C&H Sugar Co., whose Crockett refinery was once considered the world’s largest, will pay $734,000 after releasing a stench that lasted more than a month.
The San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board, which announced the settlement Tuesday, said C&H’s joint treatment plant emitted a smell compared to the odor of rotten eggs and sewage that permeated the East Bay community in 2022.
C&H co-owns and operates the Philip F. Meads Water Treatment Plant which suffered an equipment failure during a heatwave three years ago, the water board said in a press release. In addition to the stink from September through October, the plant discharged wastewater that didn’t meet water quality standards.
Contra Costa County health officials advised residents to remain indoors due to elevated hydrogen sulfide levels.
In reaction to complaints, the water board required C&H to submit information on its treatment system. The company responded 209 days past the deadline and left out significant elements, such as what could be done to prevent power outages and operational changes to ensure its equipment was properly maintained.
“Additionally, from December 2020 through January 2024, C&H reported that its wastewater discharges to Carquinez Strait violated effluent limitations in its Clean Water Act permit 15 times,” the water board said. “C&H also submitted required monitoring reports late three times.”
C&H has since invested in improvements to prevent violations from reoccurring. The water board staff will monitor the company’s compliance with the terms of the settlement.
About half of the penalty ($360,000) will go to the State Water Board’s Cleanup and Abatement Account, which makes grants for pollution cleanup across the state, including projects involving urgent drinking water needs, the board said.
The remaining $374,000 will pay for improvements to the Carquinez Waterfront, “where a bioretention basin, rainwater garden and permeable surface bordered by bioswales will be constructed to slow down and filter stormwater runoff while promoting groundwater recharge,” the water board said.
The San Francisco Water Board posted the settlement agreement for public review and comment at tinyurl.com/sphb3ef.