Could San Luis Obispo’s wastewater save Edna Valley agriculture?
This was the problem on the night of November 15th. The SLO City Council took a deep dive into the future of the Recycled Water Program. This includes whether we sell “excess” water to the Edna Valley to help neighboring farmers reduce their water use. Their draw into groundwater.
By a 4-to-1 consensus (City Councilman Jan Marx disagreed), the City Council agreed that considering a short-term sale of recycled water to the Edna Valley area would be a good use of the city’s resources. did.
“I think the economic and environmental benefits of having a successful farming community around us are widely recognized,” City Councilman Andy Pease said at a meeting on November 15. rice field.
“I am totally in favor of the sale as long as our needs are met,” said city councilor Karlin Christianson. [Edna Valley farmers] Collect them using unprofessional language and figure out what they are going to do about the fact that they have excess watershed. ”
In the long term, the city of SLO has ambitious plans for sewage. As part of a $111 million wastewater treatment facility upgrade, the company plans to use advanced technology to eventually treat the city’s sewage to levels suitable for drinking.
But city officials say those plans are still a ways off and will take at least eight years, and the city is currently producing more reclaimed water than it uses.
Currently, the city is deploying it to help with landscape irrigation, construction dust control, and ancillary flow to San Luis Obispo Creek, where excess recycled water flows.
At a November 15 meeting, city staff outlined potential short-term uses for recycled water. Examples include expanding irrigation in local parks, business parks, residential common areas, and providing water to farmers within city limits.
However, the potential for out-of-town water sales into the Edna Valley, one of SLO County’s leading wine regions, has been a large part of public attention and council discussion. According to George Donati, Vice President of Edna Valley Growers Mutual Water Company, Edna Valley growers have been interested in reclaiming water for the city for more than a decade.
“In 2009, Edna Valley agriculture officials began discussions with the city to redirect excess recycled water flowing into the ocean instead of going to Edna Valley to supplement water resources.” “The city has long recognized the importance of the valley,” Donati said in a public comment letter. [the] Greenbelt to the city containing the most irrigated land in the Edna Valley. ”
Edna Valley farmers submitted proposals to the city in 2019, according to Donati, and farmers were willing to pay for a pipeline to bring water into the valley “at no cost to the city,” and “if needed.” We use water only for Exceeded the needs of the city. ”
The pandemic sidetracked those discussions, but Donati said the project is more urgent than ever. is obligatory. He said state grants will help move potential projects forward with looming application deadlines.
SLO city officials have chosen a cautious approach. In a council report on November 15, the staff outlined Edna’s set of concerns regarding the sale of his water to the Valley. Among them are: Doing so could create new environmental habitats and expose cities to lawsuits to maintain those habitats. Another example: recycled water could be used to justify a new residential or commercial development.
However, a majority of the City Council felt that these concerns could be addressed with contractual language. Mayor Erica Stewart said she’s in favor of selling recycled water in the short term, as long as the pitfalls can be avoided.
“We want to be able to do two things at the same time, if possible: help our general community and help our neighbors in the farming community,” Stewart said. “If you can do both, it’s a great experience.”
However, the idea had many opponents. Several of his SLO residents have submitted emails to the city objecting to the idea of sending treated wastewater out of town. Alderman Markus shared their views.
“I think the city residents need to come first. I think selling water outside the city limits would be a tremendous distraction for staff and legal staff,” Markus said. “It will distract us from the very important work ahead and set a dangerous precedent.”
Marx said the city shouldn’t feel obligated to “rescue the Edna watershed from years of water-saving failure,” and that the current amicable agreement with farmers is , fears it could end up making the road rougher when the city doesn’t want it.Selling reclaimed water.
“Why should the city, in this particular situation, take on the additional risk? No, but now you need water, you can’t have it,” Marx said. [the farmers] It’s most needed when the city needs it most. And that’s when we pull back. That’s when the lawsuit begins.”
