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Concerned
North County residents are asking the Board of Supervisors to maintain
the current development moratorium in North Monterey County, where
serious groundwater overdraft is occurring. If youíd like
to help, please print out the petition, get as many signatures as
you can, and then return it as indicated on the petition form. A
public hearing will be held before the Board of Supervisors on January
22, 2002. Mark your calendar if you can attend.
Petition
Information and Instructions
From: Carolyn Anderson, Co-Chair
North County Citizens Oversight Coalition
About
a year and a half ago, residents of North Monterey County pressed
for and won a suspension of new subdivision applications for 18
months. We sought this action because of continued water quality
and quantity problems in North County. These include saltwater intrusion,
nitrate contamination and wells running dry. As a matter of fact,
at current usage, with no new development, North County exceeds
a 200% annual overdraft of our aquifers. Despite objections of developers,
even with no new subdivision approvals, development can continue
because more than 2700 lots of record exist in North County.
The
Board of Supervisors was unwilling to consider a longer suspension
than 18 months. The majority of the board argued that the county's
new General Plan would be completed within that timeframe and that
the General Plan would guide development on a more permanent basis.
During
the period of debate, and before the moratorium was put in place,
new subdivision applications in North County escalated. These applications
which made it "under the wire" have been allowed to continue
in the approval process. The 18-month moratorium draws to a close
on February 9, 2002, and the first draft of the General Plan is
just out, with public hearings on the GPU not even scheduled to
begin until March.
With
the General Plan nowhere near completion and the water moratorium
about to expire, residents in North County are deeply concerned
about the approaching gap in protection against rampant development
here. Unabated development in North County would continue to erode
our already imperiled water supply. The human implications are obvious.
However, because most of North County lies within the Elkhorn Slough
Watershed, the environmental consequences would be severe as well.
The
Citizens Oversight Coalition in North County is planning to ask
for an extension in the moratorium until the completion and implementation
of the General Plan. On January 22¸2002 we're going to present
a signed petition to the Board of Supervisors. We want to send a
strong message to the Board of Supervisors that North County wants
responsible growth, growth that allows us to live within the carrying
capacity of our land. But the decision won't be made by Supervisors
from our district alone. Supervisors in other districts need to
understand that their constituents expect the same thing -- for
themselves as well as for others. In short, we need all the help
we can get. Thanks for circulating this petition, and getting signed
copies back to me prior to January 22nd.
As
with all petitions, be polite and not pushy. I will be happy to
respond to any questions. My phone number is: 831-728-3740.
Petition
Form PDF file
Petition
Instruction PDF file
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