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Water restrictions take effect in Los Osos

August 12, 2014

los-osos-A set of restrictions limiting how and when residents can use water for landscaping took effect in Los Osos Monday.

Last week, the Los Osos Community Services District adopted a set of mandatory water conservations measures that will remain in effect indefinitely. The new requirements limit the amount of time residents can use potable water to irrigate lawns, plants, groundcovers and shrubs to 15 minutes per yard on designated days.

Residents now may irrigate only when it is dark outside. Those who live at even-numbered addresses can water their lawns and plants on Wednesdays and Sundays, and residents at odd-numbered addresses can do so on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

The restrictions do not apply to community recreational facilities.


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Hello:


Admitting up front we are new to Los Osos from the drought stricken Bay Area. I would be interested to know if there is a local MeetUp or group that shares ideas ( constructive ) on grey water capture and/or fog harvesting for our gardens? I completely support water restrictions and improving sewer systems. I have spent years working in sustainability and agriculture, bio digestion etc: and I think a lot more could be done to educate consumers and commercial water users here locally to improve their water footprint. I would love to learn from other neighbors and share ideas.


In Alameda County before a home owner can sell their home they must replace and certify that their sewer lateral has been replaced and upgraded. No one wanted the expense but indeed the replacements help keep the ground water systems and watersheds running to the Bay cleaner. It costs money and residents and home owners need to do their part — sometimes it costs. However, if we think about what we gain by working towards solutions, together – it truly is better for our future.


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I won’t be doing anything different with my Los Osos water usage so long as: 1) developers are building new houses, 2) golf courses are green, 3) there are a billion acres of wine grapes in the county, 4) water bills are based on anything other than water usage.


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Quoting PasoP “I’m not going to letmy shrubs, bushes and trees die.” You’ll be crying the loudest when your faucet sends down its last few drips. Wake up people, it’s time to conserve water, CA is in a severe drought condition. All of SLO should be setting up restrictions and fining those for not abiding by conservation measures.


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http://www.losososcsd.org/Library/Home%20Page/08.11.14%20LOCSD%20News%20Release%20-%20Mandatory%20Outdoor%20Water%20Conservation%20Measures.pdf


Obvious loopholes in Los Osos Community Services District Board of Directors’ (BOARD) “mandatory measures” will only serve to encourage some residents to resist complying. In point #1, the BOARD failed to define “station.” Is a station also a manual or automatic valve? If so, residents with ten valves can now “legally” water for an exorbitant 150 minutes twice weekly during dark/nighttime hours. Conversely, residents lacking stations/valves are restricted to watering an ENTIRE YARD for a total of 15 minutes twice weekly during dark/nighttime hours. In the BOARD’s list of plants that can be watered, fruit trees are not named. Therefore, one can only surmise that fruit trees may be watered any day of the week at any time and for as long as the resident deems necessary. If the BOARD fails to be specific, people will find a way out. No mention concerning WHO and HOW enforcement will be handled.


Looks like the BOARD threw together these measures in a slipshod fashion to give the appearance of LOCSD’s compliance with State-mandated water reductions.


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Doesn’t sound like they have a water conservation specialist.


The way the current program is structured, it is likely to alienate the customers. Customer “bye-in” is crucial to the success of a water conservation program and, if the customers become alienated, it is very difficult to get them to accept a new, better program, no matter how good it is.


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MaryMalone,


LOCSD has a panel that has included a water conservation expert for years. Just read the meeting minutes. Or is that water conservation specialist just a blow hard and really brought nothing to the table. If the expert had been doing such a great job for years, then how could this crisis exists? You have the buss words down – “buy-in” and now the CSD will justify spending millions to develop a campaign (i.e. CBSM) to enlist the community in the great endeavor of water conservation.


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Intelligently planned landscaping does not need to be irrigated. I’ve got Mimosa trees and coyote bush and oleander that have not been watered except by rain, they are fine. It’s when people try to plant tropical plants in a desert that you run into problems.


The bigger issue is that restrictions do not apply to commerce or public entities. You will continue to see green golf courses, vines as far as the eye can see, and run-off from soccer fields, while private citizens let their plants die or get fined. That’s not rule of law.


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I think all the people that moved here from L.A should go back. Problem solved.


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Los Osos Local,


Move back to whatever crap country your family is from. If you are not of blue blood in this country just leave. Stop breeding.


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Less about each other and whatever place people are from.

Much less.


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It won’t be long before it rains (probably not enough) and contractors will be pushing to build more houses to use more water.

Why should new residents, knowing we have a delicate water balance, have the same rights to our water that we do?

We need a two tier water rights system. First tier would include all the current structures. Second tier would be any new construction.

Future water crises would start with the lower tier of new structures conserving water before their additional burden to the communities sink us all!

That’s being generous. My true feeling are we should stop all new construction until we have guaranteed water.


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Any water conservation program that pits one class of residents against another is going to fail.


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Well, thank goodness in Los Osos you can flush your toilets to a new state of the art waste water treatment facility. No blanking water, but you can flush your sewage, oh that is right no water to flush the waste down the system.


Great Job LOCSD Board and Pavlo Ogren. Maybe LOCSD can hook-up to the Nacimiento dry water line pipeline that Pavlo crammed down our throats with the other idiot leaders in the County. Great job!


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Let’s see-


No water to flush: actually, there is plenty of water to flush. Also, after the effluent is treated, it will be strategically recharged back into the groundwater. This will lessen water loss to the bay and help prevent seawater intrusion.


Hook up to Nacimiento: actually, although the reservoir is low, SLO County has first claim to the water that is in there, and there is adequate water to meet the subscriptions of the agencies in SLO County that had the foresight to subscribe and obtain secondary supply sources.


Have some more wine, guy.


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Itneverends,


Apparently you have no clue about water resource management and water regulations pertaining to resevoirs. Here is a fact to think on. During the last 30 years every time the region is in a multi-year drought lake nacimiento (the end to water concerns) is always below the legal level in which water can be drawn from. Also, the lake is but dry this year. So this is the first drought since the great pipeline was installed and walla – no water to send down the pipeline. Another fact, that mercury levels go through the roof every time the lake falls below 50%, thus the treatment cost are exponential. Drink that water itneverends and then call your doctor.


That pipeline and the sewer plant are just two examples of an idiot out of control spending the publics money with no accountability.


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Watering only 2X a week during summer months is going to kill a lot of plants.

Sorry but If I lived in Los Osos, I wouldn’t abide by these rules because I’m not going to letmy shrubs, bushes and trees die.


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Most of the time, Los Osos is foggy and cool enough that 2 days per week should be enough to keep most plants alive. (This year may be an exception.) Paso limits people to 3 days/wk and that causes more difficulty there due to the heat with which they must contend.


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Los Ososans are terribly sad to learn that you will not be moving there any time soon.


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