Paso water basin debate sounds a lot like painful struggle over Los Osos sewer

The heated arguments over how to manage the Paso Robles groundwater basin sound familiar — and very much like those heard in Los Osos for many years.

I hope history won’t repeat itself. We should have learned from the Los Osos experience that the cost of dysfunction and discord is high.

Recently, a friend sent me audio clips from a North County radio talk show. It was disheartening to hear some familiar themes from angry callers.

North County residents need a meaningful discussion about the future of their water supply. Instead they got an earful of denial, ill-informed speculation, wishful thinking, baseless conspiracy theories, personal insults and inadequate leadership.

As I listened and then reflected on other comments I’ve heard recently, the similarities to the torturous story of the Los Osos sewer project became clear.

The situation in the Paso Robles basin is much like the one Los Osos faced.

There’s an environmental disaster underway. The groundwater in Los Osos was polluted and being over pumped, just as the Paso Robles basin now faces plummeting well levels and declining water quality. In both cases, state agencies have authority to exert control and levy penalties if the problem is not fixed. The fixes will cost money, and residents are expected to bear that cost.

The history of Los Osos has too much of the same kind of angry dialogue that I heard on the radio. Consider the consequences of the denial and confrontation over the sewer: Loss of major federal funding, a public agency bankrupted, three decades of continued pollution, degraded standards of acceptable public behavior and, worse yet, serious damage to the sense of “community.”

The potential consequences for the Paso Robles basin are just as dire. If this public conversation travels the same path, we could face more than the loss of a crucial water resource. North County residents face serious losses to their property values, as well as their once-strong sense of community. The damage to the San Luis Obispo County economy could be devastating.

These sorts of contentious issues aren’t new; they are a recurring feature of society dealing with our common needs and competing interests. In trying to understand the deeper causes of the controversy, I’ve found a useful framework.

Psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross wrote perceptively on human reactions to loss and grief. Her insights apply here, as we’re facing the loss of a water basin that has meant so much to so many.

Her stages of grief are familiar: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. I’ve found expression of all of these in both Los Osos and the Paso basin.

Denial is often expressed first: “There can’t be a problem; somebody got it wrong.”

Some will also fixate on one benign fact (one well that isn’t polluted or hasn’t dropped). It’s easier to deny the dying forest if one concentrates on a single green tree.

Anger is common and often rationalized by conspiracy theories: “We’re being deceived about the problem by those who will profit from our gullibility!” It’s also spawned by the thought of being forced to act and pay for the solution.

Bargaining is more subtle and challenging to counter: “OK, I want a solution, but not this one. There’s one that costs half as much.” The illusory “cheaper solution” cost huge amounts of time, effort and money in Los Osos, and it’s now being promoted by some in the Paso basin.

Depression is less obvious: Those who despair that no solution exists are often disengaged. Their apathy, however, magnifies the influence of the zealots and impedes action at a time when it’s needed most.

Acceptance is the state where we, as a community, need to go: We need to face the hard reality of a declining basin and develop constructive approaches, based on mutual trust and good-faith discussion. We all need to embrace true sustainability — from a moral basis and for our economic future.

Kübler-Ross made an important point about acceptance and responsibility: “I believe that we are solely responsible for our choices, and we have to accept the consequences of every deed, word and thought throughout our lifetime.”

Accepting responsibility for a tough situation isn’t easy, given the natural human reactions to threats and potential loss. A deeper sense of community can help everyone engage in constructive dialogue and take action to solve the Paso Robles basin problem without repeating the mistakes of the sewer project.

In the end, those who benefit from this remarkable resource hold the responsibility for a solution and will have to live with the outcomes — good or bad.

This story was originally published February 6, 2016 at 10:59 AM with the headline "Paso water basin debate sounds a lot like painful struggle over Los Osos sewer."