Hiding selectively from the elctorate critical expenses is intolerable. We must know, as citizens, what total expense we are faced with. That is not possible with financial candor.
Seven years I attended waste water committee meetings and LOCSD meetings, At first there was great hope that we were getting a sustainable affordable waste water facility plan for under $40.00 a month. No sludge, low energy consumption, community friendly government. That changed quickly as Public Comment and input was discouraged. And the wonderful "Resources Park" with with all it's soccer fields, walking paths and such was abandoned. And a new LOCSD Manager was hired. About that time Montgomery Watson was hired and helped us decide to abandoned our fair plan in favor of one very, very similar to the SLO County Plan ($9 million in design was spent on it already).
The already paid for STET/STEG collection system design (no streets needed be dug up as trenchless technology could be applied)was abandoned in favor of digging up 42 plus miles of streets and dragging a devise to shore up the fine sand through the steets and removing gas service lines so gravity sewer pipes could be lain.
Keep in mind the STEP collection would have used your septic tanks as primary treatment and a much less mechanical plant could be used to treat the weaker septic effluent rather than pure sewage which will leak into our drinking water aquifer in a gravity collection method. And no lateral cost to hook up for the proprerty owners as the septic become part of the sewer! Leach fields are eliminated from the septic system in the original plan. A multistage ponding treatment sytem uses less than 1/3 energy than a "Hybrid Aeration treatment plant" now proposed by LOCSD.
Why say all this. You need to know. And before the Assessmment vote you should have been told you are facing a $25 million Storm water project next spring as well as water pipe retrofit for all of Los Osos about $30 million. That the present LOCSD waste water project is comnsidered Recharge by the EHS (State Environmental Health Department Bob Hulquist), LOCSD considers it a Disposal project. The difference is another $20 million for a Reverse Osmosis plant add on. The $158 million cost for the sewer plus $20 million in property owner lateral cost (must be funded by bank loans without promised low interest loans which low incomes can not qualify for) will be $200 million according to informed wastewater engineers.
Add the numbers, were you ready when you voted for the assesment for $200 million obligation. Oh you did not lose any money on the stock market fall. Federal coffers went from $125 Billion surplus to $127 billion deficit including a military speding package of $350 billion and $200 Billion for Katrina. Do you think the U.S. Congress is giving the Trillion dollars needed in U.S.Water infrastucture to all the communities who need it or will there be loans? Are you naive to believe little Los osos will take precedent over other American communities.
The LOCSD tells us not to worry write letters to Lois Capps and the money will roll right in like the tide. No Way.
We need a holistic approach to infrastructure in Los Osos as everywhere. Drainage, Water, Wastewater, Parks all need to be figured and then come up with an overall plan that works for everyone not just Developers. The LOCSD is more concerned about buildout than our concern. Is that fair? Is that what you thought you were getting? Not me.
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