Cori Ryan manages the District's water permitting process.

No water permits have been issued by the CCSD since a water moratorium was instituted by the CCSD Board of Directors in November 2001. Review the following for more details including Frequently Asked Questions and Glossary of Terms.

New Hookups
No new commitments for residential or commercial water hookups are currently being issued by the CCSD. Due to chronic water shortages, the CCSD Board implemented a water moratorium in November 2001 until a supplemental water source for fire protection and additional development could be implemented. A Water Master Plan (click here) has been completed recommending the most feasible short and long-term water supply options for Cambria. At that time, the CCSD Board will review the findings and determine how to
proceed on new water hookups.

Waiting List
There are currently 666 positions on the CCSD residential water wait list. The waiting list for new water and sewer hookups was established in 1986. The list was closed to new applications on December 31, 1990 in cooperation with the County's 1990 Growth Management Ordinance, which limited all new countywide growth to 2.3% annually. Due to concerns about Cambria's water availability, the County reduced Cambria's growth limit to 1% in 2000. All positions on the wait list are on hold until the Water Master Plan is completed and viable water sources are implemented.

Intent To Serve Letters
An Intent to Serve Letter is part of the water hookup process. It states that the District will provide water and sewer service to a residential or commercial building project if there is sufficient water, if fees are paid on time, and if all steps are completed satisfactorily. Under the current water moratorium, no Intent to Serve Letters are being issued by the District. However, Intent to Serve Letters issued prior to the moratorium will be honored by the District.

 Retrofit-To-Build
Approximately 20 years ago the CCSD implemented a retrofit program to replace plumbing fixtures in existing residences and businesses with water-conserving fixtures such as showerheads and toilets. Currently, all new construction is required to meet both the State of California and CCSD standards. The retrofit requirement is based upon a combination of the square footage of the lot being built upon and the number of bathrooms being built. For more information, click on Retrofit Points Equivalency Table.

Remodels
Remodel projects are allowed under the water moratorium if they do not require any additional EDU allocation. Click on Remodel Regulations to determine if your project requires processing by the CCSD and is subject to water fixture fees. To download an application, click on Remodel Application. For more information, call Cori Ryan at 927-6225.

Grandfather Meters and Active Service Transfers
These two types of water meters do not require that you wait for an "Intent to Serve" letter from the Waiting List and are therefore not subject to the water moratorium. However, there are still a number of fees and requirements associated with these meters. for more details, click on Building a New House with a Grandfathered or Active Service Meter.

Frequently Asked Questions
If you're thinking of purchasing property in Cambria, please carefully review the following information:

What's the water situation in Cambria?

• Cambria’s entire water supply comes from wells located on two creeks, San Simeon Creek to the North of town, and Santa Rosa Creek, which runs through Cambria.
• The District owns three wells on San Simeon Creek from which the majority of the town’s water is drawn. It also owns three wells in the Santa Rosa Creek basin: two permanent wells that are currently unused due to threat of MtBE contamination, and one temporary well leased from the High School.
• Since rainfall in Cambria is strictly seasonal, and no rain generally falls from May through October, water storage is a critical issue.
• The District is permitted by the State to withdraw a specific amount of water from the creeks. This is contingent upon maintaining wetland habitats in the creek for certain endangered species.
  
  

  Santa Rosa Creek is one of two creeks that supply all of Cambria's drinking water.

  Why is there a water moratorium?
  
   
• In November 2001, the CCSD Board called a halt to the issuance of any new water commitments (Intent to Serve Letters). It was determined that increasing the number of hookups would jeopardize the District’s ability to provide fire protection in the event of a major wildland fire and still provide water to residential and commercial customers.
• The moratorium will remain in effect until the District has a new or additional source of water to accommodate added hookups.
  
  What is the Water Master Plan?
  
  
• The CCSD is currently developing a master plan to determine Cambria’s water needs for the future. This will include the eventual “buildout” size of the community and the corresponding water, sewer, and fire protection needs of that size community.Only upon completion of this plan, and selection of a water project(s) to meet those needs, will the District consider lifting the current moratorium.
• On July 24, 2003, the CCSD Board unanimously voted to confirm the use of desalination as a long-term water supply project with the capacity of serving a maximum of 4,650 water connections. This number includes the current District water users plus those on the water wait list.Click on Water Master Plan for more information.
  
  Why is there a waiting list for permits?
  
  
• Because of a long-standing water shortage and because the County has imposed a “growth management” ordinance that limits annual issuance of building permits.
• The CCSD will not issue water commitments beyond those for which the County will process building permits.This ensures there is not a backlog of customers unable to build.The “county” wait list is NOT for water and does not constitute a water commitment by the water District.
• If a real estate agent tells you a property has a “waiting list position,” be sure to confirm that it is a CCSD WATER list position, and not a County BUILDING PERMIT waiting list position.Call the CCSD office for confirmation of water list positions. You must have the Assessor’s Parcel Number (APN) to access waiting list positions.
  
  What does a waiting list position mean?
  
  
• It entitles you to a new hookup for water and sewer service when your position number is eligible for issuance, and upon your completion of all Intent to Serve letter requirements. 
• Until the moratorium is lifted, no Intent to Serve Letters will be issued.
  
