Yuba City’s Municipal Service Review and Sphere of Influence Update recently detected looming problems in wastewater treatment capacity, which is veering close to its limits with no permit assigned from the state for additional capacity.The Municipal report, such as the one just conducted, is required every five years by the state of California, and serves as an up-to-date glance at the city’s civic services, such as wastewater management, public utilities, traffic, and public parks. California Government Code, Section 56425, requires the Local Agency Formation Commission, or LAFCO, to perform studies and adopt boundary plans for each local government agency subject to its authority. Those boundary plans are called “spheres of influence.” A sphere of influence represents the area to which a city or special district is expected to eventually provide services. LAFCO uses spheres of influence to guide its consideration of proposals to change local government boundaries.The Commission’s decisions on individual proposals for changes to local government boundaries and organization must be consistent with the adopted spheres of influence for the local government agencies affected by the proposal. Proposals that are not consistent with adopted spheres of influence may not be approved without prior amendment to those spheres of influence.At a Sutter County LAFCO hearing on December 4, commissioners reviewed the city’s currently listed traffic and drainage provisions before approving the Municipal Services Review and agreeing upon affected areas within city boundaries.According to commissioner Donald White, the city cannot adequately provide services such as drainage, police protection and traffic as it would be a dereliction of duty to approve an annexation.Some imminent issues affecting the area as a result include, foremost, wastewater treatment, for which a city permit for more capacity is still amid rigid state review. The Yuba City Water Treatment Plant’s capacity is one point of concern, as it runs at nearly 100 percent of its state-permitted capacity around the clock. Maxing out its allotments could jeopardize its acquisition of the permits required to initiate pending projects, such as Plumas Street Renovation, the Gauche Park Aquatic Center, and plans for East Lincoln. In the event that Yuba City does not receive a permit for more capacity from the state, the city will have no choice but to discontinue issuing building permits. The city is now working with the Regional Water Quality Control Board in hopes of working out capacity issues. The biggest challenge is getting the plant 10.5 million gallon capacity, which the region’s rapid growth would necessitate.Additionally, the Department of Water Resources has informed the city that its allotment of State Water from the Feather River might be capped at 10 percent to meet requirements for a severe drought situation. State Water Project allotments make up about 30 percent of the city’s total surface water supply. As the area continues to push it limits with regards to its water capacity, it continues to do well providing adequate streets for motorists to get around, fortunate news considering the troubling 5 p.m. traffic on areas such as the Feather River bridge. Yuba City is doing well with its provisions of fire services, police services, streetlighting services, and current road and construction projects to meet the demands of a growing population, the report also said, a considerable turnaround from the 2001 report.
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