HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-13-16 PC CorrespondenceHi Neighbors - You're conserving water, more than the City anticipated and more than
the State mandated. Yet, your base fee for water and sewer is going up and you're now
paying a drought surcharge. While our reservoirs are drying up (see footnote
below), the City of San Luis Obispo is giving the "go ahead" to massive new
developments. Some of these projects are high water -consuming types including 10
hotels/motels and a 341 -bed assisted care facility. Since extreme weather is becoming
the "new normal," we have to look forward to unprecedented drought and higher
temperatures. So we ask you, "Why is our City growing more jobs, more tourism and
more housing in the face of an uncertain future?"
If this concerns you, please plan on attending a Community Water Forum held in the
Ludwick Community Center (864 Santa Rosa Street) on Thursday, April 21, 2016
beginning at 6:00 P.M. Bear in mind, the City's stance on development is not going to
be discussed at this workshop. Nevertheless, many questions still remain regarding how
the City can attend to our current water needs given the likelihood of unprecedented
drought and higher temperatures.
If you are not able to be present, please open the following link, preface your comments
by stating you will be unable to attend and submit your questions and concerns anyway:
http://www.slocity.or-q/Home/Componei-its/News/News/3570/
Your voice and sentiments can make a difference!
Thank you!
Footnote:
Besides a small amount of recycled grey water, we are totally dependent on three reservoirs. We
do not get water from the Sierra snowpack. One reservoir is exclusively ours to use and is
nearly dry, at 14% capacity. The second, that we share with Cal Poly, the Men's Colony and
Cayucos, is 33% full and its water level is dropping. The third reservoir is Nacimiento. It is also
33% full and we share Nacimiento with many communities throughout San Luis Obispo County
and Monterey County. Salinas Valley, the "salad bowl" of the world, generates $4 billion per year
in revenue and depends almost entirely on Nacimiento water to recharge its aquifer. The farmers
depend on this ground water and will not likely accede to our wafter needs. Monterey County
ramps up its release during the summer months when there is no rain. If we receive
approximately the same amount of rain this coming year as we did last year and if there are
major aquifer recharge releases during the coming summer months, Nacimiento could easily run
d ry.