The city council reviewed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
Tuesday night that may bring Hollister, the county, and the San
Benito County Water District one step closer to what council
members are calling a
”
historic
”
agreement on sharing groundwater control.
Hollister – The city council reviewed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Tuesday night that may bring Hollister, the county, and the San Benito County Water District one step closer to what council members are calling a “historic” agreement on sharing groundwater control.
The MOU outlines the Hollister Urban Area Water and Wastewater Master Plan. This includes bringing the city’s drinking water up to primary standards by making it smell and taste better, and requiring the city to meet 100 percent of the water demand during wet, above normal, normal, and dry years. But most importantly, according to Mayor Tony Bruscia, the MOU lets the SBCWD take over management of Hollister’s wells while maintaining the city’s ownership of them.
The idea behind the split responsibility is “Getting it to where (the SBCWD) has management, not control” of the city’s wells, said City Manager Clint Quilter at Tuesday’s meeting. If at any time the city decides it doesn’t like how the water district is managing the wells, it can take them back, he said.
SBCWD director John Gregg could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
The MOU, which the council will be voting to accept or reject on Dec. 6, was put together as collaboration between the city council, the county, and the SBCWD, according to councilwoman Pauline Valdivia.
“I think this is huge. When we’ve got this sewer moratorium, the human reaction is to put a Band-aid on it and say ‘Let’s just build a new plant.’ But this is a huge step towards doing what we need to do to make this better in the long term,” Bruscia said.
The Sunnyslope Water District was not involved in drafting the MOU, Bruscia said, but the memorandum does allow for it to be added on in the future.
Even without the Sunnyslope Water District’s involvement, Valdivia said the cooperation between the three participating groups was a big step forward.
“I think this is historical, and it’s really exciting. The main thing is that we’ve got the three entities working together, and everyone agrees,” Valdivia said.
Jessica Quandt covers politics for the Free Lance. Reach her at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or at jq*****@fr***********.com.
