Town of Paradise, Infrastructure

Infrastructure Recovery Projects

Sewer, Early warning system, Broadband, Roads

By Colette Curtis

Recovery and Economic Development Director As we navigate recovery from the Camp Fire, the Town of Paradise is working on some major projects that will improve the quality of life in our community.

Sewer – our plan for economic recovery and opportunity

The Paradise sewer is one of the most important projects for the rebuild of Paradise. Having a sewer would improve Paradise economic development in two ways: Affordable housing: Without a sewer system, Paradise doesn’t have a way to build affordable apartments and condos because there isn’t a place for that high volume of wastewater to go. The sewer would be built along primary roads in Paradise, meaning affordable housing would be near evacuation routes so more people could leave faster. Commercial business: A sewer would increase size, type, and number of commercial businesses in the downtown area. Septic systems can only handle so much wastewater, so businesses like restaurants, hair salons, and other businesses producing high amounts of wastewater are limited in their services.

Where would it start and where would it end?

Plans for a public sewer system in Paradise have been in the works since 1979, and for the last ten years, the service area has been designated as a 18 square mile “triangle” including Skyway, Clark, and Pearson Roads. The proposed region would create an estimated ½ million gallons of wastewater per day, using gravity to flow 18 miles to the existing Wasterwater and Pollution Control Plant off Chico River Road, operated by the City of Chico.

What’s new in the timeline?

Currently, the project is in the Environment Impact Review phase. This means a report is being compiled to analyze the potential environmental impacts of constructing and operating a sewer connection from the Town to the City of Chico Water Pollution Control Plant.

Best case scenario: when would the sewer be finished?

If the EIR is approved, construction could start as early as 2024. If all goes according to plan, the sewer could be completed at the end of 2026. Full size rendering can be viewed at www.townofparadise.com For more information, Visit paradisesewer.com for FAQs and how to get involved.

Town-wide Repaving Begins this Summer

Starting summer 2022, the Town of Paradise will begin a repaving project for all publicly owned and maintained roads within Town limits. This year, Skyway between crossroads and just past Holiday Market will be repaved, and the area between Pearson Road and Elliott Road will be restriped. The new layout will include one northbound lane, a center turn lane, and two southbound lanes. This configuration was the most popular with the public during our outreach last summer. In our experts’ view, the configuartion will provide safety for day to day driving as well as increased capacity for evacuations. From 2023 through 2025, the Town will pave 30 miles of public roads per year. You can find a map of the planned paving work, as well as an alphabetical list of roads and the year in which they are scheduled for paving on the Town’s website. WW

Early Warning System: safety for our residents in an emergency

Great news! Funding to construct the Early Warning System was awarded to the Town in April 2022. The Town is in the process of hiring a contractor with work expected to begin this summer. The Early Warning System will consist of 21 towers equipped with sirens and voice capabilities that will provide a reduntant communication system in the event of an emergency.