After more than a decade of debate, environmental studies, and regulatory hurdles, Cambria’s water reclamation facility (WRF) reached a major milestone: The San Luis Obispo County Planning Commission unanimously approved the facility’s permanent Coastal Development Permit on Feb. 26.
“The water reclamation facility has been under review for many years,” Matthew McElhenie, general manager of the Cambria Community Services District (CCSD) told commissioners on Feb. 26. “Over the past three years in particular, we’ve worked closely with county planning staff and regulatory agencies to bring the project to this point. County staff provided direction, and we responded through additional engineering, environmental studies, and operational refinements.”
The water reclamation facility originally began construction in 2014 under an emergency coastal development permit during California’s severe drought. At the time, Gov. Jerry Brown waived certain environmental review requirements, allowing the facility to come online quickly to prevent groundwater decline and seawater intrusion. Under that emergency permit, the facility could only operate in the worst drought conditions—stage 5 or 6—leaving the community reliant on natural aquifer cycles until the permanent permit could be secured.
“This approval represents far more than a permit. It represents persistence. It represents sound science. It represents disciplined governance,” McElhenie wrote in a Feb. 27 letter to the community. “It represents the collective will of a community that understands the importance of securing its water future.”
With the permanent permit, the facility will be able to operate proactively during stage 3 droughts—earlier than before—allowing the district to treat brackish groundwater before severe aquifer declines occur. The facility uses advanced membrane filtration and reverse osmosis to treat water and reinject it into the aquifers that supply roughly 80 percent of Cambria’s water, Jim Green, Cambria Utilities Department manager, told New Times.
Despite the expanded operational authority, McElhenie said the facility is not designed to spur population growth. Cambria has been under a water moratorium since 2000, preventing new service connections without county approval. Any expansion of water service would require lifting the moratorium and gaining county approval, a process the district said is not under consideration.
“These aquifer levels would never get to those lower levels of the single-year droughts or those prolonged drought years,” he said. “This gives us more water, more frequently.”
The project’s approval was the result of an extensive technical review, McElhenie explained. After a period of dormancy, district staff addressed an “information hold” from county planners, providing detailed studies on groundwater, habitat, hydrology, and biological monitoring. These studies confirmed that operations do not negatively impact sensitive species, including the California red-legged frog, tidewater goby, and three-spine stickleback.
Of the written public comments submitted to the Planning Commission, six individuals expressed concerns about the permit while 18 spoke in support.
The permit faces a 10-working day appeal window at the county level, and officials expect potential appeals to the Board of Supervisors and ultimately the California Coastal Commission. ∆
This article appears in March 5-12, 2026.