A new study found Grover Beach may need another source of water, even if the city experienced zero growth over the next several decades.
The Grover Beach City Council hired the group Confluence Engineering Solutions to conduct the water supply study earlier this year. The document is still in the draft stage, but it found that Grover Beach’s current water supply is vulnerable to drought and sea water intrusion.
“Even if demand does not increase, there's still the potential for deficits with these potential future constraints on the city's water supply portfolio,” Confluence’s founder Dan Heiml told the City Council at Monday’s meeting.
Demand will almost certainly increase, so the study looks at ways to bring in an extra 241 acre-feet of water a year.
The document compares eight potential water sources, including additional conservation efforts. According to the study, that’s unlikely to fix future supply issues, as the city has already made significant progress in reducing demand.
“There is no low-hanging fruit,” said consultant Tom McCarthy. “If it were easy, you would've already done it.”
The top three options were purchasing water from the state, buying water from the city’s neighbors, or recycling water and then pumping it back into the groundwater basin.
In 2024, Grover Beach pulled out of a water recycling project called Central Coast Blue, and some council members said they were uninterested in a project that uses similar technology.
“I'm not opposed to seeing it or looking at it, but as a priority it becomes really small,” Council Member Jules Tuggle said.
Public Works Director Jeff Lee told the City Council that the study doesn’t create policy, but simply evaluates current water supplies and vulnerabilities.
The council members ultimately expressed a preference for purchasing water through the California State Water Project. As the water supply study is still in draft form, the next phase will involve a closer look at the top three options.
