Manny Furtado, accused of dumping wastewater in creek, says he
will continue operations
Gilroy – Manuel Furtado, the owner of a Gilroy dairy, pleaded no contest to charges that he discharged harmful wastewater into nearby Alamias Creek more than a year ago.
He was fined $33,500 and will be on probation for up to three years. He also must abide by conditions handed down by the Regional Water Quality Control Board.
Furtado did not comment when asked why he entered a plea of no contest Monday, but said he is working with water authorities.
“I will continue to operate my dairy,” Furtado told the Dispatch Tuesday in a phone interview. “As for the fine, I haven’t even thought about it. If that’s what it is, that’s what it is.”
The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s office said a combination of heavy winter rain and a broken pump at the Furtado Dairy failed to redirect wastewater away from the creek, and resulted in tens of thousands of gallons of wastewater that spilled into the creek in May of last year.
The waste-filled water traveled almost five miles through Alamias Creek, which the DA’s office said did not flow into salmon spawning grounds in the Pajaro River.
Furtado said he plans to modify the Furtado Dairy and is taking steps to ensure he cooperates with provisions of the Regional Water Quality Control Board.
“I plan to put up a levy, and to monitor my water, to make sure there is no run off at all,” Furtado said. “I’ve been monitoring the water on my property for the last six months, and I have an engineer who visits the site at least once a week.”
Neighbors around Furtado’s Ferguson Road farm often complained about the stench resulting from the wastewater runoff. The dairy is located just off of Ferguson Road near Dunlap Avenue in the east foothills of unincorporated Gilroy.
“I will make sure my neighbors’ water doesn’t go through my property, so I’m not responsible for their water,” Furtado said.
An anonymous call describing the wastewater-filled creek led the DA’s office to file three misdemeanor charges in June 2005. The charges allege he discharged water in excess of his permit and dumped 20,000 gallons of water polluted with waste from the farm’s 600 cows.
The Furtado Dairy has been in Gilroy for about 40 years, though the 80-acre property was closed from 1986 to 1992. There is a boutique dairy in San Martin, but the Furtado dairy is the last large-scale operation in the county.
Rachelle Gines is an intern attending San Francisco State University, Reach her at 847-7158 or rg****@gi************.com.
