Valve Turning Ceremony - Today!!

Sea Pines today 10:00 A.M.-ish!! The street was even blocked off!!

Purple pipe in action for the very first time!! The Golf Course will be watered with RECYCLED WATER from our nifty sewer plant!! 

The County's Kate Ballantyne was the Master of Ceremonies, dignitaries included: Bruce Gibson with Legislative Aid Blake Fixler; former LOWWP super big-wigs John Waddell and John Diodati; a representative from State Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham's office; BMC Executive Director, and LOCSD Engineer, Rob Miller; Lexie Bell - Morro Bay National Estuary Program; our new LOCSD GM Ron Munds who has held so many important positions I can't count them; Golden State Water's Rep Tony Lindstrom; and of course Rocky and Gary Setting, the owners of the Golf Course and Resort! There were many others whose names I did not know - from the County and...I'm not sure where exactly, but they looked like engineer/techno types. The press was there taking better photos than me of course.

I do have photos, but thought videos were the quickest look to see what went on. (You will later see a photo of really superb donuts with purple icing in honor of the event. I wish I had one right now.... )

Valve Turning Ceremony!

https://www.slocounty.ca.gov/Departments/Public-Works/Department-News/Valve-Turning-Ceremony-For-The-Sea-Pines-Golf-Reso.aspx

Hope to see you there tomorrow!

Nuggets From the Los Osos Sewer Story In La Vista!

The article that I wrote for the History Center of San Luis Obispo County's journal, La Vista, is out!! Yes, it is on our infamous, tragic, and, sometimes inadvertently hilarious Los Osos sewer story. I was shocked that they accepted my proposal, and I hope that they do not have any regrets!

At a modest 7,554 words, the story covers only the tippy top highlights of course. This story deserves an Encyclopedia Britannica version. I was only supposed to give them 5,000 words but they did not make me cut anything much to my surprise and much more to my relief.

They had quite a sense of humor about this. The cover is an aerial view of Hearst Castle, the back cover is an aerial of the Los Osos sewer. 

My article is at the end, Chapter 8. There are seven prior chapters that will likely interest you a whole lot more, so please don't be scared away by the sewage!

Naturally, anyone purchasing this will be supporting the work of our County's History Center, so I urge you to help them out as generously as you can. This journal, and the prior ones too, are very full with great stories about where we live!

My story would not have been possible without the History Center, and I have spend countless hours in the library basement with the super helpful researchers Alan and Bill, who dug up all sorts of interesting stuff for me. (I also wrote the Arcadia book for Los Osos/Baywood Park which has a small, very small, chapter on the sewer.)

You might want to visit the History Center to look around and buy a copy or two, or 27. Here is the address and the hours:

History Center Museum

Carnegie Library Building

696 Monterey Street

San Luis Obispo

11:00 am to 5:00 pm

Closed Tuesdays

Or you can make your purchase off of this link:

https://squareup.com/store/historycenterslo/

For those of you bold enough to venture into the fraught bowels of Sewerville, I thank you, and I hope that you enjoy the read!

Poop Emoji Magnets!

Yes, you too can have a set of poop emoji magnets for your refrigerator just like I have!

(Click image to see it larger.) 

Family was visiting from out of state (to honor their privacy as most do not want their name appearing online on a sewer blog, I will not name who). We went to a favorite gallery we often visit because they carry both great jewelry and art, plus hilarious stuff. I think I screamed quietly when I saw these magnets!

Anyway, if you need WANT these as much as I did - here is the card from the gallery!

The Poop Project!

Have a look - this is just so cool!!!

https://thepoopproject.org/

Awesome Poop Shirt!

Helloooo from LA dear readers! Saturday, April13, I had the great luck to be in LA to attend the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books! https://www.latimes.com/books/la-et-jc-fob-festival-of-books-schedule-map-info-20190411-story.html Took an Uber to the Metro Rail at Bergamot Station, and got off right at USC. Was wandering in the huge venue for hours.

