Regulators Scrutinize Wastewater Treatment Issues at Major Hopland Wine Production Facility

HOPLAND ― Aside from the millions of cases of wine bottled annually at Ray’s Station Winery along Highway 175, the expansive facility has been producing another, less welcome, byproduct in recent years, much to the dismay of its neighbors.

Residents report an aroma of raw sewage and rotten eggs, mingled with hints of hot garbage and sweaty feet, lingering in the air for the past five years. This year, the odor has been a near-constant presence since early spring.

The smell has been likened to “rotting teeth,” a “pig farm,” or “fecal matter”―a stench so overpowering that it has ruined gatherings, forced neighbors to shut their windows and stay indoors, and, they believe, has negatively impacted their property values and quality of life, especially during warm weather.

“There have been moments where you walk outside and physically gag,” said one resident, Taylor Macri. “It’s so strong that you have to hold your breath and run to the car.”

And this year, “it’s gotten so much worse ― exponentially worse,” she said.

The source is wastewater from wine production and bottling activities that have expanded tremendously on the site since 2012. That’s the year that what had been Weibel Winery ― the last of several smaller operations there ― was snapped up by Vintage Wine Estates amid a period of rapid acquisition that saddled it with debt and since has pushed it to the brink of bankruptcy.

At the time Vintage Wine Estates bought the property about four miles east of Highway 101, then-president Pat Roney said he planned to crush 400,000 cases of wine at the facility in the coming year.

Roney also told The Press Democrat that having a bulk processing facility in Mendocino County was advantageous because “there are no use permits required, so we can continue expanding to unlimited production up there.”

As much as 11 million cases of wine may now be bottled each year at Ray’s Station, much of it made by fast-growing Josh Cellars, though Vintage Wine Estates, whose operational offices are in Santa Rosa, owns close to three dozen brands, including at least one cider.

A call to Ray’s Station Winery bottling manager Scott Wallace was not returned. Operations head Rodrigo de Oliveira said he would find a company representative to answer questions but did not call back. A second call to his office was unanswered.

According to the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board, it appears the winery’s swift expansion may have overwhelmed its wastewater treatment facilities, which regulators say are poorly designed, in disrepair and lack adequate capacity, though the system is intended to handle an average daily flow of 91,100 gallons at peak production.

The problems go beyond wretched odors and have repeatedly put groundwater and surface water connected to the Russian River at risk of contamination, in addition to violating the winery’s permit and general requirements, regulators said.

After a series of actions over several years, including four formal notices of violation, the water quality agency has issued several new orders over the past month intended to force the company to bring its wastewater treatment system under control at last.

A Draft Cease and Desist order issued Tuesday is the latest attempt by water quality regulators to bring order to a situation that, since June 17, has included a torn or punctured liner in one wastewater treatment pond and the risk of rupture and leakage in the second.

The Cease and Desist Order must be approved by the board’s six members in order to be enforceable. A hearing will be held on the matter in the first few days of October.

A Cleanup and Abatement Order and Investigative Order issued June 20 is enforceable now, however. It requires Vintage Wine Estates to develop an urgent corrective plan by Friday and provide information to regulators necessary to oversee improvements.

The most urgent problem apparently arose when wastewater somehow accumulating underneath the pond liners, backed up underground drains, though they were capped five years earlier, said Jeremiah Puget, senior environmental scientist with the water quality agency’s enforcement unit. The backed-up fluid put upward pressure on the liners so they ballooned outward and, in one case, ruptured, though regulators are still awaiting a full explanation, Puget said.

The agency’s actions go back years and are based, in part, on inspections and findings related to odor complaints raised since January 2019, as well as evidence of problems associated with the wastewater treatment system, which includes two lined aeration ponds for wastewater treatment, one treated wastewater storage pond and five rapid infiltration basins used to dispose of treated wastewater.

At least twice in recent years, an aerator has broken, including this spring, when repairs were delayed because a particular component was unavailable, winery representatives told regulators.

The aerator failure, which persisted for more than a month, happened to coincide with Mother’s Day and Memorial Day, creating havoc for neighbors who had planned to host events. It was reportedly repaired May 29, but the odor has not abated.

An earlier series of violations, from October 2022 to April 2023, involved workers found to be disposing of excess treated wastewater on green and landscaped areas around the property, a practice prohibited since the organization yanked out a 12-acre vineyard that once grew there, according to water quality board documents.

Staffers told regulators the facility’s five, quarter-acre rapid infiltration basins, designed for disposal of treated effluent, weren’t percolating at the expected rate, requiring another disposal route that regulators say threatened contamination of groundwater and surface water resources through commingling with stormwater drainage, board documents say.

Some treated wastewater also has ended up in stormwater structures that drain to a vineyard pond across the highway from which it can reach the Russian River, regulators say.

Other issues arose from grape pomace left over from wine production that was stored in a corner of the property about 150 feet from the nearest home after the facility managers could find no other disposal option.

“That ended up stinking really badly,” said Ken Richter, a neighbor who plans to sell the ranch house he shares with his wife off the north edge of Highway 175.

Richter, a vineyard manager, says there’s no way the wastewater aeration ponds and other facilities are sufficient to “handle the amount of wastewater they push through,” and with only about 35 acres, 10 of them built, it seems unlikely they’ll be able to, he said.

“It’s criminal as far as I’m concerned,” Richter said. “I don’t know how they can get away with it …. Every county agency we’ve talked to has just done nothing for us.”

“It really has affected us,” said Marie Kong, one of a handful of others with rural homes just east of the winery.

Vintage Wine Estates, in a public video promoting the site’s immense capacity and function as “the primary workhorse” for its bottling operation, also stated, “We’re proud to be good neighbors and supporters of our community.”

However, neighbors claim their dreams of living in a picturesque, rural valley and enjoying outdoor time with family have been shattered.

“They did construction for years and years and years and years and moved a lot of dirt for years, and for years and years and years we had construction noise,” said Kong, who, along with her husband Todd, built their home in 1991. “They kept adding tanks, and it’s huge, and even that, I was like, ‘OK.’”

“… And then the smell started,” she said.

Russian Riverkeeper Executive Director Don McEnhill said the recent regulatory notices had gotten his organization’s attention, which is now looking into the matter.

“It’s pretty easy to control that environment unless you’re not trying,” he said. “This is not rocket science. It’s about making sure you have the capacity to treat the volume you have, and you have the appropriate protocols and treatment systems.

“It’s pretty simple stuff, and they shouldn’t be getting it wrong, but if you under-invest in your treatment systems or you’re undersized, that’s a real problem.”

You can reach Staff Writer Mary Callahan (she/her) at 707-521-5249 or mary.callahan@pressdemocrat.com. On X (Twitter) @MaryCallahanB.

---

About the Author: Chris Lehoux

Meet Chris Lehoux, an experienced wine connoisseur and dedicated blogger with a deep passion for all things wine-related. With years of expertise in the industry, Chris shares insightful wine reviews, valuable wine tasting tips, expert pairing advice, and captivating tales of vineyard visits. Join Chris on a journey through the world of wine, where every sip is an adventure waiting to be savored!