Something smells in Los Osos
January 21, 2010
BY PIPER REILLYCurrent well tests show the average nitrate levels are one half milligram over drinking water standards (minimal) but sea water has intruded into, and filled the pyramid shaped water basin, from it’s base to at least half way to the top. Nitrates can be easily filtered at the well heads but chloride, from the sea water intrusion (SWI), is a far more problematic pollutant.
Up until about 10 years ago, San Luis Obispo County was the water purveyor for Los Osos. They, as well as the Regional Water Board, were fully aware of the SWI but ignored it, despite officially designating the basin as Level III Water Resource Severity as late as 2007.
These government agencies, whose purpose includes protection of resources, targeted Los Osos, a low income, coastal town for nitrate pollution and directed the construction of a conventional Gravity collection style industrial sewer system. The unincorporated town, under the threat of severe potential fines, voted to assess themselves $25,000 per household plus “fees and charges” for an undefined project.
What was promised, in the Engineer’s Report for the 218 special tax assessment Election, was that alternative low pressure STEP technology would be compared with the conventional Gravity system. As the EIR process progressed, it was acknowledged that STEP technology had the potential for less impacts to the environment and was likely less expensive than the conventional system. Just prior to final project comparison, the county government, the lead agency for the project, dropped the STEP option and stated they would be building a conventional system despite being much more expensive and substantially more environmentally detrimental.
Local residents, citizen’s groups, environmental groups and agencies have protested the county’s decisions, but San Luis Obispo County, who stands to collect 15-20 percent administration on the total Project cost from this working class community, insists on building an outdated and costly conventional project.
Our local county government has a history for sole-sourcing, eliminating competition and innovation, and creating a climate where the good ol’ boys get the contracts. Los Osos’ predicament is not isolated, as several other towns within the county have compromised their water basins due to pressure and neglect by the government.
Most disturbing is the continued use of obsolete technology for the purpose of keeping associates in business. There is a great deal of conflict of interest that is being brushed under the rug. Not only does this cost the taxpayers, these unsustainable projects jeopardize the water supply and harm the sensitive ecosystem which borders a National Estuary/State Marine Reserve, and supports rare and endangered plants and animals.
Legal representation is badly needed to protect what remains of the Los Osos water supply, as well as the environmentally sensitive habitat areas (ESHA), and the people who, because of astronomical and unnecessary costs, stand to lose their homes.
Los Osos is a precedent-setting case because of its designation as a Prohibition (No-discharge) Zone by the Central Coast Regional Water Board, and could determine the fate for more than a dozen other small communities on septic systems. Because of the strong political climate, sustainable solutions are not being attained and the region needs assistance.
The State Attorney General would be the correct agency to go to for relief but they represent the Water Board, leaving the people at a catastrophic loss. Los Osos could be a shining example of how to do things right, but instead it continues to perpetuate what is wrong. Unless we have legal representation at the upcoming Coastal Commission hearings, due to severe budget cuts, the Coastal Commission may approve the flawed project just because they are too under staffed to refute it. We are hoping that someone will rise to the occasion and help our community out of this big mess.
Piper Reilly is a member of the Los Osos Sustainability Group.
I’ve been reading these postings for a while and continue to see reference to the staging area used by the prior project. I can’t help but notice that someone has an ax to grind with Julie Tacker’s appeal that raises the issue of stagging on the site at Pismo and South Bay. We neighbors only recently learned, from Julie, not the County, that the County proposes to use it again. Having been a neighbor of that property for some time we have endured enough! In the 1970′s with horseback riding lessons and boarding, tthe 1980′s motocross track covering it, the 1990′s pea and pumpkin farming and accociated pesticides, farm noise and dust, and the dysfunctuional family that lived there until the 2005 use as a staging area. More recently, the unpermitted church use and currently pre-staging of construction trailers under the guise of “farming”. We’ve had enough!