  When can my project get water service?
  
   
• The length of the moratorium is indefinite, and shall remain in effect “until such time as a dependable water supply is available. ”Four to five years is a rough estimate for now.
• At this time it is unknown how many projects will receive water service “go-aheads” annually once the moratorium is lifted. For the 10 years prior to the moratorium, between 27 and 65 single-family projects received water service per year, depending upon whether San Luis County allowed a growth rate of 1% or 2.3% respectively.
• For a rough idea of how many years you may have to wait, divide your position number by 27 (for 1%) or 65 (2.3%) and add the length of the moratorium.
• The County of San Luis Obispo sets the countywide growth limit annually through limitations on issuance of building permits.
• The County will not process a building permit for any project that does not have water. Although it appears that the County will continue to annually set aside a number of building permit allocations for Cambria (they set aside 1% for each yer from 2002 to 2004), that does not mean the entire number of building permit allocations will automatically be issued Intent to Serve letters when the moratorium is lifted.Only the CCSD Board of Directors can set the annual number of Intent letters for water service.
  
  Why would someone not accept his or her Intent to Serve letter?
  
  Accepting an Intent to Serve letter means the applicant must meet a number of requirements with considerable financial commitments and time deadlines.
• ·If the owner is not prepared to actively pursue a building permit, hire an architect and builder, acquire financing, and pay substantial fees, they should not be accepting an Intent to Serve.
• ·Failure to meet the requirements can result in a project being returned to the waiting list and forfeiture of certain fees.
  A project may "defer" one time without penalty. Subsequent deferrals sends the project to the end of the list.
  
  What about properties with no water position?
  
  
• ·If a property has no water position, it is questionable whether a water permit could be obtained in the future.
• ·Currently, the only option is to “transfer” water from another parcel that already has a position. The conditions under which a transfer is allowed include: matching ownership on the sender and receiver parcels in the transfer, and “retirement” of either the sender parcel or an approved alternate parcel.Transfers are limited to parcels with single-family residential water meters that meet certain size and location requirements.
• ·If your property is smaller than 3,500 square feet (many “single” lots are only 1,750 sq. ft.) or is located in an area designated by San Luis Obispo County as “Special Projects Area #1” (roughly Fern Canyon area to Romney Drive on Lodge Hill), you cannot transfer water there.
  
  

  For water permit information, call Cori Ryan at (805) 927-6225.

  Glossary of Terms
  The following terms will help you understand the CCSD water permitting process:
  
  Assignment
  The process by which a change of ownership is accomplished for either a waiting list position, an intent to serve letter, or a connection permit.
  Billing Period
  Runs from meter read to meter read, every two months. Meters are read on the last three days of each even-numbered month, i.e. February, April, June, etc.
  Equivalent Dwelling Unit (EDU)
  The volume of water allocated for each class of water customer. One EDU is equal to the average monthly water use by a single-family dwelling during the summer season (May 1 to Oct. 31). All water and sewer connection fees are based on the EDU allocation for the class of project proposed. This is currently estimated at 12 units per billing period. There are 748 gallons or 100 cubic feet of water in one unit.
  Intent to Serve
  A letter stating the District will provide water and sewer services to a particular project upon satisfactory completion of a number of steps, timely payment of fees and availability of water.
  Grandfather
  A water meter connection fee that was paid or a water meter that was physically installed prior to 2/28/86, but is NOT currently in use; and pays minimum bi-monthly service fees to maintain that status.
  Multi-family
  A residential project built to house two or more families in either attached or detached units on a single parcel of property. Each unit must have its own water meter.
  Position (relating to Transfers).
  A waiting list position (single-family, multi-family, commercial or affordable housing list), or a valid Intent to Serve letter, Connection Permit or active service meter.
  Potable
  Level of water quality which is safe for human consumption.
  Retired Parcel
  A parcel from which a waiting list position or water meter has been transferred to another location. The retired parcel is permanently restricted from residential development unless it is legally merged with an adjacent parcel.
  Retrofit
  The act of removing water wasting fixtures and replacing them with water efficient fixtures. Approximately 20 years ago the CCSD implemented a retrofit program to replace plumbing fixtures in existing residences and businesses with water-conserving fixtures such as showerheads and toilets upon change of use or ownership. All new construction is required to meet the State of California and CCSD standards of retrofit. T All new construction must offset its proposed waer needs through retrofit of existing services. The retrofit requirement is based upon a combination of the square footage of the lot being built upon and the number of bathrooms being built.
  Retrofit In-Lieu Fee
  A fee paid directly to the District instead of replacing plumbing fixtures in existing structures. This funds large-scale water conservation projects.
  Single-Family
  A residential project designed to house one family.
  Transfer
  The process by which a water position is moved from one location to another.
  Waiting List Position
  The CCSD maintains a list of water applicants, prioritized by date, who are waiting for the opportunity to build a project. Each waiting list position is preserved by payment of an Annual Wait List Fee, which is billed in July of each year.
  Water Unit
  748 gallons or 100 cubic feet of water