The Dutch colonized Cape Town, South Africa, before the Spanish built missions in California. Water was plentiful. Until recently, dependable rainfall supplied Cape Town as its population grew. Now, rainfall patterns have changed. Taps are running dry, and Cape Town residents face dependence on bottled water.
The diminishing Sierra snowpack trend prompted the city of Los Angeles to upgrade the Terminal Island sewer plant with the same technology proposed for Morro Bay’s water reclamation facility. Since Owens Valley water is so affordable for LA, why invest in recycling? The answer is prudence. State water supplying our Central Coast is not dependable. We must make the choice to secure water for ourselves.
Voting “no” on our rate increase will cost dearly. Delaying Morro Bay’s new sewer plant will cost money that can be used for water supply.
Long-term interest rates are going up and will add millions of dollars to the final project cost if we vote down this upgrade opportunity. Starting another fight with the Coastal Commission on a new plant west of Highway 1 will add years to our non-compliance with federal water standards. The costs will go up the longer we procrastinate.
Support water recycling.
Doug Rogers
Morro Bay
This article appears in Jul 26 – Aug 5, 2018.
What we are facing is the mitigation costs of climate change….. It isn’t only cleaning up after flooding , fighting fires, and rebuilding after hurricanes and tornadoes that cost us. We are looking at increased insurance rates, water rates, infrastructure repair, food and health costs. Nationally , a more sensible approach would be to institute a revenue neutral carbon fee and dividend program. Economic models have shown that this would price carbon (and the effects of climate change) out of the economy while providing jobs and stimulating the economy. Additionally the dividend would be an economic boost to the poor and middle class The sooner we do this, the more money we will save, and we will leave a brighter, cleaner future for our children.
VOTE “NO” ON THE PROP 218 VOTE! Don’t be bullied into the theory that we will be paying millions more by delaying the proposal. We passed a 218 Protest vote in 2015. WHERE IS THE 50 MILLION DOLLARS FROM THAT? The City wants $41.00 more from each property owner and they say its to pay for the project………..what a joke! PLEASE VOTE NO!