City of Santa Paula
City Council Special
MAYOR CARLOS JUAREZ
VICE MAYOR JENNY CROSSWHITE
COUNCILMEMBER PEDRO A. CHAVEZ
COUNCILMEMBER LESLIE CORNEJO
COUNCILMEMBER GABRIELA ORNELAS
CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING OF THE
SANTA PAULA CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2026
4:30 PM - City Council Special Meeting
SANTA PAULA CITY HALL
970 VENTURA STREET
SANTA PAULA, CA 93060
JULIE LATSHAW, CITY CLERK
DAN SINGER, CITY MANAGER
MONICA CASTILLO, CITY ATTORNEY
BRINGING ITEMS BEFORE THE CITY COUNCIL
City of Santa Paula - City Council Special - City Council Special Meeting 1
1. CALL TO ORDER
REMINDER: in order to minimize distractions during public meetings, all personal communication devices should be turned off or put in a non-audible mode.
2. ROLL CALL
3. PUBLIC COMMENT
At this time, members of the public may comment on any item appearing on the agenda only. Individual Councilmembers may briefly respond to Public Comments or ask questions for clarification. Public Comments are limited to three minutes.
4. ORDER OF BUSINESS
4.A CHLORIDE COMPLIANCE AND FINANCIAL PLAN UPDATE.
You are invited to participate in all Regular City Council meetings. Agendas are posted in the front of Santa Paula City Hall, 970 Ventura Street, Santa Paula, 72 hours in advance of the scheduled meetings. The City Council's regular meetings start at 6:30 p.m. the first and third Wednesday of each month in the City Hall Council Chambers located at 970 Ventura Street in Santa Paula. Special and Closed Sessions vary by date and time.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE IN PERSON DURING THE MEETING: If you wish to speak at a City Council meeting, please fill out a Public Comment Form noting your name and address and submit the form to the City Clerk. Include the Agenda item number you wish to speak on. Members of the public may address the Council on items on this agenda only. Public Comments are limited to 3 minutes.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE BEFORE THE MEETING: Members of the public are encouraged to submit email correspondence on any agenda item by sending an email to [email protected]. All public correspondence received by three hours before the meeting date will be provided to the legislative body before the meeting.
Public Comments received after, will be provided to the legislative body the next day.
Your Participation in this meeting is in the public domain; meetings are cablecast; minutes of this meeting will reflect your participation in this meeting and are posted on the city’s website.
PLEASE NOTE: Be advised that if you bring a legal challenge to an action, you may be limited to raising only those issues you or someone else raised at the meeting described in this Agenda, or in written correspondence delivered to the City Council at or before the meeting. Any action is subject to the ninety-day time period set forth in Code of Civil Procedure § 1094.6.
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, please contact the City Clerk at (805) 933-4208. Notification 48 hours before the meeting will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to this meeting. (28 CFR 35, 102-35.104 ADA Title II). Written materials distributed to the City Council within 72 hours of the City Council meeting are available for public inspection immediately upon distribution in the City Clerk’s office.
MEETING ENVIRONMENT
To maintain a public meeting environment conductive and welcoming to receive public comments from all members of the public, the audience is discouraged from engaging in displays of support or opposition to staff reports or public comments, including clapping, yelling, booing, hissing, or cheering, that may create a disruptive environment for the public who wish to express their views during the meeting are encouraged to do so in silent, nondisruptive ways -- such as raising a hand, shaking hands, or another quiet gesture of support or opposition that does not obstruct views or interrupt proceedings.
Members of the public holding signs are asked to hold the signs on their person in front of them or move to the back of the room so as not to obstruct the view of other members of the public wishing to participate in the meeting.
SPECIAL MEETING - COUNCIL CHAMBERS
City of Santa Paula - City Council Special - City Council Special Meeting 2 RECOMMENDATION:
Receive and discuss changes and potential changes to the AWTF project which is currently underway, and which when operational will reduce the chloride residual in the WRF's effluent to below the limit imposed by the LARWQCB and the State of California.
5. CLOSED SESSION
The City Council may move into a closed session pursuant to applicable law, including the Brown Act (Government Code Section 54956, et seq.) for the following purpose:
5.A CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL - ANTICIPATED LITIGATION - Significant exposure to litigation pursuant to Government Code §54956.9(d)(2) and (e)(1): 2 potential cases
6. CLOSED SESSION REPORT
7. ADJOURNMENT
State of California )-
County of Ventura )- ss
City of Santa Paula )-
I declare under penalty of perjury that I posted this City Council Agenda on the bulletin board near the front door of City Hall, 970 Ventura Street, Santa Paula, California.
