According to the City of Pinole — our neighbors to the south — it is all about dollars and cents. With Pinole’s current financial situation, there is only one solution for the aging wastewater treatment plant we share: the least costly one. And that means spending $46m to upgrade the facility. Whether or not Hercules spends their money on infrastructure improvements to send Hercules’ waste to the larger West County Wastewater District (WCWD) facility in Richmond plays no role in the decision. The bottom line for Pinole today is what counts. And that is unfortunate.

The cities of Pinole and Hercules are currently studying the costs of upgrading the Pinole facility with or without Hercules. In fact, the EIR is studying only two options, but they are not alternatives in the sense that they would be considered independent of outside circumstances. One option assumes Hercules stays with the current agreement — that the two cities share waste and jointly upgrade the Pinole facility — and the second option assumes that Hercules switches over to WCWD (which should be considered the preferred option for Hercules in order to manage the city’s expected growth over the long-term), and Pinole independently upgrades the facility.

A few weeks ago there was a scoping meeting on the EIR that I attended in Pinole. I came prepared with questions and an unabashed bias for both Pinole and Hercules to send its waste to WCWD. That alternative will be studied in the EIR, as required by state law, but to a lesser degree. (In addition, a do-nothing alternative will be evaluated. Some would consider these “throwaway alternatives.”)

These are the comments I sent in for the Notice of Preparation (NOP) for the EIR before the meeting…

1. The proposed pipeline route outlined for Option 2 runs mostly along San Pablo Avenue. A second route, potentially more advantageous with regard to long-term costs of pumping, etc., should be considered, e.g., along the UPRR rail line which is much more flat along its length, which would require a lot less pumping, in addition to not requiring major infrastructure improvements (and re-improvements) along a major arterial route (San Pablo Avenue) for a substantial length of time.
2. As required by CEQA, and as stated in the NOP, the EIR will include four alternatives (including a “No Project” alternative), although the alternatives will not be evaluated “at the same level of detail as the proposed project.” Alternative 3 — All Flows to West County Wastewater District Facilities — should be upgraded to a preferred option, and studied thoroughly. This would be the best alternative in the long run. The potential for redevelopment of the existing Pinole wastewater treatment facility, and the value of such property (which would include transit-oriented development), must be considered when deciding on the long-term objectives for the project. Upgrading the plant (either preferred Options 1 or 2) are short-sighted as they will stunt the future growth of Pinole, and in the case of Option 1, Hercules. Alternative 3 — All Flows to WCWD — should be evaluated as a third preferred option in the Draft EIR.

At the meeting I repeatedly questioned the panel on the merits of Pinole maintaining the existing facility (which would follow costly upgrades, significantly more costly if Hercules remained), and again and again, it came down to cost, and cost alone. It is difficult to argue merits if cost is the only deciding factor — and today’s costs, not the costs further down the line — as if the step of value engineering is simultaneous. It was said that Pinole is fully built-out and the upgraded facility would meet its needs for the indefinite future. For Hercules, that aspect is not as clear, and arguably would not be the case.

The costs are real however. Pinole would need to spend twice as much money to switch to WCWD along with Hercules. That is money that Pinole apparently does not have right now, or is at least not willing to pay for by way of bond (or some other financial vehicle). But it would be the best option.

Pinole’s waterfront is essentially non-existent. The city is proud owner of an historic home on the waterfront, but the building’s neighbors are a wastewater treatment plant and a municipal yard (largely used for trailer storage). Pinole could eventually develop both properties as transit-oriented — a ten minute walk along the Bay Trail to the Hercules train and ferry terminal — but I guess that is simply not in the cards.

To me, it is short-sighted. To Pinole, they are plainly short-funded.