The Morro Bay City Council has given the green light to move forward with plans to demolish the old wastewater treatment plant along Atascadero Road.
The city approved a $900,000 contract for design services Tuesday night.
“It’s been 25 years in the making,” said Betty Winholtz, Morro Bay resident and former city councilmember.
The old wastewater treatment plant was in commission from 1964 to 2023.
“It was supposed to last for 40 to 50 years, and we had it in operation for longer than 60,” Winholtz said.
Due to the age of the plant and it being in a flood-prone area, a new one was built just off Highway 1 and South Bay Boulevard.
Atascadero Road flooded during the 2023 storms.
“It was horrible. It almost washed out our park. Half of our park was a lake. We had people canoeing down the road like it was a river,” said Crystal Weston, Morro Strand RV Park manager.
Morro Strand RV Park has been located across the street from the plant for the past 20 years.
“On downwind days, it would smell like sewage and we would get a lot of complaints and we can’t really fix that, so we are pleased it moved across town,” Weston said.
The city’s permit with the California Coastal Commission requires both removal of the old plant and site restoration.
Mayor Carla Wixom says the city does not have plans to sell and will most likely look to lease out the site. The new zoning is visitor-serving.
“I think a ground lease would be smart. I don’t know that we would want to get rid of land this close to the ocean. It’s a really good investment,” Winholtz said.
“I would say more RV parks or another RV park — more guests and revenue for the town,” Weston said.
The land is jointly owned by both the city and the Cayucos Sanitary District (CSD). Morro Bay Public Works Director Greg Kwolek says the Cayucos Sanitary District has been invited to select the consultant for the design process several times, but the CSD has declined.
“That sits on jointly owned land. The historical process for that is the city, on behalf of the JPA, performs work, and then we send CSD an invoice for a percentage of that work,” Kwolek said.
KSBY reached out to the CSD, but they have not responded for comment.
The design work is set to begin next month and be completed in May of next year. After that’s done, the city will seek bids for the demolition.
