Worldwide there is a growing, severe problem of water availability. It is reaching crisis proportions. In the Southwest of the U.S., and here in California, the situation is bleak.
In a recent Los Angeles Times article, Timothy Quinn, Executive Director of the Association of California Water Agencies said, “I have not seen a more serious water situation in my career, and I’ve been doing this 30 years.”
Despite the situation in most parts of the world, the CCSD’s Water Master Plan is calling for a 50% “Quality of Life” increase for Cambrians, a reward for conservation which all of us should practice all the time. That suggested reward seems to be one of the justifications, if not the major reason, for pushing a horrendously expensive — to build and to operate — desalination project for a town of only about 6,200 homeowners.
It is ludicrous if not irresponsible to advocate a 50% increase in local water usage when the planet’s total water supply is in deep trouble. The current Directors seem to have blinders on, driving non-stop for desal and failing to consider other, cheaper alternatives such as increased storage and recyclilng.
The Building Reduction Program, touted by consultants, of course, could cost as much as $39 million according to their conservative estimates. The whole idea is to reduce buildable lots and thus “manage” Cambria’s population growth.
A member of the County Planning and Building Department says, “The BRP is pie in the sky. One successful lawsuit demanding a water meter by someone not on the list will kill the BRP and growth will be rampant” — once there is desal.
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Last 5 posts by Doug Buckmaster
