January 14, 2002
File No: 2342.04(WBH)
Mr. David Cerini, Owner
Petaluma Mushroom Farm
782 Thompson Lane
Petaluma, CA 94952Subject: AMENDMENTS TO CLEANUP AND ABATEMENT ORDER NO. 00-105 PETALUMA MUSHROOM FARM, 782 THOMPSON LANE, PETALUMA, SONOMA COUNTY
Dear Mr. Cerini:
Summary
This correspondence amends the requirements of Cleanup and Abatement Order No. 00-105 (CAO), issued by the Regional Board Executive Officer on November 1, 2000, to you, as discharger, for your Petaluma Mushroom Farm facility (facility) located at 782 Thompson Lane, Petaluma. The amendments were determined necessary based on the findings of two recent Regional Board staff inspections of your facility, conducted on November 13 and December 7, 2001. During the inspections staff discovered violations of your facility’s conditional waiver of Waste Discharge Requirements and the CAO involving the inadequate containment of solid and liquid wastes at your facility, and the inappropriate and unauthorized disposal of wastewater at off-site locations. An inspection report discussing these findings is attached to this correspondence.
The CAO amendments specified herein impose the following requirements:
* Prohibit the discharge of wastewater to land, including the discharge to any previously authorized disposal fields and dairy waste impoundments, without future written authorization from the Executive Officer.
* Restrict the off-site disposal of wastewater from your facility to only the City of Petaluma’s wastewater treatment plant, in accordance with any conditions imposed by the treatment plant.
* Require the submittal of copies of wastewater trucking and disposal fee invoices, and other pertinent records and documentation, accounting for all off-site discharges of wastewater, including discharges to the dairy, treatment plant, and any other off-site disposal locations during the past 12 months.
* Prohibit the creation of a condition of pollution or nuisance resulting from the management of wastes at your facility. Nuisance as defined in the California Water Code includes the occurrence of odors resulting from waste management practices which are offensive to the senses, so as to interfere with the public and their comfortable enjoyment of life or property. Staff has received a considerable number of complaints from your neighborhood about odors associated with the composting and waste management practices at your facility.
* Expand your facility’s wastewater monitoring program, including monitoring of the facility’s water supply system.
* Require submittal of a revised facility waste management plan, which incorporates the amended CAO prohibitions and provisions described herein.
AMENDMENTS TO CLEANUP AND ABATEMENT ORDER NO. 00-105Cleanup and Abatement Order No. 00-105 (copy attached) issued by the Executive Officer to the discharger on November 1, 2000, is hereby amended to add Prohibition Nos. 5 and 6, and Provision Nos. 8 through 13 as specified below.
PROHIBITION NO. 5 – The discharge of wastewater, washwater, stormwater runoff that has contacted industrial areas, or any other deleterious materials to land, including the discharge to any previously authorized disposal fields and dairy waste impoundments, without written authorization from the Executive Officer subsequent to this Order, is henceforth prohibited.
PROHIBITION NO. 6 – The collection, treatment, storage and disposal of waste or wastewater shall not create a condition of pollution or nuisance as defined in Section 13050 (l) and (m), respectively, of the California Water Code.
PROVISION NO. 8 – Off-site discharge of wastewater from the facility is authorized for disposal only to the City of Petaluma’s wastewater treatment plant in accordance with any conditions imposed by the treatment plant, unless alternative discharge locations have been authorized by the Executive Officer subsequent to this Order.
PROVISION NO. 9 – No later than February 1, 2002, the discharger shall disengage the piping for the spray irrigation system that discharges to the disposal field located on the western side of Thompson Lane across from the facility.
PROVISION NO. 10 – No later than February 1, 2002, the discharger shall install one or more flow meters, as necessary, into the facility’s water supply piping network. The flow meters shall be located and installed in a manner designed to effectively measure and record the amount of fresh water supplied to the facility that will ultimately be discharged to the wastewater holding pond, including washdown water, compost conditioning water, and other process water.
