In May 2017, the California Coastal Commission mandated that the SLO South County Waste Water Treatment plant in Oceano begin planning for a possible relocation by May 2047 due to legitimate concerns that the treatment plant could be compromised by climate change-induced sea level rise and creek flooding.
It also required a progress report every 10 years and that studies be completed on: new locations that are safe from sea level rise and watershed flooding; the detailed life expectancy of the current plant; a detailed hazard response plan and risk assessment related to flooding and earthquakes; estimated costs to build a new treatment and drinking water standard purification plant for all municipal waste water from Arroyo Grande, Grover Beach, and Oceano; estimated costs to demolish the existing plant and restore the property to a natural state; and estimated costs to build new distribution structures for treated water. The first 10-year progress report is due in 19 months. Most of the above required information has been created and shared with the Coastal Commission.
The commission provided a huge gift to 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 million 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 commission’s “gift” of this planning mandate as a regional water management blueprint. There are billions of dollars in planning and construction grants available 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
This article appears in Oct 30 – Nov 9 2025.
Thank you for this informative piece. I hope that citizens of Grover Beach, Oceano, and Arroyo Grande will contact their mayors or directors to request more information about the plans their cities are implementing for regional water management.
Don’t forget to account for the corruption.
Here is a link to the Coastal Commission’s Development Permit which contains all the detailed information on the mandate to begin planning for possible relocation of the South County wastewater treatment plant. Especially see the Special Conditions section starting on page 7.
https://ocsd.specialdistrict.org/files/be7954439/CDP+Final.pdf