January 23, 2024

City's Wastewater Treatment Facility Achieves

Five-Year Permit Approval

In December, the Regional Water Quality Control Board approved our Waste Discharge Requirements and National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System for the City of Santa Cruz Wastewater Treatment Facility. The new permit will take effect in February for a five-year term.

The regional board also approved the Waste Discharge and Water Reclamation Requirements for the Pure Water Soquel Groundwater Replenishment Reuse Project.

Congratulations to Akin Babatola and the Environmental Compliance and Lab work groups, who were instrumental in producing and submitting all reports, data, and studies supporting the new permit. Congratulations also to Armando Deloera and the Operations work group for their expertise in operating and maintaining the treatment plant in compliance with the existing permit. The regional board was very interested in our preventive maintenance and asset management programs, a testimony to the teams' work.



Hunting for the Fungus Amongst Us

If you're a fan of fungi, then you know Santa Cruz is the place to be. We just celebrated the 50th Santa Cruz Fungus Fair hosted by the Fungus Federation of Santa Cruz and the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History from January 12-14th. It was a fungi extravaganza, celebrating the fascinating world of mushrooms that Santa Cruz adores.

But that's not all — our very own Loch Lomond had its moment in the spotlight with a "Fungus Foray" interpretive walk earlier this month.

Expert mycologist Phil Carpenter and the knowledgeable Ranger Watson hosted the two-hour walk where the group hiked around the reservoir and saw commonly known fungi and the more elusive Shaggy Mane (Coprinus comatus) pictured here.

According to the Fungus Federation of Santa Cruz, "Coprinus comatus is considered a very good edible and is worth preserving or consuming shortly after picking. It has been widely observed that when in season, the fruit bodies appear rather quickly after a rainfall."

This showy red spotted mushroom was photographed at Loch Lomond this month. Amanita muscaria is found in the Santa Cruz mountains and along the coast. Its coloration and pattern makes it one of the most commonly illustrated and photographed fungi.

Take the Age Well Santa Cruz Survey to Shape the Future

The City of Santa Cruz is partnering with Santa Cruz County's Human Services Department, local cities and Seniors Council to develop a Master Plan for Aging, a 10-year blueprint for implementing strategies and partnerships that promote healthy aging for all. This regional effort is called Age Well Santa Cruz County.

Age Well Santa Cruz County wants to ensure people of all ages and abilities in Santa Cruz County are afforded equitable opportunities to thrive as they age, how and where they choose. To learn more about Age Well Santa Cruz County, visit AgeWellSantaCruzCounty.org. 

The Age Well, Santa Cruz County survey, is collecting community feedback focused on aging locally. If you are a resident of Santa Cruz County and 40 years or older, we encourage you to take the survey now: tinyurl.com/AgeWellSantaCruz

Update on Murray Street Bridge Seismic Retrofit

The Murray Street Bridge Seismic Retrofit Project will strengthen the bridge over the Santa Cruz Small Craft Harbor against earthquakes and improve the pedestrian experience. Murray Street is the last bridge in a large initiative to retrofit all city bridges for seismic safety.

We received one bid in December 2023 that was significantly more than expected. After consulting with state and federal funding partners, the City was directed to rebid the project. The project is currently going through a process called “value engineering” to find ways to save money. The City Council will consider rejecting the more expensive bid and approving our recommendation to rebid the project at their January 23 meeting. We’re optimistic that the Highway Bridge Program will contribute more funding, and if everything goes smoothly, we might see construction start this year. We’ll keep you updated, especially as we get closer to construction.

Community Conversations:

50-Year Vision for West Cliff

Join us to learn more about the 50-Year Vision for West Cliff!

On January 30, we'll dive into the data gathered from your input and share your feedback on the insights we've gained so far!

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86795185521

Become a Master Recycler Volunteer! 

Our Waste Reduction division is now accepting applications for its 2024 Master Recycler Volunteer Training Program. Over five Tuesday evening and two Saturday morning sessions from February 6 to March 5, participants will train to become Master Recycler Volunteers in areas related to waste reduction and recycling. The interactive classes are taught by our staff and local discard management professionals.

Downtown Library and Affordable Housing Project Moves Forward with Construction Documents Phase

Over the past several months, the Downtown Library and Affordable Housing Project team has worked on engineering and design work. The phases of architectural design include Concept Design, Schematic Design, Design Development, and Construction Documents. The team met the 100% Design Development benchmark at the end of November 2023. The Construction Documents phase is underway and will continue through 2024. The 80% Construction Design submittal will be ready to be submitted for Building Permits in April 2024. Meanwhile, the project team continues to pull together the necessary funding sources that will allow construction to start by the end of 2024.

Learn More!



City of Santa Cruz

City Manager's Office

809 Center Street

Santa Cruz CA 95060

santacruzca.gov

831-420-5030