Watsonville Business To Pay $1.2M For Wastewater Discharge

WATSONVILLE, CA — Watsonville-based Monterey Mushrooms will pay a $1.2 million settlement for unauthorized discharges into tributaries of Elkhorn Slough in northern Monterey County.

A total of 4.6 million gallons of wastewater and polluted stormwater were discharged from two Royal Oaks mushroom growing sites from January 2017 to April 2017, the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board announced this week in a news release. Officials were concerned about potential harm to water quality and the aquatic habitat because the wastewater contained ammonia, excessive nutrients and floating materials.

Monterey Mushrooms said in a written statement that the incident stems from flooding following winter storms in late 2016 and early 2017 that "inundated" its farm. The company is investing millions in infrastructural to ensure this does not happen again.

About half of the settlement funds — $600,000 — will go toward improving water quality for up to 20 disadvantaged northern Monterey County families who rely on groundwater, according to the news release and Monterey Mushrooms.

Monterey Mushrooms grows more than 200 million pounds of mushrooms per year, for distribution nationwide, the company said on its website. It operates farms in California and six other states.