Locals can care for Paso Robles groundwater basin better than county, state

Mr. Cody Ferguson’s opposition letter against Measure A (Jan. 24) mistakenly assumes the existing county structure can manage the Paso Robles groundwater basin. The county has repeatedly stated that the costs to manage the basin are virtually the same for the county or the local water district.

See the proposed budget at www.pasobasin.org.

We in the basin can choose who should control these funds: the water district, the county … or the state, which will charge more. Regardless of who manages us, we get another layer of government. The new state law gives that agency the power to regulate pumping and set fees. If it’s the county, the supervisors make all the decisions. Supervisors Bruce Gibson, Adam Hill and Lynn Compton must think of their constituents first, though their decisions will certainly impact us. But how much will it impact them?

All the candidates for the water district own land and live in the proposed district. They have skin in the game.

The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act allows the state to intervene and impose fees without our consent. Voting “no” does not get you out of being taxed or having a new agency in place. I think my fellow citizens on the water district board can do a much better job than the county or state.

This story was originally published February 15, 2016 at 3:37 PM with the headline "Locals can care for Paso Robles groundwater basin better than county, state."