Can developers in Marina keep building under state water restrictions?

The continuing drought and the State Water Board’s emergency water conservation regulations have many questioning the continued home building on the Central Coast. Bob from Marina asks, “Dear Jon, with all the water restrictions going in everywhere and some people not getting enough water. How can the City of Marina allow East Garrison and The Dunes to build homes?

You’d think with these water issues that development should shut down. But developers currently under construction tell me that their building permits have been approved way before drought restriction came into place.

News Channel 5 spoke with Dave Stoldt, General Manager for the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District about this issue. He tells me that EDEKOMOSast Garrison and The Dunes subdivisions being supplied by the Marina Coast Water District. These developers received there permits before any restrictions came down. And as for the restrictions, Stoldt says these are a 270 day order only. The reason for this time frame is to adjust as conditions change.

So Marina and all communities in the state are going to have to focus on current water use at residences and businesses.

Stoldt says current permitted development shouldn’t be affected, “So any project that’s in process should be able to continue to be built under the assumption that it’s not going to be fully inhabited and using water during that 270 period.”

“But it’s certainly something that the communities are going to have to pay attention to.” Stoldt continues, “The state has no intention to staunch the economy, through this, so the focus is on getting rid of non-essential water use.”

Stodlt believes some exception is going to have to be made for new growth in a community. He says you can’t compare a future water year to a previous water year. So they’ll have to watch conditions and adjust accordingly. So for now, these emergency water regulations shouldn’t affect any projects that are currently under construction.

You can contact me with your question. Email: DearJon@KIONRightNow .com. And also on social media: Facebook – Jon Brent KION CW