Let the bouquets flow in Los Osos; town’s sewer is finally on line

We know it was draining, but at long last, the Los Osos sewer has its first hookup — with more expected to soon follow.

There are some details to flush out, but it’s reasonably certain the first home to go on line belongs to Robert Shipe, a Highland Drive resident who hooked up to the sewer system Monday morning. There were no fireworks, though Shipe did mark the occasion with a ceremonial toilet flushing.

The milestone was decades in the making. Consider this: Shipe can remember hearing about the issue when he was 7. That was 40 years and several false starts ago.

We don’t want to be too long-winded in acknowledging all who had a hand in the sewer, for fear of being ushered off the stage (or in this case, the page) like some over-zealous Academy Award winner. But we do offer showers of sweet-smelling bouquets to San Luis Obispo County staff, who took over the project under the leadership of project manager John Waddell; to the many elected officials who helped along the way; to the contractors who got the job done; and last but not least, to the citizens of Los Osos, who made the project possible by voting overwhelmingly to assess themselves to pay for the sewer.

Finally, your patience and persistence is paying off. Congratulations.

This story was originally published March 30, 2016 at 1:05 AM with the headline "Let the bouquets flow in Los Osos; town’s sewer is finally on line."