SITE INFORMATION AND CORRESPONDENCE 2000-2018

Home Browse Search

Inspection Report Inspection Report Date White Slough - WPCF 20 August 2003 San Joaquin County goes to a holding pond without disinfection to be blended with the untreated industrial influent. The blended domestic and industrial wastewater is land applied. Very strong odors that could cause stress in humans were observed at the head works and primary treatment areas. Odor persisted as strong and stressful for most of the inspection about the headwords, primaries, sludge reactors, secondary clarifiers, and digesters. Sludge from the primaries is approximately 4% solids and is pumped to the anaerobic digesters. Waste activated sludge is pumped to digesters at 120 gpm. When the chlorine contact chambers are used, chlorine gas is flash mixed into the effluent to maintain 6.0-mg/l concentration of chlorine. Discharge and Outfall: During the summer months of May through August, no wastewater is discharged to Dredger Cut. Starting around May, secondary non-disinfected domestic wastewater and untreated industrial wastewater are blended and then land applied. The Discharger reports the large industrial flow from the canneries starts around the end of June through September, which is land applied without additional treatment. Land Application: Approximately 800 acres are farmed to produce corn and alfalfa for offsite livestock feed. Final destination and usage of the feed crop was not observed. The Discharger was unclear on the final destination and usage of the feed crop. Much of the wastewater-irrigated land is adjacent to the White Slough Wild Life Area owned by Department of Water Resources and managed by Department of Fish and Game. An inspection of the land application areas entire perimeter was not completed because the Discharger advised that it would be extremely difficult. A limited tour of the land application areas was conducted and very few legible signs were observed warning the public to avoid the land application areas. In some cases the fencing used to preclude public access were in need of repair or non-existent such as next to the wild life area. Few signs were observed warning the public that reclaimed wastewater was being utilized. No signs were observed around Dredger Cut designating Dredger Cut as a wastewater disposal area. Provision H.3 of WDRs Order No. 5 00-031 requires the Discharger to post signs at the surface water discharge point until the tertiary facility comes on line. Northern California Power Agency, directly adjacent to the wastewater facility, uses wastewater for cooling water. The power agency returns water to the facility at the head works, which contains approximately 700 to 800 mg/l Total Dissolved Solids. Laboratory: The operator's logbook and laboratory records were reviewed with Discharger Self- Monitoring Discharge reports. Some discrepancies on dates of discharge flow were noted,however they seemed minor and easily corrected and/or explained. Laboratory Services Supervisor Michael Schafer provided a copy of the laboratory's California DHS, ELAP, Accredited Fields of Testing certification dated 31 December 2003. Our review of Discharger Monitoring Reports indicates that groundwater elevations are measured, but the flow gradient and direction is not calculated and reported as required in the Monitoring and Reporting