PROVISION NO. 11 – Monitoring Program requirements for the facility are hereby expanded to include the following:
a) Photographic documentation of the level of the wastewater within the on-site wastewater pond: Photographs of the on-site wastewater pond shall be taken twice daily, once in the morning shortly after the facility opens, and once in the evening shortly before the facility closes. The wastewater pond photographs shall be clearly dated and recorded, and maintained on site. Upon request, the record of photographs shall be made available to Regional Board staff during site inspections. The Executive Officer may modify or rescind this requirement as appropriate.The results of Monitoring Program components 5b, c, d, and e above shall be submitted to the Executive Officer, by the 15th day of the month following the monitoring period month.
b) Monthly analysis of wastewater samples collected from the on-site wastewater pond: Wastewater samples shall be collected monthly and analyzed by a State certified analytical laboratory for the following constituents: Biochemical Oxygen Demand, Dissolved Oxygen, pH, nitrate, total ammonia, and total kjeldhal nitrogen.
c) Weekly, determine the average flow, in gallons per day (gpd), of wastewater entering the treatment pond system using the flow meter(s) installed in the facility’s water supply piping network pursuant to Provision No. 10. It will also require calculation of storm water runoff volumes collected in the wastewater pond during each rainfall event. Rainfall data from the rainfall gauge/weather station maintained by the City of Petaluma’s Fire Department should be used to calculate runoff volumes.
d) Maintain daily records of the volume of wastewater hauled to the City of Petaluma’s wastewater treatment plant, in terms of gallonage and number of truckloads.
e) Daily, determine and record the presence or absence of any odors resulting from the facility operations. Whenever odors are present, a characterization of the odors, the source and extent of affected areas shall be determined and reported to the Regional Board, including a description of corrective actions taken to abate the odors.PROVISION NO. 12 – No later than February 8, 2002, submit copies of facility wastewater trucking and disposal fee invoices, and any other pertinent records and documentation, accounting for all off-site discharges of wastewater during the period December 1, 2000, through January 31, 2002, including discharges to the dairy wastewater holding pond, the City’s wastewater treatment plant, and any other off-site disposal locations. For each truck load of wastewater hauled off site, provide the name and address of the hauling company, wastewater volume hauled and the corresponding disposal location, if this information is not clearly described on the invoices.
PROVISION NO. 13 – No later than February 8, 2002, submit and implement a revised Waste Management Plan incorporating the requirements of the amended CAO Prohibitions and Provisions described herein, including a strategy to control odors at the facility, and how the discharger shall utilize the City’s wastewater treatment plant as the only off-site disposal alternative.
Also, please be aware that the deadlines associated with CAO Provision Nos. B.3, B.4, and B.5, requiring characterization of site conditions, have been extended as specified in our Site Characterization Work Plan comment letter, dated January 4, 2002 (copy attached).
Pursuant to California Water Code Sections 13304 and 13350, if the discharger fails to comply with the provisions of Cleanup and Abatement Order No. 00-105 as amended herein, the Regional Board may schedule a hearing to consider assessing civil monetary penalties and to consider requesting the Attorney General to take appropriate enforcement action against the discharger, including injunctive and civil monetary remedies. However, this Order does not preclude the Board from taking appropriate enforcement actions for past violations of the California Water Code.
If you have any questions regarding this matter, please contact Carmen Fewless at (510) 622-2316 [email at crf@rb2.swrcb.ca.gov] or William Hurley at (510) 622-2364 [email at wbh@rb2.swrcb.ca.gov].
Sincerely,
Loretta K. Barsamian
Executive Officerencl. Staff Inspection Report of December 21, 2001
CAO No. 00-105 of November 1, 2000
Site Characterization Comment Letter of January 4, 2002Cc: Ms. Tracy Tesconi
Sonoma County Permit and Resource Management Department
2550 Ventura Avenue
Santa Rosa, CA 95403-2829Mr. Jeff Holtzman, Assistant District Attorney
Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office
2300 County Center Drive
Suite B 170
Santa Rosa, CA 95403