State lifts drought declaration; what next for Cambria?.
Jerry Brown has lifted the official drought emergency declaration for most of the state, but some North Coast super-conserving residents and entrepreneurs say they’re not going to make many changes in how they’ve been using water in their homes or their businesses.
Board President Amanda Rice said by phone Monday that “I don’t see us going to zero (no drought declaration), but it’s a board decision.
The district has been operating under two separate water-restricting regulations, the drought declaration the board put in place in 2014, and the 2001 water-shortage-based moratorium on new water connections.
Sanders, who is an attorney, said, “no new hookups are permitted as long as the district is under the Water Code Section 350 moratorium declaration,” although “there are a few grandfathered water positions left from the moratorium declaration that would be permitted to hook up.” He believes “the moratorium can’t be lifted until a regular coastal development permit is approved for the SWF (Sustainable Water Facility) and the district is assured that there is sufficient water storage capacity for fire protection.
Dechlorinated backflow from the swimming pool is used to irrigate landscaping, as is runoff collected from ice machines, excess water served to restaurant customers and stored non-potable water.
Mary Ann Carson, executive director of the Cambria Chamber of Commerce, said Tuesday that the people likely to be most pleased about the governor’s action are the area’s visitors, some of whom were profoundly unhappy about having to use portable toilets in some places, instead of conventional restrooms.
However, “I think we’ve all learned valuable lessons from the drought, and we’ll continue to conserve … which we should do anyway.” State Parks Dan Falat, superintendent of the district that includes Hearst Castle and most state parks in the county, said Tuesday his staff is checking all park restroom and water-related campground services idled during the drought, doing repairs as necessary to “make sure the facilities are ready and fully functional for public use.” Once that happens at the Hearst San Simeon State Park campground, he said, the parks district will be increasing its use of water supplied by the CCSD.
The county The county Planning Commission and the public will be updated on Thursday, April 27 on three Cambria-area emergency permits for storm-related damage.
Those permits are for: ▪ Emergency drainage improvements at the CCSD Sustainable Water Facility, 990 San Simeon Creek Road.