It is public record that Fred Collins intends to get the Chumash Monitoring contract for the project, he has wiggled his way onto the property for the lucritive contract to come, not for the “farming” that is going on today.
As for Julie Tacker’s challenge, she remembers it correctly, the 2005 use was never analyzed under the 2000 EIR and later was the subject of litigation. Furthermore, the analysis of that site for this project is briefly covered in the 2009 EIR basically saying “the LOCSD used it, so we can too.” I hadn’t read it until Julie called me to say “hey, guess what?” Julie’s appeal correctly identifies inconsistencies within the Board of Supervisor’s permit, inlcuding the air pollution control district’s requirement that stagging be done away from sensitive reseptors and construction around schools be done after or before school hours.
The previous project scraped the land prior to the permit being issued there was an enforcement action brought against the property owner back then, what happened with that? What’s happening with removal of sensitive vegetation now? Where’s the County’s oversight on the land owner this time?
I want a sewer, always have, I just don’t want the stagging area in my front yard for 3-5 years, however long the project takes. We were NEVER notified that this would be the use of the property for either project. No County official has invited us in to talk about it; the 2005 experience was aweful. The contractors would come in a 5:00am and not leave until after 9:00pm, they would tool around on their ATV’s during the weekends to change oil and do repairs on the equipment. Desil engine’s idleing all night long from delivery trucks waiting for the gates to open at 7:00am. Radio’s blaring, with beer drinking around the bonfire. The men would whistle at the little girls on their way to school, it was gross. They would block my driveway with their baracades and get huffy with me if I moved it. I called that Michael Drake guy one time to talk about it, he was no help at all. On the contrary, I saw him over there laughing with the guys after my call.
Julie’s appeal has validity, it won’t stop the project, it will make it better. So, what’s wrong with that? Leave her alone, she’s the only one who seems to care about us neighbors, ironically, Maria Kelly lives right around the corner.
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reseptors-receptors; tthe-the; staggin-staging; reseptors-receptors; aweful – awful; ideling – idling; Desil – diesel.
After deciphering the spelling errors I get the concept and am curious as to why this neighbor didn’t participate in the county process? Why wouldn’t have Mrs.Tacker bothered to call them in 2006 and said, “hey, guess what! I helped stop the project and now instead of 3-5 years* of construction, you can pay between $3000-$15,000 for the bankruptcy I just voted for!” Why wouldn’t these property owners come to any of the county meetings that were noticed by US Mail regarding the sewer and ensuing project?
If you support Mrs.Tacker, please ask her to run for county supervisor – it would be fun to watch the county’s citizenry have an opportunity to comment on her decision making. Why would anyone leave anyone alone who keeps throwing herself out into the public eye and promoting Class A
conspiracy?
Final question: where do you think the staging area should be? Oh wait, “out of town” even though it would be cheaper to site construction equipment and supplies close to where they will be installed. I guess it’s a good thing for you that it won’t be STEP – could you imagine 4700,1500 gallon tanks being stored there! Wow, dodged that one.
Is Fred Collins the DBA on that site? Just curious.
*3-5 years – really? Facts please, nothing but the facts.
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Bustermove: Where did you come from, I don’t see your comments here before. BTW, thanks for the spelling correction’s. Writing is not my strong suit, as you can probly tell. I wish there was spell check on these blog things, more people would use it.
Nowhere in the County process that I saw, the postcards to my house, the newspaper, meetings on TV or even the LOWWP website, was the staging area discussed. Julie, who is busy with her own life, called us last month just before she and many others went to the Coastal Commission. I also know nothing of a bid for Supervisor, she’d have my vote, I watched her grow up, even playing across the street with the Walker kids, but I really don’t think she’d run, she has a baby you know.
Why would I care if it’s STEP or Gravity, what makes you bring that up? I had stacks and stacks of large pipe across the street, what’s the difference? I really just don’t want rude contractors across the street at all hours of the night and day. Can you blame me? As I stated before, that property has been a source of trouble for a very long time.
