AnonymousBy Paul Rohrer, Ballard Adobes in Los Olivos
Los Olivos is a small, dusty, western town, while Washington DC is a former swamp in north Virginia. Unlike Washington, Los Olivos neither needs nor wants a big government “solution” in search of a problem.
The Los Olivos Community Services District Board is ignoring its original plan, endorsed by voters and county regulators, for a small-scale, phased, sewage treatment solution serving and located in downtown Los Olivos. Instead, the Board has been pursuing a sewage plant that can process two and one-half times more effluent on a site three times as large as the original plan. In violation of state law and county planning requirements, the large, centralized plant would be located outside the District’s boundaries on scenic, protected, agricultural land at the gateway to Los Olivos, and that land would be seized from its long-time owner through eminent domain.
This is a big government “solution” to a problem that might not exist or might be the responsibility of someone other than District residents. Despite having spent more than 4 years and well over a million dollars, the Board has no idea as to the existence, extent, or source of our groundwater problem.
Relentlessly pursuing the largest possible system, the District has done no groundwater testing and has relied on a single problematic result from one test well drilled nearly 50 years ago. That report stated that activities north of the District could be impairing the groundwater quality, which would make it the responsibility of someone other than District taxpayers! Even with this knowledge, the Board ignored the advice of its engineering firm and decided not to drill the advised test wells.
Spending tens of millions of dollars, seizing property, tearing up the downtown business district, building a large-scale system that will require an expensive, permanent bureaucracy to operate and maintain — makes absolutely no sense. As President Reagan, a man who knew and loved this Valley, warned us: “Government is not the solution; Government is the problem.”
The Board must stop wasting limited resources on grandiose solutions to undefined problems. Los Olivos needs to be the priority, not big-government South County elites.
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You say “government” but what you mean is “science”. I trust the science. Populations are ever increasing and we need to plan infrastructure with that in mind. You don’t spend millions on a plant to serve your current population! You make projections and build for the future.
Groundwater contamination is a HUGE deal. A “single” problematic well is indicative of a much larger problem. Contaminated groundwater is often an irreversible issue, and aquifers are rarely 100% isolated from each other. We should not mess around when it comes to this.
Sorry, I don’t agree with anything you’re saying. Trust the science.
You mean trust the ‘ Science™ ‘ (in this case the real science was a single well drilled 50 year ago per OP, and the real scientists are calling for additional test wells). Follow the money for this project and you’ll probably find out the “why”.
Reagan was a useless idiot. RIP poor sod.
Regan implemented the greatest nuclear arms reduction treaties with of all time and was instrumental in breaking up the Soviet Union and ending the Cold War. His administration also was able to reign in the soaring inflation of the carter years, bringing a return to affordable fuel, an reasonable cost of living, and let’s not forget the end of Carter’s oppressive 55mph speed limit. Reagan presided over a period of peace, prosperity, and most importantly optimism. The 80s were good times! Now that I’ve written all that, I can’t help but notice the similarity between the carter years and the biden administration. Soaring costs, shortages, and hopefully not another 55 speed limit but we’ll see… Perhaps we’ll be lucky enough to have some Reagan like leadership come 2024.
If that’s your honest opinion on Reagan I can imagine what your honest opinion on Biden must be (which I’m sure you will not share here, at least the honest portion).
Shhhhhh Chip, don’t let facts get in the way of their opinions.
The idea of a big smelly treatment plant on a scenic piece of land just outside of Los Olivos sucks. However, those portable restrooms downtown suck too. There has got to be a better solution.