Greenfield looks into building moratorium for wastewater treatment plant

GREENFIELD, Calif. (KION) - A potential building moratorium was added to the latest city council meeting agenda in the city of Greenfield for its Wastewater Treatment Plant.

The plant, which currently operates at 1.2 million gallons per day, is being expanded to 2 million gallons per day. 

“A building moratorium is being considered as a potential measure to manage wastewater capacity until improvements are completed, but such a decision carries significant implications,” the city’s agenda reads. 

The pause would allow time for the plant to implement infrastructure upgrades, but risks failing to comply with state obligations for new housing units. 

The upgrades to the plant would ensure that the water passing through its systems would not overflow, nor add strain to the infrastructure, nor risk contamination. 

In a letter to the city manager, the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board gave support for the pause. 

“The existing wastewater treatment plant often cannot handle current flows, is frequently at or over capacity, and is currently discharging poor water quality,” Executive Officer Ryan E. Lodge said. “The lack of adequate wastewater capacity at the wastewater treatment plant has already resulted in off site wastewater spills and puts greenfield at risk of having more spills.” 

Lodge wrote that the plant has repeatedly demonstrated it could no longer handle higher flows in its current state. 

If the pause does go into effect, the negative impacts addressed in the agenda include the city’s failure to meet California’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation, potential revenue loss, and setbacks in economic development. 

The RHNA is a process that helps to determine a plan for housing needs in each region of the state. 

“A moratorium would hinder Greenfield’s ability to meet its RHNA obligation of 1,090 housing units by 2031,” the city said in its report. 

Failure to comply with RHNA could result in state penalties, including loss of funding or legal action from housing advocacy groups.

The agenda addressed the potential delays in housing development that disproportionately affect low-and moderate-income households. 

It also addressed how reduced development activity would decrease permit fees, impact fees, property taxes, and other revenue streams tied to a new construction moratorium while also potentially discouraging developers from pursuing projects. 

Greenfield’s city council will meet on Tuesday, July 7, at 6 p.m.