Sewer ponds become nature wetlands in San Benito

SAN BENITO — City officials have launched a $726,000 project to turn old sewer ponds into wetlands that will improve water quality in the Arroyo Colorado.

The project will convert two 10-acre ponds once used to treat sewer water into a wetland area that will feature wildlife observation platforms at the site off Line 20 Road near Williams Road, officials said.

“It’s an eyesore that we’re turning into an attractive area to enhance the city,” Mayor Joe Hernandez said.

The city will pay for the project with $531,750 in state and federal grants and $195,000 from the city’s general fund, Martha McClain, a spokeswoman for the city, said.

The city will hire a construction company to develop the 20-acre wetland area, she said.

Treated sewer water will be run through the wetland, further cleaning the water before it is discharged into the Arroyo Colorado, Assistant City Manager Chuck Jalomo said.

“You polish up the water by sending it through the wetland so when it’s discharged it’s super-clean,” Jalomo said.

The city’s planned the project for about four years, after it was fined $3 million in 2005 for discharging inadequately treated sewer water into the arroyo, officials said.

As part of an agreement, the state waived payment if the city began a project to turn sewer ponds into wetlands, Hernandez said.

The project is part of a state plan to help improve the quality of water discharged into the arroyo, said Jaime Flores, coordinator of the Arroyo Colorado Watershed Partnership, a state agency that works to improve the quality of sewer water that cities pump into the arroyo.

The city of La Feria is also working on a project to turn old sewer ponds into wetlands, Flores said.

“You’re creating habitat immediately for different animals,” Flores said. “It becomes a viewing center for ecotourism.”

The project will feature a network of observation platforms and boardwalks, Orlando Cruz, the engineer who designed the plans, said.

The site will become an attractive destination for school field trips where students can learn about conservation, Celeste Sanchez, a city commissioner who is an assistant superintendent for the San Benito school district, said.

“There are a lot of educational benefits,” Flores said. “You can change the mindset of these young kids about water conservation and pollution.”