I did not find any sewer books - not that there weren't any at a venue this huge, but one has only so much time to look. But what I did find was a handsome young man in a sewer T-shirt, who was kind enough to let me photograph his incredible shirt! (I was kind enough to not ask his name as maybe he would not want to be featured on a sewer blog.) Thank you anonymous young person for letting me capture your amazing shirt!

USC is a pretty old campus. It was founded in 1880. But at that time there were no streets, so I don't think this sewer manhole cover was from that era. But it looks quite old.

If you get the chance to do the book festival Sunday, April 14, lucky you - if not, it is super, super fun, so I hope you can go next year!

C-SPAN's Filming Of My Take On The Los Osos Sewer Story!

Have a look!

https://www.c-span.org/video/?459200-1/los-osos-baywood-park-sewer-saga

Student Teams Tackling Water Issues Using EPA Grant Funding

Something for Cal Poly students to think about next year:
https://www.tpomag.com/online_exclusives/2019/04/student-teams-tackling-water-issues-using-epa-grant-funding?utm_source=campaigner&utm_campaign=TPO190408&utm_content=newsletter&cmp=1&utm_medium=email

C-Span Book Tour!

Check out some Los Osos Sewer history on
C-SPAN! Saturday, April 6, 2:00 p.m. West Coast time - Spectrum channels 91 and 882.

The Los Osos Sewer On C-SPAN!

Yours truly will be on C-SPAN April 6! I will be 

speaking on the last chapter of my book - 

Los Osos/Baywood Park (Arcadia Publishing),

the SEWER Chapter! 

San Luis Obispo Weekend on C-SPAN2's Book TV and C-SPAN3's American History TV April 6-7 With the support of our Spectrum cable partner, the C-SPAN Cities Tour explores the American story - this weekend taking Book TV (on C-SPAN2) and American History TV (on C-SPAN3) to San Luis Obispo, California as we highlight the history and literary life of this city. Mayor Heidi Harmon's segment will kick off San Luis Obispo Weekend, this Friday, April 5th - airing on C-SPAN’sWashington Journal program between 4am-7am PT.  C-SPAN is available in San Luis Obispo on Spectrum channels 93 & HD 881.

On Saturday, April 6th, all of our Book TV (C-SPAN2) non-fiction literary offerings from the city will air together in one block beginning at 2 pm PT (on Spectrum channels 91 & HD 882), among the programs… Coalesce Book Store with owner, Linda Thomas Jim Gregory, author of "San Luis Obispo County Outlaws: Desperados, Vigilantes and Bootleggers" Kathleen Cairns, author of "At Home in the World: California Women and the Creation of Modern Environmentalism" San Luis Obispo Carnegie Library with Victoria Brien Marilyn Darnell, author of "Anything but Dull: The Personal Letters of R.E. Jack" Lynette Tornatzky, author of "Los Osos/Baywood Park" San Luis Obispo historical photo collection with Pierre Rademaker Intellectual Movement in San Luis Obispo County with Pete Kelly, History Center of San Luis Obispo County. Native Americans in San Luis Obispo with Wendy Lucas and Mona Olivas History of San Luis Obispo with Joe Carotenuti

And on Sunday, April 7th, all of our history programming from the city will air on American History TV (C-SPAN3) beginning at 11 am PT (on Spectrum channels 92 & HD 883), among the programs… Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa with Michael La Freniere and Dan Krieger Point San Luis Lighthouse with Jack San Filippo Dallidet Adobe and the Dallidet family with Kaylee Scoggins Herring Marilyn Darnell, author of "Anything but Dull: The Personal Letters of R.E. Jack" Intellectual Movement in San Luis Obispo County with Pete Kelly, History Center of San Luis Obispo County. San Luis Obipo Railroad History with Brad LaRose History of San Luis Obispo with Joe Carotenuti Jim Gregory, author of "San Luis Obispo County Outlaws: Desperados, Vigilantes and Bootleggers" San Luis Obispo historical photo collection with Pierre Rademaker Native Americans in San Luis Obispo with Wendy Lucas and Mona Olivas San Luis Obispo Carnegie Library with Victoria Brien

