Biz Buzz: Feasibility of desalination in Cambria under review

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• Cambria desalination plan dealt a blow

  Cambria desalination plan dealt a blow

  An Army Corps of Engineers’ project to test the soil and sample water near the mouth of Santa Rosa Creek is not consistent with the state’s rules and goals for the habitat and coastline there, the California Coastal Commission ruled during a hearing Dec. 9.

  Whether that unanimous decision will be a death knell for the proposed tests there — and ultimately for intake and outfall facilities for a Cambria Community Services District desalination plant — is yet to be determined.

  Such a plant would be located elsewhere, off the beach.

• Water supply study meeting tonight

  Water supply study meeting tonight

  P eople interested in Cambria’s water-supply future will attend a special public meeting at 7 p.m. today, March 15, at the Veterans Memorial Building, 1000 Main St.

  The Army Corps of Engineers Corps and Cambria Community Services District officials say they want to hear from the public about environmental and other impacts of the district’s planned desalination project and various other water sources that might be viable options to fill any watery void between what the community has and what it needs to fill future needs.

  The district’s focus on desalination may be changing, given recent rejections by the California Coastal Commission of separate projects, one near the mouth of San Simeon Creek and the other near the mouth of Santa Rosa Creek, where the district had proposed testing to see if the locations would work for intake and other infrastructure.

• Public input wanted on scope of water study

  Public input wanted on scope of water study

  UPDATE: This story has been updated to correct the time of the meeting. It begins at 7 p.m., not 5:30 p.m.

  Is a desalination plant still in Cambria’s future, or is the town’s ultimate water project something else entirely, or perhaps a blend of several options?

  People attending the Army Corps of Engineers and Cambria Community Services District’s public scoping meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 15, can expect more questions than answers about plans for a new, additional source of water for the town.

• Water needs, skate park on CCSD agenda

  Water needs, skate park on CCSD agenda

  F rom skateboard-park safety rules to mid-year budgets, and “quality of life” baseline water increases to goals for 2012, services district directors in Cambria have a diverse range of topics to consider at a meeting starting at 12:30 p.m. today, March 22, at the Veterans Memorial Building, 1000 Main St.

  The Cambria Community Services District board in 2004 added a 50 percent “quality of life” contingency to its Water Master Plan to help determine how much more water the community might need from a supplemental source of water, such as a desalination plant.

  The contingency increased the maximum average residential water use per two-month period to 18 units from 12. A unit is 748 gallons.

• Public Meetings

  Public Meetings

  Unless indicated, all meetings are open to the public. Some are available for later viewing on Charter Cable channel 21. Check www.slo-span.org

  Thursday, March 15

  Public scoping meeting. 7 to 9 p.m. Veterans Memorial Building. 1000 Main St. Agenda includes: The Army Corps of Engineers and Cambria Community Services District will be preparing an Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report on a project to provide a reliable water supply for