County supervisors review Paso Robles groundwater overdraft efforts
Agricultural users account for approximately 90 percent of groundwater use in the basin
– The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors received an update on efforts to correct overdraft conditions in the Paso Robles Groundwater Basin during a recent meeting, according to a recent post on social media.
According to the County of San Luis Obispo, the Paso Robles Groundwater Basin is one of 21 basins in California designated as “critically over drafted” and is required under the state’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act to reach sustainability by 2040. County Groundwater Sustainability Director Blaine Reely provided supervisors with an overview of progress and planning efforts to meet state requirements.
Reely reported that options to replenish the basin using other water sources have been explored but have not proven financially feasible. He expressed optimism that the basin could meet state objectives through voluntary groundwater reduction measures by agricultural users, who account for approximately 90 percent of groundwater use in the basin.
In a separate agenda item, Reely asked supervisors to consider establishing a voluntary registry to encourage agricultural landowners to fallow irrigated acreage. Under the proposal, landowners would self-enroll in the registry and receive access to satellite-based evapotranspiration data. Participants would also be exempt from the County’s Agricultural Offset Ordinances that restrict planting or replanting irrigated agriculture in the basin after five years, as well as from Williamson Act irrigation requirements.
Supervisors voted 4-1 to move forward with the registry, with Supervisor John Peschong abstaining. The motion directed staff to monitor state legislation related to the installation of solar panels on fallowed agricultural land and to evaluate how any adopted legislation could affect the County registry. The registry is expected to be operational by April 1.
Supervisors also approved several items unanimously during the meeting. On the consent agenda, the Board approved awarding the construction bid for the Chimney Rock Road Bridge over Franklin Creek near Lake Nacimiento. The project will repair damage caused by storms in 2023 that left nearby communities stranded and will cost approximately $6 million, with most funding provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Supervisors also approved a 41-lot final tract map at Santa Margarita Ranch and a $1.5 million budget adjustment for engineering services for the River Road Bridge Replacement Project in Paso Robles.
On the hearings agenda, supervisors approved U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development funding for two affordable housing projects included in the County’s 2026 Action Plan. The Mesa Trails Family Apartments project is a 30-unit development planned for Nipomo with an estimated completion in spring 2029. The Monterey Family Apartments project is a 50-unit mixed-use development planned for San Luis Obispo and is expected to be completed in October 2028.
The next regularly scheduled Board of Supervisors meeting is set for Feb. 10.
