Purposethe feasibility study will identify alternatives for converting the citys wwtf to a tertiary treatment facility with conveyance systems to distribute recycled water

The City of Yuba City received a $499,998 cooperative agreement from the Bureau of Reclamation under the Water Recycling and Desalination Construction Programs (CFDA 15.504), awarded July 2, 2025, with a completion date of June 30, 2027. The city will engage consulting services to conduct a comprehensive feasibility study examining alternatives for converting the municipal wastewater treatment facility (WWTF) into a tertiary treatment facility capable of producing high-quality recycled water. Key deliverables include preliminary project planning and data collection, evaluation of water supply alternatives with cost-benefit analyses, assessment of necessary WWTF process improvements including biological nutrient removal (BNR) technology and tertiary treatment processes, environmental impact evaluations, and economic analyses of potential upgrades.

The study will also produce site layout schematics identifying locations for future treatment plant components, conveyance system alternatives for delivering non-potable recycled water for irrigation and agriculture or tertiary-treated wastewater to the city's water treatment plant for potable use, and implementation and funding plans for selected alternatives. The ultimate objective is to generate a final feasibility study report for the Bureau of Reclamation that enables the city to safely discharge or reuse treated wastewater in the Feather River, for groundwater recharge, irrigation, and non-potable purposes, thereby stretching limited water supplies consistent with the program's drought resilience and water supply diversification goals.

The following system improvements and their alternatives will be evaluated:1.side-stream ammonia treatment process.2.conversion of reactor to biological nutrient removal (BNR) technology.3.conversion of high-purity oxygen system to high-efficiency blower bubbler system.4.installation of tertiary treatment process in final stages of effluent treatment.5.conveyance system to distribute recycled wwtf effluent to potential customers.overall, the objective of tertiary wastewater treatment is to produce high-quality effluent that can be safely discharged into the feather river, groundwater recharge, and irrigation, and or reused for non-potable purposes.activities to be performedthe scope of work the city is seeking funding assistance is to:secure services of a consultantinitiate preliminary project planning and data collection (e.g., wwtf process upgrades, water reclamation and reuse opportunities)evaluate water supply alternatives, including potable and non-potable options, including cost and benefit informationidentify wwtf process improvements necessary to produce tertiary water qualityidentify environmental considerations and potential impacts for each project alternativeperform an economic analysis for each potential project and recommend the citys preferred plant upgrade components and recycled water alternative(s)develop wwtf site layout schematics to identify locations of future treatment plant componentsdevelop conveyance alternatives FOR1)delivering non-potable recycled water to be used in irrigation and AGRICULTURE2)sending tertiary treated wastewater to the citys water treatment plant for further treatment to meet or exceed potable water standardsdevelop an implementation and funding plan for each selected alternativeprepare and provide the reclamation with a final feasibility study report, summarizing information gathered and the scope of work for implementation of recommended projects.outcomethe specific goals of the project will be to:identify a cost-effective strategy to develop yuba citys capacity to produce and distribute reclaimed water to its water customers (primarily for irrigation and agriculture), and groundwater recharge, andimprove water quality through advanced tertiary treatment technologies for beneficial use that is protective of public health and the environment.stakeholders will collaborate to define objectives that all alternatives need to meet. The city is actively investigating water supply alternatives in addition to desalination for implementation in the city which include conservation, stormwater capture, surface water and groundwater optimization and or expansion. This portion of the project will proceed concurrently with other regional water supply analysis to identify and advance a long-term project for the city that can provide a new, drought-proof, local water supply to help sustain the region. Relying on water sourced from precipitation is challenging due to the countys relative geographic isolation, energy and right-of-way requirements, and the fluctuating supply availability year to year. Recycled water projects will provide an opportunity for expanding irrigation and or potable water supply portfolios.beneficiary: the public