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Not only is Hollister required to address the sewer-like odor that has been plaguing the city’s west side and downtown, but it also needs to correct seven other problems.
Hollister could face fines up to $5,000 for each day per violation going back to 2024.
The Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board sent a notice dated Feb. 20 that lists problems ranging from failing to maintain its wastewater treatment plant, known as the Domestic Water Reclamation Facility, to allowing overflow from basins.
The city is required to submit a noncompliance report on or before April 20 along with its plan to address the issues and how it plans to prevent future ones.
BenitoLink sought comment from Hollister City Manager Ana Cortez, who joined the city on Feb. 2. She did not respond to multiple calls.
According to the letter, the state cites the following:
- Not satisfying two provisions that require city to keep odor from going beyond the plant facility
- Not properly operating or maintaining the facility in good working order (headworks screening, rotating drum screens, Zenon Membrane Bioreactor, sludge stabilization ponds, chlorine contact chamber)
- Allowed partially treated wastewater to overflow from the aeration basins to on-site sewer drains on Aug. 24-27, Sept. 9-20, Sept. 22-24, and failing to report overflow to Central Coast Water Board
- Using an unauthorized pond to store sludge
- Not following the approved process by State Water Resource Control Board to produce recycled water
- Submitting 2024 and 2025 quarterly and annual reports with missing required information including self reports of all violations, variety of data and analytical reports
According to the letter, the city’s facility was designed to produce recycled water for use at Brigantino Park and by the San Benito County Water District for agricultural irrigation.
But the water district has not been obtaining water since June 2025 because the water quality does not meet requirements. As a result, the water district asked the water board for a supply from the State Water Project in September 2025.
“Overall, Central Coast Water Board staff observed that the Facility is not operating as designed and cannot produce recycled water without significant maintenance, repairs, and upgrades,” the letter says in reference to a Dec. 10 facility inspection.
According to BenitoLink estimates, if the state were to impose a fine starting June 1, the city could be looking at paying $1.35 million just for not producing quality recycled water.
The recycled water, instead, is being discharged to the percolating ponds.
The noncompliance report requires the city to include the following:
- Provide a summary of how facility began to “upset” or go out of compliance and how other failures occurred
- Submit missing data
- Provide summary of maintenance over the past 2 years
- Describe how the city operates the facility
- Evaluate how the system was designed to operate and effluent water quality goals
- Give actions and plan to get facility to operate in compliance
According to the water board’s website, this is the first notice of violation it has sent Hollister since 2009. The website does not include a copy of the notice.
It does however, include a copy of a 2002 cease and desist letter it sent the city establishing a moratorium on adding new sewer hookups to the treatment facility after wastewater was discharged into the San Benito River.
The moratorium, which essentially stalled any new and already approved development as far back as the 1990s, was lifted in 2008 when the city upgraded the treatment plant.
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