The article about using recycled water on vineyards (“Wastewater to wine?” April 30) made it sound like there was some apprehension on the part of vineyard owners to use recycled water. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Now that the SLO City Council has set a bargain-basement price on taxpayer-financed recycled water to large water users —San Luis Obispo is the only municipality that has the facilities to treat recycled water—it shouldn’t be long before the proposed pipeline out of the city to the vineyards is constructed (see the Nacimiento Pipeline Master Plan).
So through fearful ignorance or indifference, SLO city residents will allow our city water resources to be regionalized under the County Water Management Plan. This will enable county officials, who have created a water resource nightmare with their overdevelopment, to redistribute SLO city water to other communities.
As the level in Lake Nacimiento sits 50 feet below the intake pipes for the new $200 million pipeline, you had better start stocking up on bottled water!
This article appears in May 21-28, 2009.
