As water levels in Lake Lopez—a crucial South County reservoir—continue to decline, several municipalities are considering a “response plan” designed to sustain their strained hydrological resources.
Members of the Zone 3 San Luis Obispo County Flood Control and Water Conservation District (made up of Arroyo Grande, the Avila Beach Community Services District, Grover Beach, the Oceano Community Services District, and Pismo Beach) recently developed the Lake Lopez Low Reservoir Response Plan in order to respond to drought conditions.
As drafted, the plan is triggered only when Lake Lopez reaches a level of 20,000 acre-feet. As of Oct. 21, Lopez is at 21,568 acre-feet, or roughly 44 percent full.
According to Pismo Beach Public Works Director and City Engineer Ben Fine, Lopez could reach the 20,000 acre-foot level as soon as December, necessitating quick action by South County municipalities.
The Arroyo Grande City Council and the Avila Beach CSD both approved the plan on Oct. 14, the Pismo Beach City Council approved it on Oct. 21, and the Oceano CSD and Grover Beach City Council will consider the plan on Nov. 12 and Nov. 17, respectively.
“The goal of the [plan] is to stretch the amount of water in Lopez for as long as possible—a three-year minimum—based on little to no inflow,” Fine said.
The plan accomplishes this by tapering off releases of Lopez water to municipalities as well as “downstream releases” designated for farmers, environmental concerns, and recharging of the Santa Maria Groundwater Basin. Once enacted, the plan would also zero out all “surplus” Lopez water currently claimed by Zone 3 agencies until levels once again rise above the 20,000 acre-foot level.
If the amount of Lopez water in storage declines—from 20,000 to 15,000, 10,000, 5,000, and 4,000 acre-feet—so too will the total amount delivered to municipalities—from 4,530 to 4,077, 3,624, 2,941, and 0 acre-feet. It’s a grim possibility for those who depend on Lopez entitlements.
“As the drought persists, we have to tighten up, and this [plan] is part of recognizing that,” Oceano CSD General Manager Paavo Ogren told New Times. “We have to enact stringent conservation measures if we don’t get much rain.”
Ogren said a few other county agencies still have to sign off on the plan before it becomes official. The Zone 3 Technical Advisory Committee is slated to review the plan at its Nov. 6 meeting, and the SLO County Board of Supervisors is tentatively scheduled to consider it during its Dec. 2 meeting.
“This is a precautionary move, but we need to have a plan in place so we’re not reacting in crisis mode,” said Grover Beach Public Works Director Greg Ray. “We’re doing our due diligence and planning for our water future.”
This article appears in Oct 23-30, 2014.
Historic Opportunity to Create Water Security in the Five Cities
In May of 2017 the California Coastal Commission mandated the SLO South County Waste Water Treatment plant (SSLOCSD) to begin planning for possible relocation of the Oceano facility by May of 2047 due to legitimate concerns the SSLOCSD could be compromised by climate change induced sea level rise and creek flooding (link to W37a).
It also required a progress report every 10 years and specified studies be completed on: new locations safe from sea level rise and watershed flooding; detailed life expectancy of the current plant; detailed hazard response plan and risk assessment related to flooding and earthquakes; estimate costs to build a new treatment and drinking water standard purification plant for ALL municipal waste water from AG, GB, and Oceano; estimate costs to demolish the existing plant and restore the property to a natural state; and estimate costs to build new distribution structures for treated water. The first ten year progress report is due in 19 months. Most of the above required information has been created and shared with the CCC.
The CCC has provided a huge gift to the South County in laying out the groundwork for a comprehensive plan to secure a new treatment plant while at the same time creating a state of the art municipal wastewater reclamation and purification operation. It would create millions of gallons of “new water” on a daily basis for South County and create water security for decades to come. Water insecurity is perhaps the most acute environmental issue we face in our communities and this legacy project will protect us and our great, great grandchildren.
The existing treatment plant is old and vulnerable. Studies estimate it would need more than $100,000,000 over the next 22 years in maintenance and repairs. Its replacement is inevitable and now is the time for our communities to come together in this effort to protect our water resources into the future.
We can use the CCC’s “gift” of this planning mandate as a regional water management blueprint. At this time there are billions of dollars in planning and construction grants from State and Federal sources. Now is the time to embrace and mobilize as communities working together to create a modern water recycling facility and be a model for doing it right.
We need elected leaders who have the vision and understanding necessary to seize this opportunity and push the process forward on behalf of all who live in Arroyo Grande, Grover Beach, and Oceano. We need citizens who are educated and engaged in the process. We need to be ready and at the front of the line when it is time to seek funding.
Charles Varni
Oceano
Past Director, Santa Maria Valley Water Conservation District
Past Director and President, Oceano Community Service District
Past Member and President, Oceano Advisory Committee