According to a summary of the judgment provided to Big Basin customers by the Central Coast Water Board, the Moore's have been prohibited from ever operating, managing or owning a wastewater system in the future and are personally liable for up to $750,000 in civil penalties.
Until about a week ago, the company, long plagued by leaks and outages, had been trucking in about five to 10 loads of water every day just to keep its customers afloat despite the high cost and inefficiency of such a system. Each load contains 4,000 gallons of water.
The meeting will be hosted by 5th District Santa Cruz County Supervisor Bruce McPherson who represents Boulder Creek, where the company is based, and the broader San Lorenzo Valley region. The company's court-appointed receiver, Silver and Wright LLP, will also be featured at the meeting.
Santa Cruz County officials told the Sentinel Monday the county was stepping in with short-term funding to ensure the system stays up and running and shared the same in a message to Big Basin customers on Friday using its emergency communications platform, Cruz Aware.
For years, the Big Basin Water Company has failed to deliver reliable, clean water to its customers. A possible solution was in sight for its 1,200 customers after the courts stepped in and a new private utility company was anticipated to buy the water system. But in an abrupt announcement made on Friday, the prospective buyer said the deal is off.