On_________________ at______________Signed:_________________________ Julie Latshaw
City Clerk
City of Santa Paula - City Council Special - City Council Special Meeting 3 Study Session:
Chloride Compliance
and Financial Plan
Update
Presenter: February 4, 2026
Mike Nunley, PE
4 • History of City action to reduce chlorides
• AWTF Project status and costs escalation
• System chlorides update
• Proposed path forward
• Summary and key takeaways
• Overall schedule for water and wastewater financial plans (rate studies)
Agenda
5 City of Santa Paula – History of Actions to Reduce Chlorides • 2015–2018: Implemented Self-Regenerating Water Softener (SRWS) Buyback Program • Approximately 300 softeners removed, reducing chloride loading to the collection system • 2018–2022: Achieved all CDO interim mass-based chloride limits • Continued monitoring showed a long-term downward trend in WRF effluent chlorides • 2022: Initiated Chloride Source Identification Study
• Expanded sampling, flow monitoring, and load-based analysis across the collection system • 2023: Advanced planning and design of the Advanced Water Treatment Facility (AWTF) • Secured State Revolving Fund (SRF) financing
• 2023–2024: Observed sustained chloride reductions approaching the 110 mg/L concentration limit • Paused AWTF bidding to initiate a Design Refinement Study concurrent with the Chloride Study • 2024–2025: Completed Design Refinement Study and developed a phased AWTF approach • Optimized initial capacity to reduce long-term O&M costs 6 AWTF Status and Cost Update
• 2019 – 2021 Cost Estimates
•Capital cost: ~$18–20 million
•Annual O&M costs: ~$1 million
• Design refinement and updated cost opinion (2024–2025) • Updated 90% design cost estimate now exceeds $30 million • Cost increases driven by:
• Reverse osmosis and electrical equipment pricing
• Inflation and construction cost escalation
• Design refinements to improve operability and water quality • Current Phased AWTF status
• Approach adopted to improve treatment, flexibility & affordability • Phase 1: 500 gpm initial treatment capacity, expandable to 1,000 gpm • Phase 1 design 90% complete
• Pending coordination with DFA on updated financial plan and schedule 7 Historical WRF Average Monthly Influent & Effluent Chlorides (Jan 2012 – Dec 2025)
0 30
60 90
120
150
180
210
240
270
300
330
Dec-11 Dec-12 Dec-13 Dec-14 Dec-15 Dec-16 Dec-17 Dec-18 Dec-19 Dec-20 Dec-21 Dec-22 Dec-23 Dec-24 Dec-25 Chloride Concentration (mg/L)
Average Monthly Influent Concentration
25-mo Rolling Average Influent
Average Monthly Effluent Concentration
12 Month Rolling Average Effluent
Effluent Limit
8 • Sampled chloride concentration and wastewater flow at 22 sites across the City between 2022-2025
• Ruled out the hospital, water purification stores, laundromats, specific industrial businesses, and the airport as significant chloride sources • Inspections were performed in 2025 at 8 businesses – identified two dialysis clinics as significant chloride sources
• Two dialysis clinics combined make up 5.5% of the influent chloride, with average chloride concentrations of 1,165 and 2,300 mg/L • An estimated 3-4% reduction is needed to achieve effluent levels of 110 mg/L; an estimated 8% reduction is needed to achieve effluent levels of 105 mg/L
Latest Key Findings from the Chloride Source Study
9 • Primary Focus: Commercial/Industrial Source Control • Enroll significant chloride contributors (e.g., dialysis clinics) in pretreatment program • Conduct targeted evaluations of select commercial and industrial dischargers • Implement enhanced monitoring and reporting
• Secondary Measure: Renew Water Softener (SRWS) Buyback Program • Target remaining self-regenerating softeners
• Combine with source control to maximize reduction of chloride load • Contingency Measure: Controlled Dilution/Blending (if needed) • Evaluate use of non-potable or potable water as diluent to reduce effluent chloride concentrations
• Implement only when/if necessary for compliance
• Future, if Needed: Continue Advancement of the AWTF
• Proceed with phased AWTF design and financing coordination • Use source control outcomes to inform final sizing and operational strategy Proposed Path Forward for Chloride Reduction
10 Summary and Key Takeaways
• The City has succeeded in reducing chloride levels in the wastewater system
• Monitoring data show a long-term downward trend in WRF effluent chlorides
• The City is committed to chloride control
• Advanced treatment is cost prohibitive, now exceeding $30M in capital, with significant ongoing O&M costs and environmental costs (e.g., greenhouse gases)
• Additional source control may allow for chloride compliance at a lower impact to the community
11 Next Steps
• Meet with RWQCB staff to review alternative compliance strategy • Bring update to City Council
• Two Options for compliance:
• Proceed with alternative strategy
• Implement Phase I AWTF
12 • Wastewater Master Plan – Completed
• Water Master Plan – Pending Completion (Draft CIP early February) • Completion of Rate Studies
• Water
• Wastewater
• Review by City Staff/ Council
• Public Notification
• Approval
Steps for Utility Rate Studies
13 Questions and Discussion
14