A divided San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors has voted to devise a plan to help local farmers lessen their reliance on the depleted Paso Robles Groundwater Basin.
The Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to spend about $300,000 to hire a Los Angeles-based consultant to design a study involving local farmers. This study will identify ways local farmers can cut their reliance on groundwater through things like more water-efficient crops and treating industrial wastewater for field use.
The Paso Robles Groundwater Basin is critically overdrafted, according to the California Department of Water Resources.
Not everyone agreed with the plan. The vote was 3 to 2. John Peschong said limiting groundwater use could lead to higher costs for small farmers.
“They’re going to start to tax this water and I just want everybody to understand that’s where this is going, that’s why I will not be supporting this,” Peschong said.
No tax is currently proposed.
The majority said it’s critical to start conserving basin water. Supervisor Jimmy Paulding voted in favor.
“We are looking at incentives, not regulatory schemes that would seek to overburden our irrigators and landowners. This is the kind of policy we should be promoting as a county,” Paulding said.
If depletion continues, the county’s Groundwater Sustainability Agencies could impose cutbacks.
