YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER ward Winning News al A pa
Vol. 7, No. 14
Including Surrounding Communities
www.thepress.net
Plant upgrades near completion by Ruth Roberts Staff Writer
Standing in the midst of a dustbowl windstorm, dirt flying and tractors raking across the hard, dry land, it’s difficult to imagine that in just a matter of weeks, this 21-acre site on Camino Diablo Road in Byron will be transformed into a state-of-the-art facility. The Byron Sanitary District (BSD) wastewater plant is getting a facelift, and that, said General Manager Rick Gilmore, is a very good thing. “Yes, it is a big deal, a very big deal,” said Gilmore of the district’s first major upgrades since it was built in 1958. “We’re about 80-percent ready now and figure in about three weeks we’ll be in full swing. Overall, it’s been a good project and we’re going to have a nice new facility.” “Nice” and “new” are rarely applied to the outdated wastewater plant. Throughout the years, the BSD has been subject to bad press, faulty management and simple neglect – depending upon whom you ask – and according to documents from the State Regional Water Quality Board (RWQCB), was woefully out of compliance. Charges of non-compliance included problems with wastewater flow configuration between
April 3, 2009
THIS WEEK
Wildflower Challenge
Prizes await blossom buffs who can identify the flamboyant flora of our local parks.
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Photo by Ruth Roberts
Byron Sanitary District General Manager Rick Gilmore shows where some of the district’s waste is collected and compacted for disposal at the wastewater treatment facility. ponds, glitches in the control and monitoring system, and difficulties with three monitoring wells inappropriately placed and lacking proper construction logs or adequate surface seals. But all that began to change in 2007 when
the BSD got aggressive in its attempts to bring the district up to standards and began working on preliminary plans for the new plant. By 2008, see Plant page 21A
Health-care cuts to impact East County by Ruth Roberts Staff Writer Undocumented immigrants living in Contra Costa County took a health-care hit this week when the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors unanimously agreed to cut $6 million in primary care services from the county’s Basic Health Care Program. The decision will eliminate non-emergency services for nearly 6,000 illegal residents, the largest percentage coming from East County. “Supervisor Glover made a vote that he didn’t want to make,” said Ed Diokno, public policy analyst for Glover’s office. “But he feels he has to support it because he believes you can’t spend money the county doesn’t have (for the Basic Health Care Program).” County Health Services Director William Walker, who presented the proposal to the Board of Supervisors, said the decision was difficult: “It’s the hardest thing
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Photo by Rick Lemyre
Emergency departments such as Kaiser Permanente in Antioch, above, might soon see an influx of patients due to the Board of Supervisors’ recent cuts to the county’s Basic Health Care Plan. I’ve ever had to propose in my 34 years in the county, the reduction of access to patients.” In an effort to educate the public about the provisions of the proposed cuts, the Contra Costa Interfaith Supporting Community Organizations (CCISCO) held a series of town-hall meetings last
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month to help families who will be affected better understand their options. Families with young children, as well as adult children, attended the events and voiced their concerns. “We held these town-hall meetings to help people understand what is going to happen,” said
Nancy Marquez, youth organizer for CCISCO. “What we are saying is that it’s a really bad policy. These people cannot afford these cuts. It’s a really horrible situation.” Under the new provisions of the plan, pregnant women and children will still be eligible for primary care and can receive treatment for other conditions as well, including communicable diseases such as tuberculosis and the flu. Paid for out of the county’s general fund, the Basic Health Care Program is designed to provide medical services to low-income uninsured residents. Those who qualify must be seen at either the county’s free medical center in Martinez or at one of its health centers located throughout Contra Costa. The termination in services to undocumented residents needing medical care means they will be forced to seek treatment at local see Health care page 21A
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These joints are jumpin’ A veteran photographer is focusing on recovery after swapping cartilage for plastic in two knees.
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Lions let one slip away
The table was set for a sixthinning feast, but Liberty’s hitters suddenly lost their appetite.
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INSIDE Business .............................6A Calendar ..........................23B Classifieds ........................17B Entertainment ................14B Food .................................12B Health & Beauty .............11B Milestones ......................... 9B Opinion ...........................16A Outdoors ........................... 8B Sports ................................. 1B WebExtras! ....................... 1B
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