In addition to the individual segments airing on their respective networks, they will also air together during the following dates and times: ·     Book TV (on C-SPAN2) block: Saturday, April 6th, 2 pm PT (Spectrum channels 91 & HD 992) ·     American History TV (on C-SPAN3) block: Sunday, April 7th, 11 am PT (Spectrum channels 92 & HD 883)

Visit our special San Luis Obispo page, where each segment will be available to view after it airs! In addition, all video segments will be available indefinitely in our C-SPAN Video Library. For more information about the C-SPAN Cities Tour and programming, visitwww.c-span.org/citiestour and @CSPANCities on Twitter.

Wastewater In Action!

OK, I know this is silly, but I was just researching a company that deals in wastewater and found this mesmerizing video loop on their webpage. I know I need help, I can't stop watching it. Sewage hypnotherapy????  😜

https://frm-ops.com/industry-service-wastewater

Where Is It Going? (Your Recycled Washes & Flushes!)

I got a notice for the next Basin Management Committee meeting today (next Wednesday, March 20). In it was the latest scoop as to where our recycled was going. Here is a quote:

"Contracts are in place with the two primary water purveyors which allow the delivery of recycled water to schools within their service areas subject to the billing rate rates established by each purveyor. An agreement was executed with S&T Mutual Water Company to allow the County to directly deliver water to Sea Pines golf course which is inside their service area. Sea Pines will be connected to the system by the end of March 2019. Los Osos Middle School will be the first school to be connected to the recycled water system with anticipated connect date of August 2019. Additional schools will be connected to the system as resources are available, with the goal of connecting one school per year." (Look for exhibit A toward the bottom in this lengthy tome.)

At long last....... 

Final Evacuation—Bayridge Estates Septic Tanks!

Here is the latest info on the Bayridge septic tanks, that have been awaiting their emptying for quite some time. Our wonderful Jose Acosta, our Utilities Systems Manager, has saved the District's bacon (once again)—although I hesitate to put my treasured culinary word "bacon" in a paragraph about.......politely speaking, "waste product."

Have a look about the process and the price on getting these tanks emptied:
https://www.losososcsd.org/files/68b62c540/Agenda+Item+12D+Discussion+Regarding+Bayridge+Estates+Septic+Tanks+Decommissioning+Process.pdf

This will be discussed at the next LOCSD meeting, Thursday, February 7 in the Open Session part of the meeting which begins at 7:00 p.m. in the District Office, 2122 9th Street Suite 106. Hope to see you all there!! (All two of you locals that read this thing that is.....)

Pardon my long absence, I have been away and otherwise occupied! Some of you have seen me riding a camel on my Facebook page (which was not Photoshopped). But more on that later. 

Finally! Recycled Water! And Monarch Grove Too!

AGENDA 

December 11, 2018 

County Government Center 

Board of Supervisors Chambers 

1055 Monterey Street | San Luis Obispo, CA 93408

Consent Agenda - Public Works Items:

28. Request to adopt the Rules and Regulations Governing the Distribution and Use of Recycled Water, Los Osos Recycled Water System San Luis Obispo County, August 2018; approve five agreements to deliver recycled water in the community of Los Osos with the Los Osos Community Services District, Golden State Water Company, S&T Mutual Water Company, and BSR (Sea Pines Golf Course); and approve the Amended and Restated Agreement for Mitigations Concerning Water Resources and Sewage Disposal for Tract 1589 (Monarch Grove). District 2.

You can access all the support documents here:
http://agenda.slocounty.ca.gov/agenda/sanluisobispo/Proposal.html?select=9379

And there is an amazing amount of stuff to read. 

