Campo water resolution will go to BOS
By Nancy Slaff and Christy Scott
The Alpine Sun
CAMPO — The Campo/ Lake Morena Community Planning Group will meet with District 2 Supervisor Dianne Jacob, of San Diego County Board of Supervisors, on Oct. 7 to discuss the board’s recently adopted water resolution, as a prelude to a presentation to the supervisors.
During a board of supervisors’ meeting in early 2004, which was scheduled for the purpose of identifying East County and Back Country issues for the GP 2020 plan update, a comprehensive water study for Pine Valley was approved, When Jacob moved that the study should include the general Back Country area, a staff member headed off further discussion by promising that a water study would be done as a part of the EIR for the county’s general plan update.
A grant application for $250,000 was later submitted by the county to help finance a water study in the Campo Valley. At the April 25 planning group meeting, member Larry Johnson updated the group about the application.
The application received only 76 points of a possible 100, but only applications with a grade of 86 and above will be considered. Members of the planning group and county representatives said they would work further on the project to improve the grade in order to help fund the proposed water study.
Also during the April 25 meeting, there was continued discussion regarding the possibility of a “building moratorium,” which would stop development until which time the water study was performed. Following that meeting, a water resolution was prepared by the planning group.
The resolution was approved by the planning group at the July 11 meeting.
The group voted to ask that, “a formal request be made to the board of supervisors to approve a contract for a comprehensive groundwater study for our basins and delay approval of any projects in our planning area of five or more home sites or equivalent water usage functions, until such time as an acceptable study is completed, analyzed and implemented.”
The resolution addresses issues of groundwater and development in the area.
“The Campo/Lake Morena Planning Group area is totally groundwater dependent,” reads the resolution. “The sudden and significant increase of large projects, both proposed and and underway, such as Campo Hills Development (222 homes), proposed Star Ranch (480 homes), proposed A Children’s Village (equivalent to 74 homes), proposed RCP-Circle F Sand Mining (equivalent to 131 homes), proposed Harvest Glen (38 homes), proposed Vaughn Subdivision (13 homes), proposed Legacy Ranch (9 homes) plus other projects on the drawing board represent more than 967 homes or equivalent homes consuming groundwater at an estimated 300 cubic meters of water per year per household.”
The resolution also addresses the county’s promise to do a meaningful water study for the Back Country as part of the environmental impact report for GP 2020, which has not yet been performed.
Many planning group members and residents wondered why the group is even going to meet with Jacob with some want to proceed with the board of supervisors presentation, since this was a board issue, rather than a supervisor issue.
“Why are we even going to Jacob?” said resident Mike Thometz, “There’s no need, we don’t need her approval.”
According to planning group chair Bev Esry, the meeting is not to seek approval from Jacob, but rather to get her input and support for the effort.
Due to discussion surrounding the displeasure of various planning group members regarding the waiting period, Esry said she would call Jacob to move the date back, eliminating the wait, however Jacob could not reschedule.
After the Oct. 7 meeting with Jacob, members will come back to the planning group to schedule a board of supervisors presentation, which would likely take place sometime on November.
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Christy Scott
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