Nitrate Testing Arm Wrestling

Meeting after meeting, be it one at the LOCSD, WRAC, BOS, LOCAC, UAC, FAC, RWQCB, the same commenters keep pushing for "nitrate testing" of the Los Osos groundwater basin's upper aquifer. This entails visiting 26 test well locations and spending about $14,000 to run a test, and testing should be done twice yearly. It was once the purview of the LOCSD when it still had control of the sewer project, the last test done in 2006, but now testing falls to SLO county, as it controls the project. A brief commentary of this can be found here:

http://www.losososcsd.org/Library/2011%20Agenda%20Packets/111201/AgendaItem4.D1_NitrateTesting.pdf

The reason for testing would be to establish a baseline for nitrates before the project goes online and thereafter to gauge the project's efficacy. However, the project is not due to go online until sometime in 2015.

The Regional Water Quality Control Board sent a letter to Paavo Ogren, Director of Public Works, on April 27, 2012, stating that the first testing event should occur between July 1, 2012 and December 31, 2012. It is officially in the hands of the county and on a timeline asked for by the Water Board.

It is now July 10, 2012 and the renewed push is on to get the LOCSD to pay for the tests as the county is not jumping on doing this, so the proponents claim. This makes no sense:

1. The project going online is 3 years away. Plenty of test times ahead!

2. If the funds were to come from the LOCSD (read funds from its water customer revenues), then only part of the Prohibition Zone sewer populace would be paying for it, as some of the PZ lies in Golden State Water Company customer zone and they would pay nothing. Not fair AND LOCSD water revenues SHOULD be spent on the numerous capital improvement projects that are in dire need of funds.

3. If the LOCSD's Water Quality Trust Fund monies (which belong to everyone in the urban reserve line, in the Zone or not) were spent to do this, the balance remaining is $91,074 and the last expenditure out of this fund, voted on 2-2-12 by the LOCSD board, was a hefty $35,620. This was to fund the LOCSD's Water Company's share in the ISJ project of the mandatory Basin Management Plan. What if more money is needed for the ISJ later? The LOCSD is not exactly flush with money and the bankruptcy is still in play. What would be shortchanged to pay for this "nitrate testing?" Would this be fair to those who are not going to pay for the sewer anyway as they are not in the Zone? (Oh, I can hear the arm wresting arguments right now on that idea, "the water belongs to everyone, yadda, yadda everyone should pay to clean it up." Well 83% of the town of Los Osos is in the PZ and that is where the septic tank density lies that caused the problem in the first place.)

So really, what is the big rush to spend $14,000 when the county has to do this for the sewer project by December 31 anyway? Those proponents for this testing have offered to pay for it themselves (I can see a boatload of problems over this idea). Why would people who normally nitpick over $40 (and less) expenditures in the LOCSD warrant registers be in such a rush to test for nitrates to the tune of $14,000? That's the $64,000 question, isn't it?