Editing Ferndale, California (section)

===Wastewater treatment===
Ferndale's first [[sewage treatment]] facility and [[combined sewer]] system was built in 1953 and upgraded in 1973, 1994 and 2001.<ref name="Spencer 2004">{{cite book  | last =Spencer Engineering and Construction Management  | title =City of Ferndale, USDA Rural Utilities Service Wastewater System Improvements Financial Assistance Grant Preliminary Engineering Report  | publisher =City of Ferndale  | date =September 14, 2004 | location =Ferndale, California  | pages =1–115  | url =http://ci.ferndale.ca.us/pdf/Preliminary-Engineering-Report.pdf  | access-date =November 17, 2011  | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20120404001207/http://ci.ferndale.ca.us/pdf/Preliminary-Engineering-Report.pdf  | archive-date =April 4, 2012  | url-status =dead}}</ref> Improvements were made to the sewers in 1989 under a $400,000 project funded by the [[California State Water Resources Control Board]] to improve the collection system and reduce inflow and infiltration.<ref name="Spencer 2004" />

[[El Niño-Southern Oscillation|El Niño]] storms in April 1998 caused Williams Creek to change course due to debris blockage.<ref name="Spencer 2003">{{cite book  | last =Spencer Engineering and Construction Management  | title =Wastewater Treatment Corrective Action Report City of Ferndale  | publisher =City of Ferndale, California  | date =December 10, 2003| pages =1–100  | url =http://ci.ferndale.ca.us/pdf/Corrective-Action-Report.pdf }}</ref> Williams Creek had been the major tributary of the Salt River near the treatment plant, so diversion lowered the volume of water available and caused the [[Ratio#Dilution ratio|dilution ratios]] at the plant to exceed permitted levels.<ref name="Spencer 2003" /> Record storm water flows also damaged the plant and the city applied for financial assistance<ref name="Spencer 2003" /> under the [[Federal Emergency Management Agency|FEMA]]-1203-DR-CA El Niño storm Presidential disaster declaration.<ref name="FEMA">{{cite web  | last =FEMA  | title =California Severe Winter Storms and Flooding Major Disaster Declared February 9, 1998 (DR-1203)  | work =1998 Federal Disaster Declarations  | publisher =Federal Emergency Management Agency  | date =February 9, 1998 | url =http://www.fema.gov/news/eventcounties.fema?id=525  | access-date =November 13, 2011 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20111119061201/http://www.fema.gov/news/eventcounties.fema?id=525  | archive-date =November 19, 2011  | url-status =dead}}</ref> On May 15, 2003, the Regional Water Board (RWB) placed a [[Cease and Desist]] order on Ferndale due to discharges of treated [[wastewater]] which exceeded one percent of the flow of Francis Creek / Salt River stream system.<ref name="CRWQ 2009">{{cite book  | last =California Regional Water Quality Control Board North Coast Region  | title =Waste Discharge Requirements for The City of Ferndale, Wastewater Treatment Facility ORDER NO. R1-2009-0034  | publisher =State of California  | date =July 23, 2009 | page =124  |url=http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/northcoast/board_info/board_meetings/07_2009/pdf/ferndale/09_0034_FerndaleNPDES.pdf}}</ref> The city paid a $48,000 penalty to the RWB and agreed to complete an environmental project instead of paying $78,000 more in penalties to the RWB<ref name="CRWQ 2009" /> and began replacing the old plant in 2009.<ref name="CRWQ 2009" />

The new wastewater plant was completed in 2011 and provides tertiary treatment for nearly 1,500 commercial and residential users.<ref name="CRWQ 2009" /> The only other wastewater facility like Ferndale's in California is in [[Colfax, California|Colfax]].<ref name="Bullwinkel 2011">{{cite news   | last =Bullwinkel  | first =Mary   | title =Construction continues at the Wastewater Treatment facility  | publisher =Humboldt Beacon  | date =April 29, 2011 | url =http://www.humboldtbeacon.com/ci_17952233  | access-date =  November 12, 2011 }}</ref>