Healdsburg may send wastewater to Geysers

Healdsburg is negotiating to send treated wastewater through Santa Rosa's pipeline to The Geysers geothermal field.

The Healdsburg City Council this week authorized the city manager and public works director to pursue grant and loan funds to build a connection from its sewer treatment plant to Santa Rosa's nearby pipeline.

The move is prompted by financial and regulatory hurdles to a $14.5 million wastewater irrigation system Healdsburg has been planning to use in vineyards, parks and open space.

Currently, the city discharges its wastewater into the Russian River, but is under a deadline to end the practice by October, 2014.

"We are under a mandate as part of our operating permit with the regional water quality board to not discharge a million gallons a day of highly treated reclaimed water into the river," said Healdsburg City Councilman Jim Wood. "We have been working with trying to come up with solutions."

To help meet the deadline, the city is looking to send most of the 158 million gallons it produces during the dry months of May through September to The Geysers, where it would be converted to steam and electricity.

In addition to connecting to the Geysers pipeline, Healdsburg will pursue a more limited plan for a distribution system to also irrigate its treated wastewater on the city golf course and cemetery.

Santa Rosa has been operating the Geysers recharge system since 2003, disposing of wastewater from its regional treatment plant 41 miles away.

A decade ago when The Geysers pipeline was under construction, Healdsburg resisted its streets being torn up to build the pipeline, threatening delay of the project.

Santa Rosa had to sue Healdsburg to obtain approval to use portions of two Healdsburg streets for the pipeline.

Healdsburg wanted approximately $1 million in cash and improvements from Santa Rosa to allow the pipeline to be built, but in the end settled for $468,000 in cash and services.

The irony of Healdsburg seeking to connect to the pipeline was not lost on city officials.

"The negotiations with Santa Rosa will be interesting, depending on how many people remember what took place there," said Councilman Gary Plass.