Monterey Mushroom to pay settlement for wastewater discharge in Elkhorn Slough

ELKHORN SLOUGH, Calif. (KION) Monterey Mushroom has agreed to pay more than a million dollars to the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board for unauthorized discharges of process wastewater and polluted storm water, according to the Central Coast Water Board.

The board said that over the course of several months in 2017, the company discharged about 4.6 million gallons of proccess wastewater and/or polluted storm water into tributaries in Elkhorn Slough. It apparently came from two mushroom growing facilities.

The water board said the wastewater contained ammonia, excessive nutrients and suspended or floating material, which can be harmful to water quality and the aquatic habitat.

“We work hard with dischargers to prevent these types of spills,” said Dr. Jean-Pierre Wolff, chair of the Central Coast Water Board. “We take these violations and threats to the environment very seriously. This settlement demonstrates our collaborative commitment with dischargers to protect and restore our region’s waters.”

About $600,000 from the settlement is set to pay for a supplemental environmental project, which would provide household-level water treatment for as many as 20 disadvantaged household in unincorporated northern Monterey County.