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Santa Margarita community drinking water tank vandalized

November 10, 2022

By KAREN VELIE

San Luis Obispo County disposed of more than 100,000 gallons of Santa Margarita drinking water this week amid concerns that vandals tampered with the water.

On Nov. 7, county staff discovered someone had cut the lock on one of the tanks that provides Santa Margarita water. Staff drained the vandalized tank, while residents were provided water from another tank.

“Because it is unknown whether perpetrators tampered with the water, as a precautionary measure, the tank was taken out of service and is being drained,” according to SLO County. “It held about 100,000 gallons of water at the time of the incident.”

SLO County Sheriff’s deputies are investigating the vandalism. Investigators are asking anyone with information about the incident to call (805) 781-4550.


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Santa Margarita water has politicians and developers in it, not poison. Atascadero Mutual connected to their grid a few years back. Scared everyone into believing that the town doesn’t have enough water, an argument never proven or studied. Another local politician bolstered the argument right after he drilled wells on his own properties.If there’s no water or bad water why drill? Lately, a local villan developer hooked up his new McMansion tract. To top it off the county is making no effort to maintain the system and openly threatens to sell it to a private company. Maybe cause the guy with the wells is on the advisory board? Idk? Either way there’s a thousand people and a golf course coming to this town and that takes water. Maybe they should ask the city of SLO for the Santa Margarita lake water they pump over the hill and up to Whale Rock? Yuppies are resourceful, they’ll figure it out.


0

Lots of accusations here. But you lack facts or evidence.


A golf course is most certainly years away if ever. Golf courses are not exactly big money makers.


0

Source for your third and fourth sentences: You made it up. There’s question marks behind sentences I’m unsure of the facts. You’re welcome to prove the others are false.


0

Maybe putting some cheap cameras up would be money well spent? It amazes me that nobody in Government thinks their are people out there with no scruples or brains like them


9

Probably a water tank truck or water tank trucks plural have been borrowing AKA stealing water for awhile now .Water theft has been occurring all over California for a long time ,last few years has seen a massive rise in water theft . Vans, enclosed trailers vehicles of all types have been converted into incognito water theft vehicles . Some California towns and cities set up road check points to catch the water thieves and passed ordinances to disallow any type of vehicle with tanks or even jugs to be allowed on municipal streets


5

They never thought about simply testing the water before dumping? I think the $200 test would have been worth it. $.002 per gallon to test.


9

Testing is fine, and likely should be done, but is that enough to assuage residents fear? Personally, I prefer the emptying of the tank, a good scrub, and refill. Not to mention, it gives maintenance a chance to inspect the tank fully.


13

Yes, I think the main well water should be tested for these reasons:


1. Across the street from wells #1, 2, and 4 was a gas station and a Texaco station up the street a couple of blocks.

2. Lately there have been many Camp Le June benzine contamination advertisements recruiting potential victims.

3. Before the Santa Margarita fuel tank locations were removed, did they leak and if so for how long? When gas was pennies per gallon, consider the when do you notice factor?

4. I know of four pancreatic cancer victims in Santa Margarita, are there others?


2