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Is Pismo Beach’s reclaimed water project doomed?

March 19, 2024

By KAREN VELIE

After expending millions of dollars and thousands of hours of time, representatives of Pismo Beach, Arroyo Grande and Grover Beach on Monday all but pulled the plug on Central Coast Blue, a regional recycled water project.

In response to years of drought, the cities of Pismo Beach, Arroyo Grande and Grover Beach agreed on plans for a recycled water project to bring an additional 900 to 1,000 acre feet of water annually to the South County cities, even during droughts. Another benefit would be the injection of recycled water into the basin, which could help protect against seawater intrusion.

However, delays and planning issues resulted in the cost of the project skyrocketing from an estimated $29 million to a current estimate of between $135 million to $158 million. Rising costs, an abundant water supply, the state reversing promises of grant funding and a Grover Beach citizens initiative against funding the project have led some government officials and members of the public to seek the projects elimination and the closure of the authority.

The three members of Central Coast Blue Regional Recycled Water Authority Board of Directors – Pismo Beach Mayor Ed Waage, Grover Beach Mayor Karen Bright  and Arroyo Grande Council Member Kristen Barneich – met on Monday to discuss the future of the joint powers authority and the reclaimed water project.

In January, the State Water Resources Control Board informed Central Coast Blue that a $15 million grant awarded in Sept. 2023 would be reduced to $5 million, as the state grapples with a $68 billion budget deficit. In addition, staff anticipates cuts to 10 other grant awards, according to the staff report.

“This reduction is part of a statewide effort to address the $68 billion state budget deficit and is not unique to Central Coast Blue,” according to the staff report.

Staff previously anticipated the bulk of the cost of the project would be funded through state grants.

Last week, a citizens group in Grover Beach turned in more than four times the required signatures to put an initiative to repeal a 112% water rate increase on the November ballot. The bulk of the water rate increase was slated to help fund Central Coast Blue.

In addition, water supply conditions have greatly improved since the historic drought of 2019 through 2022. Lopez Lake has enough water to fulfill its South County water obligations for four to six years, without another drop of rain falling, staff said during the meeting.

“In consideration of the recent improvements to water supply conditions, loss of grant funding, and increased project costs, the project team has recommended a series of near-term actions,” according to the staff report. “These actions consist of a water supply strategy evaluation by each of the partner agencies along with project management efforts that include pursuit of additional funding, a temporary pause to detailed design and permitting, re-evaluation of the project implementation schedule, and analysis of value engineering and collaborative delivery options to reduce project cost.”

Multiple public speakers asked the board to dump the recycled water project and shutter the agency.

Instead of shuttering Central Coast Blue, the agency is withdrawing its permit requests to the California Coastal Commission and Grover Beach, where the project was to be located, and pausing the project for a year. During that time, staff recommends the board approve the hiring of an outside consultant to provide community engagement.

In addition, Central Coast Blue General Manager Geoff English plans to head to Sacramento to find additional revenue sources.

 


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Too much of a chance for these government officals to get their hands on a huge chunk of ratepayer and taxpayer funds to channel to their preferred entities to let this ill-conceived project go completely away. This is also a reason JPA’s should not be created by officals but instead only by the voters, requiring at least a 2/3 yes to pass.


5

Stop issuing building permits that will end up adding to the population of the area. We have already exceeded the water resource capacity of the area, so why in the world do they keep adding more people??


Don’t try telling me to pay 212% more while continuing to add to the problem. We need a 100% building moratorium in the county until water resources exceed current usage.


6

I certainly hope they wise up completely and look for a better source for reliable water than one of these “reclamation” projects that have disastrous environmental profiles and unlimited price tags. Better storage and perhaps even beaver restoration or beave dam analogs could greatly increase storage capacity in their watershed and even help mitigate flooding. All whilst rehabilitating biodiversity, mitigating fire dangers and at a small fraction of the cost.


Please don’t let yourselves be seduced into a “high tech” mirage that, in Cambria, is not only costing us a fortune, it has not provided a drop of water in the decade it has existed and is too toxic to permit. Anything you might do would be better than that.


And don’t fall for the argument that this is working great in the parched areas of the Middle East. It is so heavily polluting, it is destroying their seas. Not something we want here on the Central Coast.


BEWARE. This type of “water reclamation” is a serious rip off, NOT A “GREEN” PROJECT.


13

You are talking about two completely different types of water reclamation. Your passion is to be commended, it’s just so common that it comes along with a complete and total lack of understanding, but it’s the internet so we’ll just keep sliding down the rabbit hole of ignorance.


I do agree that beavers are a good idea. There are many examples of how they change the environment for the better. All that water people talk about flowing into the oceans…beavers stop that. They actually contain it enough that it can recharge underground aquifers.


6

I am not speaking from “passion”. I am speaking from EXPERIENCE. Since your critique of my comment contains no specifics as to exact shortcomings, I would have to file it under tolling, rather than a sincere concern or an actual statement of fact. “Lack of understanding”? “Rabbit hole of ignorance”? Without details, just gratuitous insults. Not substantive arguments. Since you use a cute little screen name, perhaps you have some financial interest in the project? These types of undertakings tend to drain fortunes from local ratepayers.


I do appreciate that you are not vilifying the beavers in the same vacuous take down as you have aimed at me. Hundreds of millions of them shaped this country for millennia. Removing of this keystone species is proving to be a grave mistake that must be corrected a.s.a.p.


-1

Thank you so much, Cambria, for responding! I have tried to raise the alert that Cambria, San Miguel, and Heritage Ranch all had similar wastewater catastrophes with these same vendors. Now, someone has validated it!


4

Is it that the “political class” elected to run these small cities aren’t really qualified to make decisions at this level? Are they able to evaluate reports or input from consultants? Do they not understand costs, potential cost growth, potential for the loss of state grants? The lake is full so let’s ignore the water problem, approve more population growth so when the problem returns, it’s magnitudes worse? When you push a viewpoint and claim it’s critical, mandatory and there’s no other option, the sky is falling and then reverse it, it’s shows you’re not serious and never were. Or, more likely, you’re simply incompetent. I cast a vote of “no confidence” in these clowns. I don’t think they could successfully run a lemonade stand.


22

What happens when you put your eggs in the basket of “free money from the state”?

a $68 BILLION deficit kicks you in the teeth?

Should have built a dam.

Good for Geoff English, still managing to live off the taxpayers.


15

Welcome to the consequences of grant funding. Grants will become none-existent and the old school way of planning, saving and funding has been gone to long for a quick fix.


12

Cambria is no different. Money pit sits out San Simeon Creek Rd. Fools


16

Happy to see this project die, but remember–Matt Bronson, one of the biggest cheerleaders for this boondoggle–is a finalist to be the new CAO of SLO County.


29

Cut your losses and dump the consultants.


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