Coastside water summit is a—umm—watershed event

A summit of all the agencies responsible for water on the Coastside—in partnership with a host of other utilities, conservation organizations, and government agencies—will be held next Thursday in Half Moon Bay from 9am to 4pm.

The goal of the meeting is to balance the uses of the Pilarcitos Creek watershed. Coastside water use and quality is the responsibility of a bunch of agencies (Montara Water & Sanitary District, SF PUC, Coastside County Water District, and Sewer Authority Midcoastside—itself a joint effort of MWSD, Granada Sanitary District, and the city of Half Moon Bay) and the process of managing our water for home, agricultural, and the environmental use is complicated to say the least.

The people responsible for this complex system of water and waste will meet for a program that includes experts on water recycling, the current poor condition of Pilarcitos Creek, and how the creek can be restored. There will be an hour for Q&A, moderated by San Mateo County supervisor Rich Gordon.

The summit is produced by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, Coastside County Water District, and Sewer Authority Mid-Coastside.  Partners, in addition to the producing agencies, include:

• California Department of Fish & Game
• City of Half Moon Bay
• Gulf of Farallones National Marine Sanctuary
• Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
• NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service
• San Mateo County Resource Conservation District
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Committee for Green Foothills
• Peninsula Open Space Trust
• Pilarcitos Creek Advisory Committee
• Planning & Conservation League Foundation
• San Mateo County Farm Bureau
• Save Our Shores
• Surfrider Foundation San Mateo County
• Sustainable Conservation

This is a very important meeting—a watershed meeting in all senses of the word. I apologize for not getting this story online sooner, but I expected the Half Moon Bay Review to be all over it. The announcement flyer went out last Thursday and the press release on Tuesday morning.  There was nothing in yesterday’s paper, although the Review did run an announcement in February before the date had been chosen. It’s an all-day meeting, and most members of the public are going to need at least a week’s notice to get away from their jobs for this important meeting.

The meeting will be Thursday, April 28 from 9am to 4pm at I.D.E.S. Hall, 735 Main Street, in Half Moon Bay. Admission is free. And if you pre-register at 650.712.7765 you can reserve at free lunch. You can download the flyer and the agenda for the meeting from Coastsider.

Tell your friends.