Public gets say on septic rules

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• Blakeslee bill proposes more scrutiny for water rules

  Blakeslee bill proposes more scrutiny for water rules

  A bill is beginning to work its way through the state Legislature to require that new water quality rules be peer reviewed to determine their effectiveness.

• Blakeslee pushes 3 bills to reform water quality rules

  Blakeslee pushes 3 bills to reform water quality rules

  Prompted by public complaints, state Sen. Sam Blakeslee, R-San Luis Obispo, is sponsoring three bills that would reform the way the state adopts its water quality protection rules.

  At a town hall-style meeting last week hosted by Blakeslee, local public officials and business leaders said the process the state uses to develop rules protecting water quality lacks accountability and needs to be more science-based and collaborative.

  “We all want to improve water quality,” Blakeslee said. “I don’t think we are doing it as intelligently and as quickly as possible.”

• At SLO hearing, water board and farmers seek pollution solutions

  At SLO hearing, water board and farmers seek pollution solutions

  State water officials Wednesday faced off against farmers and area elected officials over how best to reduce one of the nation’s worst water pollution problems — runoff from irrigated farmland.

  The Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board held a daylong hearing in San Luis Obispo to decide whether to adopt sweeping new rules intended to curb nitrate and pesticide pollution. The meeting was expected to go well into the evening and could be continued to today for a decision, Chairman Jeffrey Young said.

  U.S. Rep. Sam Farr, D-Carmel, state Sen. Sam Blakeslee, R-San Luis Obispo, and other local members of the state Legislature urged the water board to work with farmers to come up with more collaborative and less regulatory solutions to reduce pollution.

• New rules aim to reduce ag pollution

  New rules aim to reduce ag pollution

  State water officials Wednesday are expected to adopt new rules intended to reduce polluted runoff from irrigated farmland.

  The controversial new rules have been 31⁄2 years in the making and have been the subject of multiple public hearings at the state’s Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board.

  “This is the most challenging and important work the water board has ever done,” the staff report for the meeting concluded. “The impacts from agricultural discharges are severe, and we cannot let the problem get worse.”

• San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors to consider truancy ordinance

  San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors to consider truancy ordinance

  Minors in San Luis Obispo County’s unincorporated areas who are skipping school would find it tougher to stay out on the street if an ordinance being considered by the Board of Supervisors comes to pass.

  The board is being asked to hold a public hearing Jan. 17 on the proposed truancy ordinance. It is being introduced at Tuesday’s supervisors’ meeting, but only for purposes of setting a date for the hearing next month.

  Should it be approved, it would affect only unincorporated parts of San Luis Obispo County, which are those areas outside city limits.