The Santa Paula City Council on Monday night extended the deadline for firms to submit proposals to design, build, operate and finance the city's wastewater recycling facility, but the number of proposals may dwindle despite the extra time.

The council voted 3-2 to give three firms until Feb. 4 to submit proposals. The original deadline was Jan. 11.

The changes were made in light of two teams, led by American Water and EPCOR Utilities Inc., wanting more time to submit their most cost-effective and creative proposals. The main reason for the request was that winter holidays could make meeting the deadline more difficult, officials said.

Some council members in the past advocated for selecting several teams to submit proposals for more competition. But city officials found out Monday that EPCOR decided not to submit a proposal.

"This decision came as the result of a number of internal matters within EPCOR," David Hermanson, general manager of West Coast operations, said by e-mail Tuesday. "Our decision is not reflective of the value of the project or attributable to the city's processes."

American Water also may not submit a proposal because the deadline was extended to Feb. 4 instead of Feb. 22, said Debra Vernon, western regional manager for communication and corporate responsibility.

"We're still discussing it internally," Vernon said. "We're deciding whether we can submit the proposal within the time frame."

Pacific Environmental Resources Corp. and Veolia Water would head the only two teams with bids if American Water pulls out. Officials from PERC said Tuesday they intend to submit a proposal. An official from Veolia Water did not return a call from The Star.

City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz said that, although the deadline has changed, Santa Paula still should be able to have its plant built by September 2010.

A contract could be awarded by April 14, but if other teams decide not to submit a proposal, a contract could be awarded earlier, Bobkiewicz said. In the past, officials planned to award a contract by March 16.

Santa Paula officials want to build the facility by 2010 to meet state water-quality standards and avoid fines from the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board.

The city could be fined thousands of dollars per day by the board if it misses the deadline.

Santa Paula almost had to pay about $8.6 million in fines for 2,900 water-quality violations from January 2000 to March 2007.

However, a Ventura County Superior Court judge in September approved a consent judgment and final order that freed the city from paying $8.2 million in fines to the state. Instead, the money will go toward construction of the new plant.

The fines originate from a 1997 permit from the control board that requires Santa Paula not to exceed specific limits on effluent that ends up in the Santa Clara River, including E. coli and chlorine limits.

Councilman John Procter said the city must make sure to meet the board's new deadline.

Procter said he wanted to extend the deadline to Feb. 22 but is confident that city staff will achieve the overall goal to build the plant on time.

Councilman Ralph Fernandez, who voted with two other council members for the new deadline, said unexpected delays could occur while the plant is being constructed.

"If we went all the way to the 22nd, it sort of appears that we have leisure time, and we really don't," Fernandez said. Using the entire "time cushion" the city has now in the beginning of the process is risky, he said.