Landowners move to form voluntary water district
A new voluntary water district is proposed for portions of the Paso Robles Groundwater Basin.
A group of landowners in the Estrella, El Pomar and Creston areas are moving to form a voluntary “opt-in” water district.
A letter inviting landowners to join the voluntary water district was circulated this week. The letter was authored by Al Webster, Hilary Graves, Steve Carter, Don Clark, Tavo Acosta, Dana Merrill, Lee Nesbitt, Simon Graves, John Crossland and Jerry Reaugh.
“This effort is a new initiative to give landowners a voice in the upcoming discussions and resultant requirement to comply with the new State Groundwater Management Act.” the letter says.
“Only those individuals or entities who own land within the proposed geographic area under consideration and voluntarily choose to join the district will become part of the district. If you choose to do nothing, then you would remain under the jurisdiction of the SLO County Board of Supervisors who will determine water policy for your land. A similar effort has started in the Shandon area and they are already moving through the LAFCO (Local Agency Formation Commission) process.”
“This “opt-in” water district will allow the agricultural water users, ranchers and other landowners in the area to partner with the other participating entities in the Paso Robles Groundwater Basin to sustainably manage our groundwater resource. Municipalities, rural residents, landowners and agriculturalists all have an interest in our groundwater basin. The proposed water district will represent the interests of irrigated agriculture, ranchers and landowners in the proposed area.”
“The proposed water district will not be structured to service the needs of the high density rural residential areas such as Jardine, Ground Squirrel Hollow and others.”
There are no formal boundaries of the proposed voluntary water district at this time. Eventually, the boundaries of the district will include only those who choose to join the water district.
In March, voters of the proposed Paso Robles Groundwater Basin district rejected the formation and funding of a new district. Both supporters and opponents of the district generally agreed there are two options left: The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors may decide to have the county public works department manage the basin; or the State Water Resources Control Board could step in to manage the basin.
Public informational sessions
Two public informational sessions are scheduled to explain the proposed voluntary water district for the Estrella, El Pomar and Creston areas. Organizers will be discussing the Local Agency Formation Commission process and details of the district.
- Tuesday, Sept. 27, Creston Community Hall, 5110 Swayze Road, 6:30-8 p.m.
- Thursday, Sept. 29, Pear Valley Winery, 4900 Union Road, Paso Robles, 6:30-8 p.m.
Click here to read the mission statement of the proposed voluntary district.
Related articles:
- Supporters make case for new groundwater district
- Voters reject local water district
- Opinion: Moving forward with water solutions for Paso Robles basin
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