Soquel Creek Water District is proposing a moratorium on all construction or changes of use that add new water fixtures. The County’s Water Resources Director and our County Supervisor do not support this proposal.
Action Requested:
- Ask the Soquel Creek Water Board not to enact a moratorium by sending emails and encourage others individuals and organizations to send emails to [email protected]; and also,
- Attend the June 3, 7 pm Water Board meeting at New Brighton Middle School and show your opposition to this ill-conceived proposal.
The Soquel Creek Water District Board of Directors is proposing a moratorium on commercial and residential construction including upgrades, remodels or additions that add new water fixtures, or changes of use to commercial properties that add fixtures. The County’s Water Resources Director and our County Supervisor do not support this proposal. Such an action would have a severe, negative impact on our community; creating an island of economic strife while business and property values in surrounding communities continue their post-recession recovery. Ironically, the Live Oak area, City of Watsonville and the Pajaro Valley all receive water from the same aquifers as Soquel Creek Water District customers, and yet a moratorium is not being considered in these communities.
It is essential that you understand the facts and we encourage you to write letters to the Soquel Creek Water District Board of Directors and attend the board’s hearing on Tuesday, June 3, in order to prevent the Board from imposing this moratorium.
Our groundwater basin is in a state of overdraft and pumping needs to be reduced for a prolonged period in order for the basin to recover. Development has neither caused nor made the existing problem worse. Water consumption in Soquel Creek Water District today is the same as it was 30 years ago. The District’s Urban Water Management Plan projects that water demand in 2030 will be 5 percent less than today as a result of conservation without any restrictions on development. Additional growth is already controlled by County land use policies. Growth over the last 10 years has only been 3% of total water use.
The district’s 2012 Integrated Resources Plan calls for the development of a supplemental supply of water within the next 6-8 years. Groundwater conditions have not gotten appreciably worse over the last several years. The District’s Water Demand Offset Program for new construction has successfully reduced demand without ratepayer expense while a solution for a long-term sustainable supply is developed. The program requires new development to offset 200% of its expected water use by purchasing and installing highly efficient fixtures for existing users.
If we want the economy to continue to grow we must allow for reasonable development of new and existing residents and business. The president of the Cambria Chamber of Commerce said their own moratorium has stagnated the tourism-driven economy, pushing businesses out and discouraging new ones. It also has gutted the local construction industry and left hundreds of property owners with empty lots. Putting the brakes on our local economy just when we’re emerging from a devastating recession is not the answer.
A moratorium will prevent any new or remodeled dental or doctor’s offices as well as any business that will require additional toilets or sinks. Twin Lakes Church’s plans to build a new school building to replace old portable classrooms will not be allowed, even though offsets actually will lead to an estimated 30 percent reduction in the overall current water use.
In order to approve a moratorium, the district must declare a groundwater emergency and find there is an immediate threat to public health and safety. This is simply not defensible. The district’s own projections of how much water will be saved during a moratorium are negligible.
Please urge the Soquel Creek Water District Board to not enact a moratorium but to continue the Water Demand Offset Program for all development and continue to focus on developing a supplemental water supply, which is the only viable answer to our long-term water issue.
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Emails to the Board can be sent to [email protected]
The Board meeting will be held at; New Brighton Middle School 250 Washburn Ave, Capitola June 3, at 7 pm
Article reprinted by permission of the Aptos Chamber.