September 20, 2007

Mr. Harry Ovitt
County Board of Supervisors
Room 370
County Government Center
San Luis Obispo, CA 93408-2040


Dear Harry:

Thank you for your time the other day on the phone. I appreciate your service to our community. That is why I feel compelled to write this letter to you to formally document my concerns and to try to obtain some assurances from you and/or your representatives regarding the discrepancies I noted in the water allocations being projected for the Nacimiento Pipe Line Project.

I downloaded the current Nacimiento Area Plan, last updated on January 1, 2003 to verify the current projections of water allocated to the Lake Nacimiento area. Beginning with page 3-1 B. UTILITY SERVICES, Water Supply the allocated acre feet of water reserved for use in the Lake Nacimiento area is presently 2,365 acre feet.

If I subtract this from the total allocation controlled by San Luis Obispo County, which is 17,500 acre feet, that leaves 15,135 acre feet available for the Nacimiento Pipe Line Project. Yet, the various reports I have downloaded regarding the Nacimiento Pipe Line Project show a range of between 15,750 and 16,200 acre feet to be potentially transferred out of the Lake Nacimiento area to various communities all over San Luis Obispo County.

This calculates to a minimum combined shortage around the Lake Nacimiento area of 615 acre feet or approximately 1,845 total homes. Since both Heritage Ranch and Oak Shores are presently allocated 1,100 acre feet each and the remaining 165 acre feet is reserved for subsequent contracts with various boat clubs and other uses around Lake Nacimiento, who is it that is anticipated will be shorted?

I am concerned in regards to budgeting numbers for the Nacimiento Pipe Line Project and our own Community Services District who has faithfully been depending on the 2,900 build-out at Heritage Ranch to project out their on-going expenses and upgrades. I am also concerned that existing water rights, held by developers at Heritage Ranch could be sold off to other areas in San Luis Obispo County which might appear more attractive for build-out. I am also concerned that the communities around the Lake Nacimiento area, including projects planned for Heritage Ranch will loose the opportunity to negotiate for a portion of the 2,365 acre feet that might not be needed elsewhere in our own area.

I am not saying that Heritage Ranch is opposed to less growth overall around Lake Nacimiento, and I do not know the other areas issues or plans, but I would like some assurances that there is not a plan to back into these numbers by a revision to the Nacimiento Area Plan, because of financial commitments to fund the Nacimiento Pipe Line Project that no one realizes will affect growth and planning in the Lake Nacimiento area.

At the very least, I would like to see that 15,135 acre feet is used for the Nacimiento Pipe Line Project, until the Nacimiento Area Plan is updated in public forum to reduce the allocation presently committed in the Lake Nacimiento area.

Sincerely,


Linda Richey
General Manager

copy: Victor Holanda, AICP, Director, Department of Planning and Building
John D’Ornellas, HRCSD General Manager
Dave Watson, c/o King Ventuers
Bob Schiebelhut, c/o HR Holdings
David Weyrich, c/o Weyrich Development
Scott Baker, HROA Legal Counsel
HROA Board of Directors