City officials request public health study as odor concerns persist in west Hollister

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With the sewer odor emanating from the city’s Domestic Water Reclamation Facility expected to get worse even as the city seeks to implement solutions in the coming weeks, Hollister city officials say they need reassurance there are no public health risks to residents on the west side of town. 

At the Feb. 2 city council meeting, while Public Works Director Javier Hernandez called the odors a nuisance and stated that there are no public safety concerns, Mayor Roxanne Stephens and Councilmember Rolan Resendiz requested a formal study or soil and water tests.

‘Somebody coming up here and telling me there are no public health safety concerns is not just good enough for me,” Resendiz said. “There are people on the west side of Hollister that are marginalized populations that have had homes built right next to the sewer. That to me is very concerning.”

Hernandez, who was recently promoted as director after William Via left the position in October, said the city has been dealing with new challenges at the Reclamation Facility including the hookup to San Juan Bautista in mid-2025 and a rainy period “that was detrimental to the plant.” 

He also said stagnant water on a wastewater pond is an issue and that the city will introduce enzymes to stabilize the wastewater to assist with the odor issue. 

“We’ve been catching up and our consultants have been making some headway on this,” he said in regard to the odor complaints the city has received from residents. He added the odors will get worse before residents notice the improvement sometime in mid-March.

Hernandez said the city, which contracts with Veolia to operate the Reclamation Facility, is scheduled to install three oversized, temporary aerators to support oxygen levels in the pond. He said those will be installed when they arrive in mid-February, and in March the city expects to install permanent aerators.

“That should help with that issue,” he said. 

He said the pond was designed with eight aerators but it’s now down to three.

Hernandez said the odor will increase at the time the city installs the aerators because it will disturb the sludge, a mud-like material that results from sewage treatment. 

Resendiz said the city should also look into removing the sludge, which Hernandez said hasn’t been done since 2022 and cost the city $2.7 million then. 

Hernandez said the city also purchased a pump that will be installed in mid-February and will request two more to replace other pumps that have “lived their life.”

The council directed staff to provide updates every meeting until the project is complete.

Hernandez also said the city is working on updating its wastewater master plan that will identify needed infrastructure updates. He said the goal is to finish the update by the end of the calendar year.

Hollister has historically dealt with foul odors related to the Industrial Wastewater Treatment Plant located near the Summer Drive neighborhood. In the summer of 2024, residents complained to the city about the odors, and city staff at the time said it was caused by stagnant wastewater that is produced by the San Benito Foods tomato cannery.

In 2023, an investigation into reported foul odor found that some sewer lines in the Bridge Road area were located in backyards and were relatively shallow. 

In March 2024, the city discovered a collapsed underground pipe on the corner of Graf Road and Fourth Street. When that occurred, Via said it was possible sewage soaked into the ground surrounding the pipe.

Other council actions

After spending about $1 million for the Accela Civic Platform since 2022, the city council approved abandoning efforts to implement the software.

“Unfortunately, the implementation of this effort has been unsuccessful, in part, due to the very large scale envisioned with this technology not matching the limited internal capacity and smaller needs required by the city of Hollister,” according to the staff report.

Councilmember Rudy Picha said he felt “sheepish” for not asking staff how the city could be “leaner” during the 2025-2026 budgeting process and lauded staff for identifying this expense.

“Great job to city staff for identifying this and giving us an opportunity to remove it from the budget, saving $250,000 per year,” he said.

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