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How did San Simeon run out of water during a rain storm?

March 24, 2023

By KAREN VELIE

Amid pounding rains, San Simeon Community Services District staff asked residents to curtail their water usage because of a water “quantity” issue. By quantity, district officials were referring to a lack of clean water.

Working to have drinkable water 12 months a year, in 2016 the district constructed a water purification facility. At that time, the district planned to primarily run the unit during the winter because of high chloride levels and turbidity.

After weeks of rain caused dirt and debris to flow down Pico Creek from Rocky Butte, the rainiest spot in San Luis Obispo County, the cloudy water needed to be run through the district’s water purification facility.

However, the facility’s three filters needed to be changed to handle the higher level of turbidity, filters the district did not have in stock.

District staff then placed an order for three new filters while sending the following warning to residents:

“”Due to the ongoing storm activity in the area, we are requesting that you voluntarily refrain from doing laundry and nonessential water use. With this storm activity we are experiencing a water quantity issue and are requesting that you conserve water until Friday 3/24/2023.”

However, the filters are not expected to arrive until Monday.

In the meantime, Cambria Community Services District began supplying the small community of approximately 450 people with drinking water on Thursday. The water is trucked in 4,000 gallon tankers.

“Today, we brought in 14 trucks loads of potable water, approximately 55,000 gallons, which was added to the reservoir. Unfortunately, turbidity in the wells remains high, as we are averaging 7.5 before treatment and 3.3 after treatment. 3.3 is too high to meet state standards,” said Charles Grace, San Simeon’s general manager. “We will be monitoring the levels in the wells through the night and into the morning, however since these levels are too high, we will have to haul at least 25,000 gallons tomorrow.”


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Do I see a storming of Hurst’s state owned blood soaked metaphorical sin castle being a grounds for peaceful protest of them wealthy folks paying taxes to make a point; idk. Just a random thought. Some guy just went nuts and barricaded himself there recently and had a nice view in a ln insane casita before his demise. It is a public space after all. I pay for that symbolic Roman empire monument of the great depression. And Rome fell.


0

W.R Hearst was one of the richest Democrats of is day. By today’s standards, he’d only be middle class in California. However, the richest of California’s 1% are still Democrats today.


0

Those rich folks and a few odd balls in San Simeon need to voice complaints to state and county reps for total neglect, reps or shit won’t happen. Democracy works if you work it.


1

When is the County going to dissolve this criminal and corrupt organization and have the County Public Works Department take over all operations?


13

San Simeon CSD needs to look at how other CSDs filter their drinking water. Heritage Ranch CSD filters their drinking water thru multiple beds of sand and activated charcoal. HRCSD cleans their filters from time to time by flushing them with a reverse flow of water. Why are layered beds of activated charcoal and sand too difficult for the San Simeon CSD to understand?


16

Seriously? They ran out of filters? These people are in charge of running San Simeon? Nobody could have checked? No one is responsible for making sure they don’t run out of this critical item? Maybe the job is too hard? Too difficult?


A smart high school kid could likely do a better job. I hope these people aren’t actually paid money for whatever services they claim to be providing to the city.


21

HECK, a smart TWO-year-old could have figured that out!!!


1

Could be the makings of a new reality TV saga ….Name it SSCSD Gone Wild …starring Dumb Dumber Dumbest Dopey and The Con Artist


22

Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink.


23

Sounds like San Simeon has an albatross around its neck.


25

“… the facility’s three filters needed to be changed while no one at the district had ordered replacement filters.”


SMH (Shaking my head…..) It’s waaaaaayyyy overdue for the San Simeon CSD to be dissolved and be annexed to the Cambria CSD. Or just dissolved and turned over to the County. Or something. Anything. This thing just isn’t working.


30

The talents of Charles Grace surface again, how much is this issue going to cost the rate payers?, and yet the ratepayers keep the same directors in office that refuse to fire Grace and his company and stop his failures and theft.


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