OJAI : Study Clears Way for Water Plant Project

Members of the Ojai Valley Sanitary District have approved a final environmental impact report that paves the way for the $27-million renovation of its waste-water treatment plant.

The district, which serves about 12,000 customers between north Ventura and Ojai, was ordered by state water officials in 1990 to upgrade the system after discharge samples failed to meet standards.

With the adoption of the final environmental report, the district will begin looking for $20 million it hopes to borrow from a state revolving fund to pay for the improvements, General Manager Eric Oltmann said.

If the loan package is approved this spring, construction bids could go out as soon as June, Oltmann said.

Even so, the renovation would take 30 months, leaving the district six months behind its July, 1996, deadline to upgrade the system. The district could be fined $25,000 for every day it fails to comply with the order.

Customers would probably pay about $10 a month extra for the next 20 years to fund the improvements, Oltmann said. The average bill for a household now is about $22, he said.

Board member Stan Greene said the renovation would help both the district and the environment.

“It’s going to clean up the water in the Ventura River,” he said. “There will be more oxygen available for fish and it will cut down on nutrients for non-native plants that clog the river.”

The district’s board of directors also is seeking applications to replace Director James Brady, who resigned Wednesday because he is moving to Northern California to accept a new job.

The seven-member panel, which oversees an annual budget of about $4 million, will probably name a replacement next month.