Dear Cambrians,

After more than a decade of studies, environmental review, engineering refinement, regulatory coordination, and sustained commitment, the California Coastal Commission approved the Coastal Development Permit for the Water Reclamation Facility (WRF) on September 9, 2026. The WRF had previously been authorized to operate on an emergency basis under the Emergency Coastal Development Permit (ZON2013-00589), issued on May 15, 2014.

This is a significant accomplishment for the District and, most importantly, for the staff who have spent the past several years working to move this project forward. When our current team took on this challenge just over three years ago, we inherited one of the most complicated and consequential public works issues in the District’s history. There was no simple roadmap forward. The project required us to work through years of history, address difficult technical and environmental questions, navigate an extensive regulatory process, and establish a clear and responsible path forward.

Over the last three years, District staff worked extensively with the County, California Coastal Commission, other regulatory agencies, consultants, and legal and technical professionals to address the many issues surrounding the project. Staff reviewed thousands of pages of documents, coordinated technical studies and regulatory requirements, responded to questions and comments, attended countless meetings, worked through revisions, and continually addressed new issues as they arose.  That work culminated today with the California Coastal Commission's action on the WRF Coastal Development Permit. For a small community and a small public agency, the significance of reaching this point is difficult to overstate.

I am incredibly proud of our staff. A relatively small team took on a project of enormous complexity and remained committed to finding a way forward. They put in countless hours, worked through difficult issues, and continued moving the project ahead even when the path forward was anything but straightforward. I am also grateful to the Board of Directors for its leadership and continued support, and to the consultants and professional partners who provided the specialized expertise necessary to move this project through its technical and regulatory requirements. The District also appreciates those in the Cambria community who participated in the process by attending meetings, reviewing project information, submitting comments, and asking questions. That input was part of the extensive review the project underwent over the past several years.

This does not mean the work is finished. There are still important steps ahead as the District moves into implementation and fulfills the commitments associated with the permit. But it is an important milestone, and one that deserves to be recognized.

To our staff, Board, consultants, regulatory partners, community organizations, and every resident who participated in this process: thank you. This was not easy. Accomplishments of this magnitude rarely are. But Cambria stayed with it, and today we reached the finish line on one of the most difficult chapters of this project.

Now we begin the next chapter.

Sincerely,

Matthew McElhenie
General Manager