A long-planned water recycling project for the Five Cities area is moving ahead with a smaller design after earlier versions were derailed by rising costs.
The Grover Beach City Council received an update this week on Central Coast Blue, a regional water-reuse facility led by the City of Pismo Beach. The project would be built in Grover Beach, south of Farroll Road, on property owned by Pismo Beach.
Central Coast Blue would take highly treated wastewater that is currently discharged into the ocean, further purify it, and inject the water into the Santa Maria Groundwater Basin, which supplies communities including Pismo Beach, Arroyo Grande, Santa Maria, Guadalupe and Nipomo.
The goal is to create a more drought-resilient local water supply and protect the basin from seawater intrusion.
Although Grover Beach is no longer a formal partner, city staff said the project still requires coordination because major facilities, pipelines and monitoring wells would be located within the city’s limits. The site also borders residentially zoned neighborhoods, meaning local buffering, screening and design requirements will apply.
Pismo Beach City Manager Jorge Garcia told council members the facility has been significantly reduced in size after construction costs forced partner agencies, including Grover Beach, to withdraw from earlier plans.
“What we are doing is we scaled the project down significantly. That scaling down eliminated a lot of the pressure points that previously existed,” Garcia said.
The new design includes reduced water production, fewer pipelines and a smaller infrastructure footprint. Construction could begin once final design and state and coastal permitting are completed, which officials estimate will occur in 2027.
Residents living near the project site will receive notices about required public hearings as the project advances.
