Providing Potable Water to San Simeon

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At the November 2009 Cambria Community Services District Meeting, two speakers raised concern that San Simeon is in talks with the CCSD about buying some of the desalinated water from Cambria’s plant – once it is producing water.

In November 2006, 78% of Cambrians approved Measure P-06. Below is the exact language from the League of Women Voters site:

Shall the ordinance requiring a majority vote of the electorate of the Cambria Community Services District to provide potable water service outside the 2006 District boundaries be adopted? The Board of Directors shall not authorize the extension of water service except non potable water for agricultural and irrigation purposes for outside of the District boundaries, as the boundaries exist at the enactment of this ordinance, for residential, industrial, or commercial purposes without first completing environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act or its successor statute, amending the Water Master Plan, and then submitting the question for approval to the voters of the District. The property owner seeking water service will pay the costs of the application and election in advance.

A few thoughts occur as I’ve thought about how possessive some people seem to be about “our” water.

1. It is premature to be concerned about this at this point. It hasn’t even been shown that desalination is even feasible here.
2. Second, Measure P-06 does not forbid selling water outside the boundaries of the CCSD, just providing water service (except non potable…)
3. As a federally-funded project with the Army Corps of Engineers as the lead agency, the project funding could hinge on whether or not we will sell water to San Simeon, a water-short community less than 7 miles from a major federal project.
4. San Simeon may decide it is worth the money and effort to apply for water service and fund the election required.
5. CCSD wouldn’t be giving the water away for free. They would be selling it. If CCSD charges the amount it costs to create the potable water, it will not cost Cambrians anything.
6. By getting the San Simeon Community Services District in talks this early, we are more likely to be able to strike a deal that includes having San Simeon paying a share of the construction costs, which reduces the burden on Cambrians (and could increase the likelihood that we will get all the funding we need from the Federal Government.)

I favor better management of our current resources, rather than impressive capital expenditures, ongoing operations costs and the  environmental effects of a desal plant. But the CCSD Board is on the desalination path (for the time being).  If we are going to create a project with the environmental effects of a desalination plant, it seems to me that cooperating with San Simeon to help ease their water shortage, while reducing some of the potential costs to Cambrians is a sensible direction to follow.

Quite a few things have to happen before we should need to get all worked up about San Simeon getting “our” water, starting with determining whether we can even have desal.  And then San Simeon will have to decide whether it would be worth it for them to pursue. If the past is any indication, getting a deal in place between the two agencies will be next to impossible anyway.

The bottom line: “Worrying is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do, but it doesn’t get you anywhere” – Unknown

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