Morro Bay has one more phase to complete on its water reclamation facility, something city Public Works Director Greg Kwolek calls the "cornerstone" of the.
A long-planned water resiliency project in South County now hangs in the balance after the city of Arroyo Grande made a formal demand to Pismo Beach and Grover Beach to amend a shared operating agreement threatening to otherwise withdraw from the project. The Arroyo Grande City Council voted unanimously at its April 13 meeting to send the demand letter to its partner cities on Central Coast Blue, a wastewater project that seeks to balance the Santa Maria Valley Groundwater Basin, a shared regional water source. click to enlarge File Photo By Aidan McGloin
HIGH STAKES Water Systems Consulting Engineer Dan Heimel leads a 2019 tour of a water recycling facility. The Central Coast Blue project would inject treated wastewater into the Santa Maria Valley Groundwater Basin.
The Arroyo Grande City Council voted on March 23 that it will not sign a multi-city agreement with Grover Beach and Pismo Beach to move forward on the Central Coast Blue water project unless it includes a local hire provision setting up a standoff between the three cities. While Pismo s and Grover s city councils both signed the operating agreement and approved the recycled wastewater project s environmental impact report, Arroyo Grande council members took issue with its lack of commitment to a community workforce agreement, which would guarantee that local skilled workers are hired for the estimated $50 million project. click to enlarge