Roger Randall (former SLO County judge) of the Monarch Grove Homeowners Association spoke at the meeting. Ron Munds (on our LOCSD Utilities Advisory Committee - and more importantly, is Utilities Division Manager of the County Public Works Department) spoke on some typos. Chuck Cesena and Linde Owen spoke - Chuck on the water to dry land farmers (bad, bad, bad), and Linde on who is held responsible if the recycled water is rotten, plus dry land farmers, and her perpetual complaint about the $9.95 million settlement with ARB. Mark Hutchinson, Deputy Director of Public Works was asked by Supervisor Bruce Gibson to explain just what contracts were being discussed today (NOT the dry land farmer contracts), and he said that issue would be revisited once the in-town areas were up and running on the recycled water.

Access the video here:
http://slocounty.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=46&clip_id=3107

Have Sludge, Will Travel!

I reported this past October on the sorry and costly state of Bayridge septic tank's dead sludge. Ten tanks need to have their expired (read: dead, dead, dead) sludge sucked up and carted off. For those inclined to read about that, follow the link below. The County has not come after the LOCSD waiving legal papers for non-compliance on emptying those tanks yet, but who like waiting around for that (————) to drop? They are not going to let those poop piles fall between the cracks.
 https://losewersaga.blogspot.com/2018/10/bayridges-stale-sludge.html

Thanks to the persistence of the LOCSD's Utilities Manager Jose Acosta and General Manager Renee Osborne, an excellent and wayyyyy cheaper solution has been found! Rather than the $110,000 mentioned at the last episode, a company called appropriately, East Bay MUD has come to the rescue. Bayridge is now looking at around $20,000, give or take, and they already have $50,000 in their reserves!

There is a bit of Wiki-info on EBMUD, aside from the link above—they look like a pretty large operation; this Bayridge stuff will be but a tiny drop in the night soil bucket for them.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Bay_Municipal_Utility_District

Judges (Some, Only Some) On Los Osos' Lawsuits

I was at a party Friday night in SLO. I knew the hosts and had for 10+ years, but really no one else that night (except my husband, who would prefer not to be mentioned in a sewer blog—well, probably no one wants to be mentioned in here......). The double doors from the main room were open to the patio, where a chiminea was radiating heat and the koi pond waterfall was burbling. I was chatting with a brainy man about politics when a long time friend of his appeared. Brainy man asked him about how his work was going and he said what he was doing. His name was Roger and he was a retired judge. JUDGE ROGER PICQUET!! I nearly fainted. Me: you worked on Los Osos sewer cases!!! He politely and almost indistinguishably cringed a little. He quickly said, and lightly laughed, a lot of us did. He then turned and went inside, perhaps find another hors d'oeuvres or I thought more likely, to trade the chardonnay for a scotch. I felt awful. I had probably ruined his evening.

He did eventually come back out (fortunately with the same drink). I gave him my chair (as penance for dragging his mind where I am sure he never wanted it to go again). I said I was going back in for food, and I was (yes, it was my third plateful of food, I will be honest about that, I never skimp at a party, and the plates were not that large either—you know, the kind you can hold and walk around with).

That chair was graciously offered to me when I came back out, and we had a very pleasant 15-minute conversation! Not about the sewer, but about the bolluxed up Los Osos election and SLO life, normal stuff. Sigh. Poor Los Osos....... But I was thrilled to have met a living, and correct! decision maker for our beleaguered little burg.

When I got home I combed through my computer's hard drive for lawsuits and news articles on Los Osos sewer cases. I am only counting the ones from 2003 - 2006. There were employed on those ghastly tasks, the judges listed below:

Judge Douglas Hilton

Stopped the Recall Board stand down order - 10-7-2005.

Judge Martin Tangeman

Ruled the infamous Measure B illegal.

Judge Barry LaBarbera

The PZLDF case can go forward. (You don't want to know what a pizzle is, but the group called themselves the Prohibition Zone Legal Defense Fund until they found out what it was. They then became Citizens for Clean Water.)

Judge Charles Crandall

PZLDF vs. RWQCB.

