State leaders hold drought listening session in Salinas
The Governor’s Drought Task Force was inSalinas Thursday totalk with local leaders about the state’s dire drought situation.
The meeting was a discussion about the different ways cities are saving water on the Central Coast. It was a way for state leaders to see what’s working or what could be done better. But state leaders said Monterey County is way ahead of the curve when it comes to conservation.
“This whole region really gets it and have done a tremendous job in not only meeting but surpassing the governor’s mandate and long before it was a mandate. So it’s really trying to get that message, trying to get that conservation that everybody is responsible,” said Nancy Ward with the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.
Local leaders raised several concerns like river maintenance, drought impacts to local wildlife and the future of the farming industry.
“A lot of my people who live in the city of Greenfield are employed by the agricultural businesses and I want to make sure that there’s sufficient water sources for those industries,” said Greenfield MayorJohn Huerta.
State leaders were also impressed by the long-term conservation efforts already underway like waste water recycling and the study of desalination. They went as far as calling Monterey County a model for the state.