Water from Lake Nacimiento is not making it this month to the various San Luis Obispo County districts that depend on it as part of their drinking water supply because the pipeline that carries that water has been shut down. A few weeks ago, county workers discovered a leak in the pipe.
According to the Atascadero Mutual Water Company, the Nacimiento Water Project is the largest public works project in county history.
San Luis Obispo County Supervisor Frank Mecham, says some small leaks are being patched and will be forensically sampled to find the extent of the problem. This will allow the pipeline to be put back into operation while the county comes up with a permanent solution.
"I'm disappointed but I think that there's not much to worry about until we figure out what the real problem is here," Mecham said. "Is it the weld to the pipeline, is it the pipe itself? Once they make that determination we will know whether we need to research further."
Mecham says it took longer than expected to reach the pipe breakage because it's located in an especially difficult place to access. Although he's disappointed about the leaks, he remains hopeful it can be repaired.