Judge Robin Riblet

Bankruptcy.

Now, for Judge Picquet, I found:

2003

Judge Roger Picquet presided over and dismissed the case brought by Cal Cities Water Company against the Regional Water Quality Control Board for allowing a sewer in Los Osos that would return reclaimed water to the ground which would pollute the existing water. (Source: Bay News.)

And this:

March 24, 2005 (The board mentioned here is the pre recall CSD Board - CCLO was the feeder group for directors that were voted into the spots of recalled directors.)


Judge Roger Picquet heard demurrers to the portions of the second lawsuit regarding the wastewater project, CV041047, originally filed in December 2004 by CCLO, late yesterday. This lawsuit alleged that two additional Coastal Commission permits were required before the Los Osos Community Services District could build the wastewater project. Judge Picquet granted LOCSD’s motion to strike these allegations from the lawsuit without leave to amend. Thus, the portions of this lawsuit that could have affected construction of the Los Osos Wastewater Project have been dismissed and the superior court will not consider them further. The only remaining allegation in the lawsuit involves LOCSD’s storm drain facilities not involving the wastewater project. (Source: Tribune.)

And this:

May 24, 2005 (Recall Board)

Judge Dismisses CCLO Lawsuit Against LOCSD

Judge Roger Picquet today dismissed the lawsuit filed by Concerned Citizens of Los Osos in San Luis Obispo County Superior Court.  CCLO had alleged that the LOCSD Board was required to adopt ordinances on the Los Osos Wastewater Project by a 4/5 vote. The judge disagreed, and ruled that the 3/5 majority that voted in December was adequate for adopting ordinances for the Los Osos Wastewater Project. 


Judge Picquet granted the District’s motion to demurrer without leave to amend, and indicated that since his ruling was a matter of law, there was no way to cure the petition for subsequent consideration. (Source: Tribune.)

And this:

Judge Picquet presided over the 2005-2006 Grand Jury which explored the expenditure of public funds by the Recall LOCSD Board.

And this:

Early April, 2006 (Recall Board)

In April, Judge Roger Picquet blocked the services district from using the remaining $2 million to $3 million from a state low-interest loan until the agency resolves a $28 million payment dispute with two contractors hired to build a state-mandated sewer. (Source: Tribune.)

And this:

April 7, 2006 (Recall Board)

On April 5, 2006, the CSD sent a letter of objection to the Superior court. They claim that last Thursday ruling by Judge Picquet is incomplete, does not specifically state a dollar amount to be frozen, and requests that the audit be completed prior to a ruling. In short, the CSD is going to continue to spend SRF money regardless of the Court ruling freezing it. Sounds like Contempt of Court to me. (Source: April 7, 2006 - Calhoun's Cannon Blog, Ann Calhoun, posted by Anonymous.)

And that is where I will leave it for now. Judge Picquet, if you ever read this blog and get depressed or have nightmares, please seek treatment immediately (and forgive me for reminding you of probably the worst cases you were ever forced to hear).

Thanksgiving And The Newberry Wastewater Treatment Plant!

This is/was Thanksgiving Day 2018, and I am thankful for so many things! Camera card recovery software is one of them. Yes, it has been a while since my last post. I apologize! My anxiety over a trip next month without camera cards finally got me to bring this epic Michigan sewer episode to you faithful readers (I think I am up to five of you now, and I thank each of you for reading!). I have been wanting to write this since July. But I had accidentally erased all my photos of the Newberry Wastewater Plant.

I was in Michigan in July—family stuff—visit my 98-year old aunt and (younger) cousins, and Lou's family reunion. We started in Grand Rapids and drove to a cabin in the mountains outside Traverse City (which has only very slightly larger population [15,515] than Los Osos, but seems vast due to old buildings like an opera house and an art museum). I should call not those things outside the city mountains, they are not that tall. But they seemed like mountains due to the pine trees from my Big Bear-SoCal perspective. And it wasn't a cabin either, but a six bedroom house with a two bedroom guest house, too, and right on a lake. But who wants to stay in a house in the hills? Not quite vacationy enough.

