Atascadero plans to upgrade its existing wastewater treatment facility with the help of Black and Veatch, which the City Council recently approved a design contract with.
Atascadero City Manager James Lewis told New Times in an email that the engineering company has a track record of success designing and managing wastewater projects on the Central Coast.
“I’m confident we can count on them to design the most efficient, cost effective, and straight forward plant possible to meet our community’s needs without overdesigning and overspending,” he said.
The city provides wastewater collection and treatment services for nearly all commercial and industrial properties, as well as part of the residential population.
Of the roughly 15,000 acres within the city, only approximately 2,000 acres are connected to the sewer system, staff explained in June, during a wastewater rates increase discussion. The remainder of the city’s population is served by private on-site septic systems.
“This is the largest project in our city’s history and we need to control costs, and get it right,” Lewis said.
The city took over its wastewater system from the Atascadero County Sanitation District in 1982, shortly after becoming a city.
“While there have been upgrades, modifications, and additions to wastewater treatment facilities, the overall process has not changed significantly since,” staff said.
The Atascadero wastewater treatment facility is considered a lagoon-based treatment system, which is no longer permitted under current California regulations—making this replacement project essential.
The first phase of the of the wastewater treatment plant replacement was approved by City Council on Nov. 12. During this phase, Black and Veatch will focus on figuring out the best way to treat the city’s wastewater, Public Works Deputy Director Ryan Hayes explained during the meeting. The city wants a system that efficiently removes nitrogen and other pollutants while keeping costs manageable.
“Phase 1 will get them to selecting a process and get a pretty dialed-in cost estimate,” Hayes said. “By fall next year, we’ll know what we’re doing, have a preliminary design, and a solid cost estimate to inform rate studies going forward.”
In June, council unanimously voted to increase sewer rates in Atascadero by 37 percent, in part to help pay for capital costs.
The Phase 1 contract will cost approximately $500,000 and is drawn from the city’s wastewater fund. The overall four-phase project could cost roughly $9 million, though the city will approve each phase as it comes.
Public Works Director Nick DeBar aid that the city has enough to complete most of the project.
“There’s $6 million allocated for the next two fiscal years, which is enough to get us through phase 1 and 2 and part of phase 3,” he told the council on Nov. 12.
The motion passed unanimously and the city anticipates completing phase 1 of the project by late spring 2026. ∆
This article appears in Holiday Guide 2025.