HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/15/2022 Item 7a, Burchett - SLO County Farm Bureau
S AN L UIS O BISPO C OUNTY F ARM B UREAU
4875 M ORABITO P LACE, S AN L UIS O BISPO, C ALIFORNIA 93401
P HONE (805) 543-3654 SLOFARMBUREAU.ORG
November 14, 2022
San Luis Obispo City Council
990 Palm Street
San Luis Obispo, California, 93401
By email to: emailcouncil@slocity.org
Re: SLO City Council November 15, 2022 Agenda Item 7 Study Session: Receive an Update on the
Recycled Water Maximization Study
Council Members,
On behalf of San Luis Obispo County Farm Bureau and our $2.5 billion local agriculture community, I
water. We appreciate the considerable amount of effort put in by staff to present you with a
water.
The City Council voted unanimously on March 21, 2017 to adopt the 2017 Recycled Water Master Plan,
and at the behest of Edna farmers, authorized "staff to negotiate an agreement for delivery of recycled
water outside the City limits consistent with the findings and policies identified in the General Plan." Just
as has been true these past five years, drought conditions will continue to be the norm in the years to
five years from now in the same situation.
The City is understandably committed to maximizing the beneficial use of recycled water to ratepayers
today and in the years to come, but please do not let the search for a perfect plan stand in the way of a
reasonable and workable plan. The 2022 Recycled Water Maximization Study does an excellent job of
laying out complexities to various utilization options, but it does not highlight a massive problem this
Council should also be focusing on today the 1,100 acre-feet of water being wasted each year.
Whether this amount falls to 800 acre-feet per year or not, we have an immediate policy problem, and
also an opportunity to support local agriculture.
I know this Council and this community values agriculture and the significant contribution our local
farmers provide to keeping San Luis Obispo a special place to live. We appreciate the appeal of
maintaining the status quo and continuing the current path of studies and analysis, but we believe our
talented and experienced City staff can find a path forward in the near and long term to find a way to stop
wasting water down the San Luis Obispo Creek into the Pacific Ocean.
As always, we remain your partner in supporting your important work to lead our community.
Sincerely,
Brent Burchett, Executive Director
San Luis Obispo County Farm Bureau