Board approves 25‑year amendment to shared 3.5‑mile effluent pipeline agreement (3–2)

The board approved Amendment No. 2 to a multi‑party agreement governing use and maintenance of a 3.5‑mile pipeline owned by Clear Lake Oaks Water District that conveys effluent into the Southeast pipeline and onward for injection at the Geysers. The amendment extends the maintenance and sharing agreement to 25 years and formalizes collaborative maintenance responsibilities for the pipeline segments both entities use.

Special districts staff said the amendment is cost‑effective and that without shared pipeline access the county would face multi‑million dollar upgrades to reservoirs, sprinklers and tertiary treatment if it attempted to disperse effluent by other means. Clear Lake Oaks said it has historically borne the pipeline maintenance burden and that shared maintenance will reduce exposure for their ratepayers. Some supervisors requested clearer contemporary cost spreadsheets and more frequent review; others said the long term agreement is necessary to secure Geysers revenue and operational certainty.

The measure passed 3–2; the dissenting supervisors cited the need for more detailed, current financial breakdowns and recommended shorter review intervals for long‑term commitments.