Sustainable Sewer for Los Osos, CA?

San Luis County Surfrider chapter and SLO Green Build are co-sponsoring 2 public presentations and workshops in an effort to present environmentally and economically friendly ways to solve the small coastal town's sewer problems.

Currently everyone in the town, just south of Morro Bay, are on septic systems and no further growth is allowed since they have saturated the ability of the local ground to process the sewage. There are many members of the community that are fine with less growth, but also many who feel it would be good for the town, or those who stand to make a lot of money from development. So far, a waste treatment facility has been planned smack in the center of town, in a beautiful plot overlooking the ocean. The community has been outraged at the proposal, and a few million dollars in taxpayer dollars has been wasted in order to advance the agenda of a few. Los Osos, however, has the perfect opportunity to be a model community for sustainability. Instead of each citizen having to pay $30,000 or more to be hooked up to the new downtown sewage treatment plant in addition to the costs to the county for construction, each home could be retrofitted with composting toilets and greywater reclamation systems for less than that and in the process saving water and significant amounts of money in the long run, all while being better to the environment. Sounds like a simple decision, right? Not when there's money to be had by local developers with their pocketbooks open for local officials. Well, it's either that, or the planning board of Los Osos is seated with stubborn, backwards-thinking codgers with no vision or reasonable thought processes. Hopefully these presentations will educate and drum up enough public support for a well-planned, sustainable water and sewer plan for this unique and beautiful coastal town.

“Sustainability...the Final Frontier!”

Can Appropriate Water Technology Help

Los Osos and other cities in our County...?

Keynote Speaker: Jonathan Todd, of Todd Ecological Design Inc. (www.toddecological.com) an award-winning water and natural resources planning firm, will be visiting San Luis Obispo County on February 6th and 7th to address appropriate technology in San Luis county including the Los Osos sewer project. Todd Ecological specializes in the development of ecological technologies for food production, waste purification and conversion, environmental restoration and systems integration ofr architecture and eco-industrial parks throughout the world. The focus is to provide clients with cost-effective aesthetic solutions to wastewater, storm water, aquatic environment management, and bio-solids conversion.

Two Public Presentations &

Sustainability Socials

(Pizza, Beer, Wine, Sweets, Raffle, & Music!)

February 6th, Weds; 6 – 9 pm

SLO Botanical Garden ($20 suggested donation)

New education & convention facility. (www.slobg.org)

(El Chorro Regional Park, across Hwy 1 from Cuesta College)

(Between Morro Bay & SLO)

February 7th, Thurs; 6 – 10 pm:

LOS OSOS @ South Bay Community Center

($5 suggested donation)

(2180 Palisades Ave, behind Skate Park)

Available at both events: Music by THE CUESTA JAZZ ENSEMBLE

By Donation (All Funds raised will assist sustainability efforts within SLO County)

• Food by American Flatbread Pizza,

• Beer tasting by Cayucos Brewing Company,

• Wine tasting, and

• Slo Chai and SweetEarth Chocolates

Examples of appropriate technology to maintain a healthy water cycle:

1. Low Impact development strategies

2. Ultra low flow toilets or high efficiency 1.28 Gpf

3. Rainwater harvesting

4. Dual Flush Toilets .9 / 1.6 Gpf

5. Grey water reuse systems

6. Energy Star Appliances (Clothes washer and dishwasher)

7. Composting toilets

For more details about this event, please see the press release

For downloadable flyer please click HERE.

Los Osos Blog: SewerWatch