It was squashingly well attended at all three sessions (SRO—actually, people were sitting on the floor up front), and apart from a couple of Debbie Downers wearing scowls, the mood was one of attention and curiosity.
The program consisted of speakers (Second District Supervisor Bruce Gibson, Project Manager John Waddell, County Presenter Mladen Bandov); a Powerpoint; various county tables around the room with information (all of which is on a link off of the County's sewer website); Central Coast Green Build's table with booklets; and the largest attraction outside on the quad, was some of the vendors who will be offering their services at "lateral time." (The list of vendors is off the link above.) Yes, food, drink and munchies were served.
March 28 is the target date to start hooking up. Some of us in the last section won't hook up for a year plus. In any case, the County will send you a post card several weeks in advance, and at that point, you have six months to get the lateral trench dug and to hook up.
The advice was: Talk to the contractors and get several bids. What they do is: get the permits; dig the trench; install the latreral from the house to the stub-out (that plastic capped thing with a wire sticking out in your yard); have the inspection done by the County on the work. You will be able to decommission the tank by abandoning it, which is crushing in the lid and filling the tank with gravel or sand OR removing it. OR you have the option to repurpose it. Repurposing consists of disinfecting it with household bleach and having it inspected. Then you can use it for stormwater infiltration, rainwater harvesting (this needs a pump either inside or outside the tank) or treat the graywater and reuse it indoors for toilet flushing or other uses. Work with a professional to do these things.
Now, ANYONE can go through the training class and be certified to work under the County permit, but exactly what that entails was not delineated. Contact the County! The number/E-mail on their website for questions (any questions) is this:
Contact the County at (805) 788-2759 or rheaslet@co.slo.ca.us with comments or questions.
Check the SLOgreenbuild website for books and the decommissioning and reuse plan.
There WILL be more workshops; and in late March, weekly office hours will begin at the 10th Street office.
Rebates are still available! Costs were given for the lateral installation between $2,000 to $4,000 for easy installations, and up to $10,000 for the tough ones (like the tank is in your backyard). Low income financial assistance is available for: lateral connections; service charge discounts; and there is also a property tax deferral program if you qualify. See the County's website! Call if you have questions!
The charges that we have been seeing on our tax bills for the sewer project, around $700 a year, will be going up to around $2,000 year once the plant is running. Most homes will be hooked up this year.
We will never quite be able to mindlessly flush and forget after what we have been through, but at least the contamination will stop and the water will go to a better use than leaching out, 1,000,000 gallons a day, into the bay. Yee-haaa!
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