objectives
• Background Information
• Projections
• Technical and Land Use Alternatives
• Capital Plan

The Plant Master Plan utilizes ten years of data from 1998-2007 as the foundation for wastewater treatment project recommendations. The last five years of wastewater flows to the Plant have remained consistent with the trends identified in the Plant Master Plan. The population projections, based on projections from the Association of Bay Area Governments, reflect the entire Plant service area (8 cities in the South Bay) and exceed the maximum build-out potential in the Envision San José 2040 General Plan. The Plan demonstrates that population growth, when projected at even higher rates than current zoning will permit, will not result in the need for projects to increase the Plant’s capacity. 

Over 100 technical improvements in the Plant Master Plan are compiled in the Project Memo 6.1 “30-year Capital Improvement Program.” Each improvement has a unique timeline. These timelines have been modified to account for financing needs and the 100-plus individual improvements have been assembled into three packages for implementation. Package 1 is comprised of critical projects, which are currently underway. Package 2 contains projects that provide short- and long-term benefits and have impacts to the surrounding land use. These projects are included in the Plant Master Plan Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and will begin construction after certification of the EIR. Package 2 includes projects related to the biosolids transition, energy generation, and new filter systems. Package 3 includes long-term projects that may be implemented after 2025 if needed. See the February 6, 2012, San José Transportation and Environment Council committee memo for details (http://www.sanjoseca.gov/clerk/CommitteeAgenda/TE/20120206/TE20120206_d3.pdf).

The land use component of the Plant Master Plan, Project Memo 5.10 includes a zoning map and development guidelines that will be incorporated into the Alviso Master Plan as part of the Envision San José 2040 General Plan after the anticipated certification of the Plant Master EIR in 2013.

While the Plant Master Plan provides a detailed description of future improvements and proposed land uses, the Plan is just the starting point for project development. All projects will require additional engineering, cost benefit, and environmental impact analysis. Staff plans to modify the Plant Master Plan to reflect any changing conditions, needs, and assumptions every five years.

An Executive Summary is available now, and Summary Report will be available in the spring of 2012.  If you have any questions, please http://www.rebuildtheplant.org/go/inquiry/1823/or go to the “Contact Us” section of the website.

Executive Summary

Project Memos:

1.1          Vision, Goals, and Objectives

2.1          Description of Existing Facilities

2.2          Summary of Previous Reports

3.1          Historic Wastewater Flows

3.2          Historical Wastewater and Receiving Water Characteristics

3.3          Existing Treatment Plant Performance

3.4          Master Plan Design and Standby Criteria

3.5          Capacity of Existing Facilities

3.6          Historic and Projected Population

3.7          Historic and Projected Recycled Water Flows

3.8          Projected Wastewater Flows and Characteristics

4.1          Existing Regulatory Requirements

4.3          Regulatory Scenarios

4.4          Existing Asset Management

4.5          Prioritization of Costs and Repairs

4.8          Scalping Plant Assessment

4.9          Stormwater Diversion

4.10a     Urine Separation

4.10b     Food Waste Separation

4.10c      Water Conservation

5.1          Liquids Treatment - Alternatives

5.2          Solids Treatment - Alternatives

5.3          Energy Evaluation - Alternatives

5.4          Projected Sea-Level Rise

5.5          Odor Evaluations

5.6          Technical Inputs to Land Use

5.7          Existing Site Conditions

5.8          Site Opportunities and Constraints

5.9          Conceptual Site Alternatives

5.10        Land Use Alternatives

5.11        Support Facilities

6.1          CIP Implementation

6.2          Basis of Costs