WELCOME TO THE WASTEWATER DIVISION

Mission

The City of Paso Robles Wastewater Division’s mission is to protect public health and the environment in the most cost-effective manner possible. The Wastewater Division owns and operates 136 miles of sewers and 14 lift stations to collect wastewater from all of Paso Robles and east Templeton and transport it to a wastewater treatment plant at the north end of town, near the Salinas River. Learn more about the Wastewater Collection System.

The Wastewater Treatment Plant

The City's existing Wastewater Treatment Plant is a trickling filter treatment process that was originally built in 1954 and expanded in the early 1970’s and late 1980’s.  The Plant discharges 3 million gallons of wastewater to the Salinas River each day.  The Plant operates under NPDES Permit No. CA0047953. Actions the City takes to collect, treat, and dispose of City wastewater are documented in the City’s latest annual report.

The existing treatment process is antiquated and does not meet modern State and Federal water quality regulations. The City is occasionally fined for violations of its NPDES permit. Since 2008, the City has been planning and designing a major wastewater treatment plant upgrade to address these problems and prepare for the future production of recycled water. Design of the upgrade is now complete. In the fall of 2011, the City adopted new user rates and facility charges to pay for the upgrade. The State has issued the City a Time Schedule Order, which requires the City to proceed with construction of the upgrade by November 2012.

Water and Sewer Utility Services and Fees

For information on connection fees, visit the Building Division's Development Fees page. For monthly fees, see the Administrative Services Utilities and Billing page.