The Traverse City area is the largest producer of tart cherries in the United States. Michael Moore founded the Traverse City Film Festival. An X-Files episode in season four was filmed there. And so, so, very relatable to us in SLO County, USA Today named it as one of the top ten cities for local wine. 

(So we were in a "house" on High Lake, but really, "high" compared to what? Or maybe it is one of those other highs, there was a lot of wine, which led to this long delay in posting.)

We also did some traveling to the Upper Peninsula. Munising. Big Foot and pasties, oh, delicious pasties! 

(You can click on the images to make them larger.)

Then we went some other places. We wound up going through Newberry, Michigan population 1,519 in 2010. We stopped at a realty office to get addresses, in a pipe dream sort of way, to look at properties for sale. We stopped at Rahilly's IGA market to get some sodas. And I found, sitting casually on an upper shelf - Trenary Toast!!! 

I had only found this mail order, and there it was IN PERSON, like it was a common box of Hostess Zingers or something! (The reason that this is sewer related, is that Paavo Ogren, our sewer guru, our Obi-Wan Kenobi, told me about this stuff.) I bought a bunch of bags. My favorite flavor is cardamom, but it was the one least liked by the fam. Oh well, more for me!

So we wound up traveling further east, and on the way out of town there was a sign:

I think I shrieked, and the photo is blurry, we were going pretty fast. Lou's son driving was kind enough to encourage me to go back and have a look! So I did while the rest of our party went over to the river to enjoy the natural beauty; of an actual flowing thing, and, it is very leafy and green in Michigan. I casually walked up to the sewer plant gate to view this other flowing thing. How could I photograph in this place? Well, I just walked in.

No one noticed me. So I am bringing you what this place looked like on July 20, 2018.

Yes, it smelled.....

When this truck pulled in, I figured I was cooked if I was caught, so below is the one parting shot - just to prove that I was actually there. I am waving. I hope I am not discovered and prosecuted because I posted this. (Can they extradite me back to Michigan?)

So here is where the wine came in. We were back at the cabin. Everyone was playing Pinochle or something (I am not a card player). I was downloading all of my camera cards onto my laptop and somehow, as one card must have had two folders of photos, and I had a glass or two of wine, I downloaded photos from only one of the folders. 

Next, I was going to write this Newberry sewer post, but alas, photos missing.........

Which card had the poop? Overwriting my sewer photos?—NO! I took no more photos. 

I figured I'd get some photo place to recover the images, but thought, that is going to be verrrry expensive; so many cards! Then I thought, I'll just buy new camera cards and figure how to retrieve the lost pix later. July became November.........(insert 1940s vintage image of calendar with pages flipping). Then I found THAT was going to be verrrry expensive if I could even find more than two cards (I usually use seven.)

$39.99 to download recovery software was the cheapest way to go (the free ones were not that great). I need those cards for the trip in December. Well, with recovery, I found some other old images on those cards too:

Ernest Hemingway's bathroom in his house in San Francisco de Paula, 

outside Havana, Cuba!

 A photo I took of Richard Otto's Baywood newspaper from the 1950s!

I also stumbled on this fun stuff in researching Newberry's WWTF - sewer geeks might find this interesting!

https://www.cmdgroup.com/building-types/water-treatment/michigan/projects/

https://www.cmdgroup.com/building-types/water-treatment/michigan/projects/1000604847/

Newberry Waste Water Treatment Plant was founded in 1965, and is located at 307 E Mcmillan Ave in Newberry. Additional information is available at or by contacting William Glime at (906) 293-5681. (I love that name Glime!)

Newberry Michigan - http://www.villageofnewberry.com/

But check out this last one - look familiar? But it needs a bit of updating!
https://www.cmdgroup.com/building-types/water-treatment/california/projects/1000213240/