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City aims to reduce reliance on Modesto sewer system
• North Ceres is serviced by Modesto's Jennings Road plant
Jennings Road sewer plant
Wastewater discharge from the area of north Ceres goes to the Jennings Road treatment plant owned and operated by the city of Modesto. However, Ceres wants to service the area with its treatment plant to have greater control over costs and operations.

For decades the sewer needs in the north part of Ceres have been met by hooking up to the Modesto sewer system. The city is working to break off that relationship and allow the area to be serviced by the city of Ceres sewer system.

Last week the Ceres City Council approved a $971,881 contract with Consor North America of Rancho Cordova to engineer, design and provide technical support necessary to advance this infrastructure project.

Councilman James Casey pulled the item to make sure the council wasn’t being asked to add a million dollar expenditure to the city budget deficit. City Engineer Michael Beltran clarified, saying the funds are not coming from the General Fund but from the sewer enterprise fund.

The idea behind the project is to invest in infrastructure that produces long-term operational savings, improves system performance, and reduces dependence on outside agencies for essential wastewater services.

The proposed project will redirect flow from the North Ceres Sewer Service Area (NCSSA) to the Ceres Main sewer service area. Currently Ceres is paying Modesto approximately $1.75 million per year to treat the wastewater from that area.

The proposed pump station is expected to be located at the corner of Bystrum Road and Ericson Avenue and will require the acquisition of the vacant corner parcel which is not included in this contract.

Flow from the 24-inch sewer line in Hosmer Avenue will need to be re-routed to the proposed pump station wet-well. A force main will be routed south along Bystrum Road before turning east on Nadine Avenue to Richland Avenue before heading south on Richland Avenue and crossing Highway 99. The force main will connect to the existing sewer on the south side of Highway 99 near the Ceres Memorial Park.

Because the 18-inch downstream sewer line does not have sufficient capacity to accept the additional flow, improvements will be needed. The 18-inch and 21-inch sewer lines in Blaker Road and Richland Avenue vary in size being 18 inches north of Whitmore Avenue, 21 inches between Whitmore Avenue and Kinser Road, 18 inches between Kinser and Don Pedro roads, and 21 inches between Don Pedro and Service roads. The city has two alternatives to remedy the flow issue – either upsize the 18-inch portions to 21 inches; or upsize the entire downstream sewer to 24 inches.

Besides not paying Modesto, bringing the north Ceres flows back into the Ceres system allows the city gains greater control over future treatment costs, capacity planning, and rate impacts. It allows the city to more accurately predict long-term wastewater enterprise fund planning and budgeting.