C&H Sugar to pay $734K settlement over odor and water quality violations

C&H Sugar Co. has agreed to pay $734,000 to settle allegations by the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board that its joint wastewater treatment plant caused prolonged odor nuisances and violated Clean Water Act permit requirements in Crockett, California.

According to the Water Board, a September 2022 heatwave led to equipment failures at the Philip F. Meads Water Treatment Plant, co-owned and operated by C&H. The breakdown caused hydrogen sulfide odors to spread through the Crockett community for more than a month, prompting Contra Costa County health officials to advise residents to remain indoors.

The settlement also addresses 15 permit violations between December 2020 and January 2024, when C&H’s discharges to Carquinez Strait exceeded effluent limits for parameters such as ammonia and total suspended solids. The company also submitted required monitoring reports late on three occasions.

Water Board officials said C&H failed to provide timely and complete information about the causes of the equipment failures and measures to prevent recurrence. The company’s response was filed more than 200 days past the required deadline and omitted key reliability and maintenance details.

Under the settlement, $360,000 of the penalty will go to the State Water Board’s Cleanup and Abatement Account, which funds pollution cleanup and drinking water projects statewide. The remaining $374,000 will fund local stormwater improvements at the Carquinez Waterfront, including a bioretention basin, rain garden, and permeable surfaces designed to filter runoff and enhance groundwater recharge.

C&H has since invested in upgrades to improve treatment reliability and odor control. Regional Water Board staff will monitor the company’s compliance as the agreement moves through a 30-day public review process.