As for Fred Collins = Chumash Farms doing “work” on the site, Mr. Collins has asked for a break from county code enforcement for the activity, expressly because he is expecting the monitoring contract. I have had personal contact with code enforcement over both the Farm and the Church.
My husband has some experience with large construction projects, the timelines are never what they appear. I think Northridge had some successful completion dates met, but most are long over due. Case in point, maybe you know what’s going on with the Palisades signal? How come it’s not up and running? I believe the sewer project will take every bit of 3 years if not longer to complete. What timeline do you expect, and will you stand behind a completion date?
You ask where I think the staging are should be? Where do you live? You seem so happy to have the project come to town, I think it whould be next to your house.
I have no idea what you are talking about when you say “Class A conspiracy”, what’s that about? Maybe Cal Coast News should do a story? Send in the evidence.
From your tone, it sounds like you are lumping me in with “No Sewer” people. I want a sewer. i wanted it before most. I would have liked to have been asked how I felt about a staging area. I would have liked to have had a chance to see environmental work done on the site so I could comment, since there was none, I wasn’t given that opportunity — again!
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Walker Ranch Watcher, were you in favor of Tri-W?
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I have always supported a sewer. The details didn’t matter much to me. Again, I was NEVER noticed that a stagging area would be in my front yard, in continuos opperation for the whole project, longer than each section of the collection system or the plant. A stagging area has the longest duration of any component of a construction project. This is where my concerns lie.
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I’m surprised that with a different sewer now coming to LO, which SURELY you must have heard about, as you got a 218 ballot in the mail to vote on paying for it, you didn’t even make a phone call to the County to ask where the staging area was going to be? Mustn’t have been that bad or you would have acted a lot sooner and a lot differently than posting very late about your concerns on an obscure thread on an outdated online article.
Looks to me these “staging concerns” arose rather suddenly — like right now — when Julie has been slammed on blogs and in the press for her part in blocking our access to money to help pay for this project and and has been attempting to justify her own personal culpability in the delay via press and blogs.
The rather absurd ESHA “concerns” on a trampled and well-used piece of property have now morphed into neighbors’ dislike of a staging area. If this is a trial run to see how this new reason for delay works as justification, I give it an “F.”
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How about putting the “stagging” at the Oceano airport?
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Watcher writes.” A stagging area has the longest duration of any component of a construction project. This is where my concerns lie.” and your house, oh poor thing, I hear your whine and I think it’s fine, because the SEWER would of been infront of my house lowering it’s depreciating value, did they steal your $3,200 also, like they did me, probably not , because you were smart enough not to trust them as I was not.
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cheseburger, those of us who did not pay up front but are paying on our tax bills are upset about paying that money AND paying for yet another sewer AND the Water Board fines AND the bankruptcy of the CSD. If you are rich enough to hang on, good for you, but some of us are not so sure we can pay for all of this, especially as we’ve probably lost the grants and cheap money that were to attempt to knock the bill for this second sewer down. The obstructionists didn’t like the County’s plan so lobbied the Coastal Commission go back to look some more.
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Wow, you folks have more axes to grind than I can count. I’ll stick with the staging area in my front yard. As for it being “ESHA”, it is surrounded by ESHA, willow trees constitute ESHA (on two sides of the property), they have been whacked by the current tenant with no regard to the laws. The Coastal Scrub to the north is in pretty good condition and should be protected from spill over impacts. Again, if it wasn’t anaylized and commentd on in the EIR then how would you even know to protect it.
I took the 15% discount and paid my 2001 assessment, the rest of neighbors will pay full pop over the 20 year term. I fail to see what does that have to do with staging?
I can see from Mythbustermove and Cheseburger that I don’t have your sympathy and don’t really care.
With that, I’ll be signing off. See you in cyberspace. Tahtah!
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