www.montereycountynow.com december 12-18, 2024 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 21 Maybe you’ve received a boil-water notice after an emergency, like a flood. The water may not be safe to drink for a few hours or days— health officials recommend using bottled water. Now imagine that notice lasts for 10 years, or longer. Yes, this is the 21st century and yes, this is in the United States. But residents of the South County town of San Lucas, population 324, have been under do-not-drink orders for over a decade, ever since testing by Monterey County’s Environmental Health Bureau revealed that nitrates in the water supply exceeded levels deemed safe for human consumption. “We are requiring the use of bottled water or water from an approved source for drinking or cooking,” a July 7, 2011 notice from the Health Department read. “Research is being done to find another water source.” That research is still ongoing, with a glimmer of possibility that a solution is in sight. There have been a few failed efforts along the way (a new well was drilled in 2014, for example, but it also became contaminated). Now there are reams of analysis conducted by the California State Water Resources Control Board evaluating longer-term, more reliable options for a replacement water supply. The solution now on the table dates back a decade, too. In 2015, according to a County update, “after a four-month review process involving a large number of meetings and consultations with staffs [of four different agencies],” the San Lucas County Water District selected a path forward: That San Lucas tie its system to King City’s, building a pipeline to purchase water from California Water Service. The State Water Board approved the concept and by the end of 2015, began work on a pipeline design. Then in 2016, the state board did a 180; they determined the cost-benefit ratio was too high for what the agency’s guidelines allow, and decided instead the plan should be a renewed analysis of groundwater options, despite the aforementioned failed well. Now it’s 2024, and it’s back to Plan A. On Dec. 11 (after the Weekly went to print) the Monterey County Planning Commission was scheduled to hear an update on the project. (“The lack of safe, affordable drinking water for the community has also caused a nearly 20-year delay of a severely needed affordable housing project in San Lucas,” a report to the commissioners noted.) A draft technical report prepared for the State Water Board in July presents three possible paths forward. Alternative 2 and 3 are for wellhead treatments, using manganese dioxide filtration with ion exchange, or reverse osmosis, respectively. Alternative 1 is to build an 8.2mile pipeline to King City. If that feels like deja vu, you are not alone. Monterey County Supervisor Chris Lopez says he hears from constituents in San Lucas who are enthusiastic about progress finally being made, and also those who are skeptical. “The community is excited, but there is a faction that sees this as, ‘OK we’ve been this close before.’” “A lot has happened since 2016, and also not a lot,” he adds, referring to improved partnerships with state and federal officials, all applying leverage toward progress, and a newly organized residents’ group called La Misión. “I think we’re much closer to a solution today than we have ever been.” In September, the Monterey County Board of Supervisors wrote to the State Water Board recommending Alternative 1, the pipeline tie-in. It’s an imperfect solution, Lopez notes; there are concerns about potential stagnation, damage from earthquakes and more. Then there’s the cost. Projected monthly water bills would run a jaw-dropping $250-$500. La Misión members wrote to the water board asking for more information about cost: “Will residents have any idea of what the long-term rates will be before the project option is chosen?” California voters passed Prop. 4, a bond related to climate change impacts, in November, declaring, “Every human being has the right to safe, clean, affordable drinking water.” It sets aside $3.8 billion for safe drinking water and related initiatives, 40 percent for vulnerable communities just like San Lucas. That is a good reason to be cautiously optimistic. Sara Rubin is the Weekly’s editor. Reach her at sara@montereycountynow.com. Water, All Around San Lucas’ water has been unsafe to drink for years. Is a solution near? By Sara Rubin Cushy Ride…Squid, being a creature of the sea, prefers shrimp over sausage, but Squid has little interest in how shrimp gets made—it’s an animal, it gets made in animal ways. Sausage, however, is a human creation, and watching how humans make it is an enduring subject of fascination for Squid. So Squid’s interest was piqued when Squid saw that on Dec. 9, Monterey-Salinas Transit’s board of directors would hear an update about recent federal lobbying efforts, by consultants on the agency’s behalf. Don Gilchrest, of the firm Thomas Walters and Associates, Inc., provided a tidbit on Presidentelect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Transportation, retired Wisconsin congressman Sean Duffy. At least so far, unlike other Trump cabinet nominees, no scandals have yet surfaced about Duffy, but Gilchrest noted another trend. While “[Duffy] does not have much hands-on, detailed experience with transportation legislation and policy…this is not that unusual…It is notable, though, that several names that were floated in the media for this job in the Trump Administration did have more substantial resumes of involvement in federal transportation policy issues.” Squid thinks maybe that is by design—in Trump’s first term, Squid lost count of how many times thenvice president Mike Pence announced it was “infrastructure week,” though Squid doesn’t recall any funding or legislation to build said infrastructure. Kids Zone…Squid oozed Squid’s way into the Carmel City Council Chambers on Monday, Dec. 9, for the swearing-in ceremony of newly elected Mayor Dale Byrne and councilmembers Hans Buder and Bob Delves. Before they could take the dais, outgoing mayor Dave Potter and now-former councilmembers Bobby Richards and Karen Ferlito said their farewells and were lauded for their service by their colleagues. It was standing-room-only in the tiny chambers for both Carmelites and—predictably in dog-loving Carmel—their four-legged friends. One doggo in the crowd joined in on the excitement, giving a rousing single-bark after each round of applause and cheers welcoming the new members. That there were dogs present was not lost on Buder’s 1-and-a-half-year-old son, who happily declared “Puppy!” a few times upon seeing one nearby pup, in between sucks on a small lollipop, as Buder was being sworn in by City Clerk Nova Romero. That a councilmember has very young children— Buder and his wife Meghan have three—warms Squid’s cold three-chambered heart. So many local leaders tend to be generations older and, at times, out of step with the needs of young families. Squid is happy to see a younger generation take the lead, and a City Hall get warm and fuzzy. the local spin SQUID FRY THE MISSION OF MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY IS TO INSPIRE INDEPENDENT THINKING AND CONSCIOUS ACTION, ETC. “We’re much closer to a solution today than ever.” Send Squid a tip: squid@montereycountynow.com
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