Business Briefing

          Water Planning & Water Politics

Resolution of Santa Cruz County's vulnerability to droughts and groundwater overdraft is imperative to our economic vitality. We have essentially the same water supply system we had when the county had one-half our current population. We have adapted by reducing water consumption - currently one of the lowest per capita rates of consumption in California. But in an extended drought the reduction in service and the associated business costs are potentially economically devastating.
 
Join Santa Cruz Water Director Bill Kocher and Soquel Creek Water District General Manager  Laura Brown Wednesday May 26th for a presentation and discussion about the current status of efforts to increase water capacity including the construction of a desalination plant to serve both the City and the Soquel Creek Water District.
 
Also present will be Donna Blitzer, UCSC Government Affairs, and Julianna Rebagliati, City Planning Director, to talk about the legal and political hurdles to this plan posed by an upcoming Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) hearing. This hearing will consider challenges to the agreement between UCSC, the City, the County, and a neighborhood group to the extension of City services to the student housing that is part of the university's Long-Range Development Plan (LRDP). Opponents of the LRDP have made several inaccurate statements attempting to link water supply to the LRDP. While failure by LAFCO to approve the City's application to provide water and sewer services to the "north campus" will void the university's obligation under the agreement to provide additional on-campus student housing, it would have no real impact on demand for water. Our presenters will describe the circumstances, identify these inaccuracies, and discuss the consequences these decisions might have.
 
A permanent solution, capable of addressing the inevitable droughts and  the resulting water shortfalls, will protect against the serious economic consequences of a severe water shortage and remove constraints on investment caused by our current water capacity limitations.
 

Join us May 26 from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Chamber meeting room, 611 Ocean Street, Suite 1 for this presentation and a wine and cheese reception.

Cost is $15 for SC Chamber membes and $25 for non-members.

Privacy Policy  All Sales are final.  If you would like to be invoiced for this event, please contact Annette at 831.457.3720.