Rio Bravo-Greeley Union School District Celebrates Completion of New Water Treatment Plant

After nearly a decade of relying on bottled water, the Rio Bravo-Greeley Union School District (RBGUSD) students and staff can now access safe, clean drinking water, thanks to the district’s new Water Treatment Plant. On Tuesday morning, community members, staff, and local officials gathered for the ribbon-cutting ceremony and tour of the new plant.

“On behalf of the Rio Bravo-Greeley, the board, our community, the students, the staff, your attendance and support today mean everything,” said district Superintendent Jennifer Hedge. “This is a very special day for us. It’s been a long time coming.”

The ceremony took place on the RBG middle school campus just outside the facility that houses the water plant. Temperatures soared to just under 100 degrees as the ceremony got underway. Light refreshments were provided, including ice water provided by the plant. School officials and board members also encouraged attendees to make use of new water fountains.

“Go drink the water. It’s wonderful,” said Phil Chandler, co-founder of Datumpin, Inc., an engineering firm that works with water industries. “And all you trendy kids out there with your big water carriers that are about the size of a backpack, go fill them from the chilled stuff.”

The district’s water troubles began in the summer of 2015, just before the start of the school year. High levels of nitrate contamination in the groundwater forced the district to shut down drinking fountains and provide bottled water for all students and staff. Hedge says using bottled water has been a strain on school staff.

“We do have to have specific staff members deliver these five-gallon jugs to classrooms, and we have them strategically placed outside,” she said. “And then there’s little paper cups everywhere that just become a trash issue.”

Community members tour the new water treatment plant.

Using bottled water created not only staff and supply challenges, it was also costly. Over the years, the district had to apply for and reapply for bottled water grants from the state of California to cover costs of more than $175,000 a year. Hedge noted that current students, even eighth-graders, had never been able to drink from the school’s water fountains.

“Having the capability of getting a drink in the back of the class or out on the playground, we’re really looking forward to that again,” she said.

In 2017, the district began working with UC Davis and Corona Environmental to address the nitrate issue, securing Proposition 50 funding to build a point-of-use filtration system. However, in 2018, the district hit another setback. Groundwater tests revealed the presence of 1,2,3-TCP, a known carcinogen, requiring the district to scrap its plans and build a water treatment plant to filter both contaminants. The district pursued litigation against chemical companies Shell and Dow and the companies were found liable for the 1,2,3-TCP contamination. The legal victory allowed the district to fund the additional treatment requirements not provided by Prop 50.

The district’s Director of Facilities, Rene Nodora, played a key role in overseeing the project. He had to undergo a lengthy certification process to take ownership and run the water treatment plant.

“It took a couple of years for all that to happen,” Nodora explained. “Certain parts of the construction project could only be done when school was out in the summertime, or during Christmas break.”

Construction of the plant began in June 2021, with final connections made in December 2023. The state-of-the-art facility now treats the school district’s groundwater for both nitrate and 1,2,3-TCP contamination, providing safe drinking water to the entire district, including Rio Bravo-Greeley’s elementary and middle school campuses, as well as employee housing.

“The next duty is basically to sustain that treatment plant and continue to provide clean, quality water,” Nodora said.

Following the official ribbon-cutting, attendees were given a tour of the new facility to see firsthand the system that will keep the district’s water safe for years to come. As the community celebrates the plant’s completion, RBGUSD can finally move forward with confidence.

“At the foundation of everything is student safety and making sure our students, staff, and the community are safe while on campuses, and making sure that we’re providing that safe drinking water for everybody,” Hedge said.