Water has always been a critical issue in the Soquel Creek Water District. Until now there has been only one source of water in the District and that has been pumping it from the aquifers that lie under its users. Until another sustainable source of water is available, the District remains in a difficult position and the board will have to make some difficult choices.
Running for the only open seat on the District board this election cycle are incumbent Rachel Lather and John Bargetto. We asked them two questions and here are their answers.
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1) There are several options for obtaining a sustainable water supply. Which one (or ones) do you think the most viable?
Rachel Lather: I believe a portfolio that includes water transfers and the use of purified water is needed for a sustainable water supply to be obtained. The use of surface water from the City to supplement water use in the District is a viable option and we are pursuing that. The use of purified (recycled) water for indirect reuse makes sense because it is a constant resource that can be used during drought and non-drought years for aquifer recharge. Technology has advanced to a point where the water produced is equivalent to drinking water. When it is used to recharge the aquifer, purified water is filtered through soil layers, then pumped out of a distant well and treated before use as drinking water.
John Bargetto: Considering that we get 100% of our water from the 2 aquifers located in the district, protecting the aquifers is of the utmost importance. Conservation is the first step to protecting the water source, as a gallon of water not used is a gallon saved for the aquifer. Residents will have to continue to find ways to lower water usage: installing drought sensitive landscaping, low flush toilets, use of grey water, etc. Yet we cannot conserve our way out of the problem, and thus a new source of water is necessary. A reliable partnership with Santa Cruz water seems likely. The Soquel district will need to buy water from Santa Cruz (via river water or waste) and pump into the aquifer to raise the water table to prevent salt water intrusion.
2) Until a sustainable water supply is in place, do you favor a building moratorium to conserve water?
John Bargetto: My goal is to get elected to help solve the water problem and avoid a moratorium. Realistically having a new water source available is many years away. If the water situation worsens or greater evidence that conservation is not improving the aquifer situation , i.e. saltwater is intruding, then we would have to responsibly move to moratorium. One way to avoid that is the continue the off-set programs, whereby some new hook ups be allowed, yet permission would come with the requirement of 200% water savings. Thus we can find balance between new developments and save water at the same time. If all offsets are depleted, then we would need a moratorium.
Rachel Lather: I do not believe that a building moratorium is needed now, but there could be a point where it’s the only choice if we don’t move forward with implementing additional supply options. I believe that we need a sustainable water supply to support our current population and any future growth. If we do not have that, then we cannot support the water needs for future growth. We need to work with the County and City of Capitola to plan for growth and development based on the availability of water. This would limit the amount of new services to be connected based on groundwater modeling and water use projections but would not stop growth completely.