The ongoing search for a solution to groundwater sustainability in the Paso Robles Basin received new life following the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors’ Oct. 31 meeting—but not without conflict.
The board voted 3-2—with 5th District Supervisor Debbie Arnold and 1st District Supervisor John Peschong voting no—to approve and authorize a contract with Water Systems Consulting Inc. to perform a study on water-blending in the basin.
“I am concerned about who is going to benefit from this,” Arnold told the board at the Oct. 31 meeting. “This is like putting the cart before the horse.”
According to the staff report, the study would focus on investigating the feasibility of using of a blend of water from Lake Nacimiento and treated Paso Robles wastewater as a substitute for the Paso Robles Groundwater Basin when it comes to irrigating crops.
Arnold took issue with the declarative nature of the contract, as she felt it did not take into consideration the people living in that area.
“This hasn’t been discussed enough to just assure we can go ahead and we can just implement it, [especially] when special interest groups would like to start blending waste water,” Arnold said. “To me, the study is just the first step in moving forward with the project. Until this is discussed more with North County … I am not willing to vote for this today.”
Second District Supervisor Bruce Gibson countered, noting that the topic has long been discussed at water and technical advisory committees and saying that he felt there was more than enough groundwork done for the board to move forward with the study.
Peschong said he had a long history of involvement with Lake Nacimeiento issues and told the board that after discussing the study with a supervisor from Monterey County, he would not be voting in support of the study.
Arnold maintained that her stance was rooted in her experience and asked why someone like Gibson was so concerned about something he did not have direct jurisdiction over.
“The folks that do not represent the area are taking charge, and that’s been the problem all along,” she said. “It might have been discussed among the other supervisors, but as the supervisor that represents half of the Paso basin area it has not been discussed with me.” Δ
—Adrian Vincent Rosas
This article appears in Nov 2-12, 2023.
