Dear Cambrians,

We want to clarify the Water and Wastewater Standby and Availability Charges that appear on some Cambria property tax bills. We recognize that some community members have expressed confusion over how these charges are applied and communicated.

These charges were established before the passage of Proposition 218 in 1996 and are therefore considered “pre-Prop 218” assessments. Under California Government Code § 53753.5, charges that were in effect before Prop 218 can continue without requiring the same annual public hearing and noticing process that applies to newer assessments, as long as they are not increased.

Because these charges have remained unchanged and are legally grandfathered under Prop 218, the District is not required by law to send out annual notifications or ballots unless there is a proposal to increase the charge. As a result, property owners—especially those newer to the area—may be unfamiliar with the purpose or history of these charges and why they appear on tax statements.

What Are These Charges?

• Water and wastewater standby or availability charges help cover the cost of maintaining infrastructure and services for undeveloped parcels that benefit from utility connections.
• These charges ensure that basic readiness and system capacity are preserved for current and future users, even when a property is not actively connected to water or sewer service.

Why You May Not Have Received Notices in the Past

• Since these charges are pre-Prop 218 and have not changed in amount, the District is not obligated to re-notice or reapprove them each year.
• However, we understand that the absence of regular notifications can lead to uncertainty, especially for those unfamiliar with Cambria's legal background or service structure.

We are committed to transparency and want to ensure all residents and property owners understand how these longstanding charges work. If you have any questions about how the standby charges apply to your property, or if you’d like a copy of the original establishing resolution, we welcome you to contact us at (805) 927-6223.

Wildlife Awareness During Weed Abatement

As we reach the peak of weed abatement season, the Cambria Community Services District would like to thank the community for its continued efforts to reduce fire risk and maintain defensible space. As wildfire season approaches, these proactive measures are critical to protecting homes, lives, and our environment. While vegetation clearing is essential, we also want to remind residents to be mindful of the wildlife inhabiting our area, particularly young fawns, often hidden in tall grasses and brush during this time of year.

Fawns are frequently left alone by their mothers during the day and may lie quietly in shaded or grassy areas. It is important not to assume a fawn has been abandoned if found alone. Before beginning any weed abatement work, walk your property and carefully check for wildlife. Use a stick or rake to gently disturb areas before using any mechanical equipment. Avoid working during early morning or evening hours when fawns are more likely to rest. If you discover a fawn, flag the area and return later to give it time to relocate safely with its mother. Please also inform any landscapers or contractors working on your property to be alert and cautious during abatement.

Fawns rely on camouflage and stillness for protection, which unfortunately makes them vulnerable during brush-clearing activities. A few moments of care and observation can prevent injury and protect the wildlife, which is a part of Cambria’s character. Thank you for helping to keep Cambria both fire-safe and wildlife-friendly.

Administrative & Finance Departments 

CCSD Utility Service Bill

We encourage all Cambria utility billing customers to take a moment to familiarize themselves with their utility bills. Understanding your utility bill is essential for managing your water usage and payments effectively. We encourage all Cambria utility billing customers to take a moment to familiarize themselves with their utility bills. Understanding the layout of your bill will help ensure accuracy, identify key details, and clarify any questions you may have. To assist with this, we’ve provided an example of a typical utility bill below. Below is a guide to help you navigate the key sections of your bill:

1. Account Information

• Account Number: Unique identifier for your account.
• Service Address: Address where services are provided.
• Billing Period: Dates reflecting the cycle for which services are billed.

2. Bill Summary

• Previous Balance: Amount carried forward from your last bill.
• Payments: Payments received during the billing period.
• Adjustments: Any credits or charges applied.
• Current Charges: Charges for the current billing cycle, including base rates and usage fees.
• Amount Due: Total amount payable by the due date.

3. Usage Details

• Meter Readings: Displays current and previous readings.
• Consumption Graph: Compares your current usage to the same period in the previous year.

4. Charges Breakdown

• Water Base/Usage Fees: Charges for water service.
• Sewer Base/Usage Fees: Charges for sewer services.
• WRF Base/Usage Fees: Charges related to Water Reclamation Facility.

CCSD’s water and sewer utilities rely primarily on revenues from service charges to fund the costs of providing service. Therefore, water and sewer rates must be set at levels adequate to fund the costs of operating and maintaining CCSD’s water and sewer systems to support safe and reliable service.

The water and sewer rates implemented by Resolution 14-2024 cover no more than the cost that CCSD incurs to provide water and sewer services as detailed in the Water, WRF, and Sewer Rate analysis prepared by Bartle Wells Associates and last reviewed by the Board on March 17, 2022.

5. Payment Options

• Online: cambriacsdca.municipalonlinepayments.com
• By Phone: Call 1-833-792-9627.
• By Mail or In-Person: See the remittance portion of your bill for details.

6. Important Messages

• Messages on your bill may include updates and reminders. Please review them carefully.

The CCSD bills bimonthly. Consumption charges are based on the amount of water delivered through your meter. Water and wastewater usage charges are computed by unit. One unit is equal to approximately 748 gallons. 

CCSD Office Closure for Memorial Day

Please be advised that the Cambria Community Services District (CCSD) administrative office will be closed on Monday, May 26, 2025, in observance of Memorial Day. For any Water and Wastewater emergency services during this time, please contact our 24-hour main line at (805) 927-6223. The office will reopen on Tuesday, May 27, 2025, at 9:00 a.m.

Facilities & Resources Department

Maintenance Technician Recruitment 

The Cambria Community Services District is currently accepting applications to establish a hiring list for the position of Maintenance Technician in the Facilities & Resources Department. This recruitment will remain open until the District’s needs are met. For first consideration, apply immediately. For more information, click here.

Cambria Fire Department

Meet the Fire Chief

On Tuesday, May 20, 2025, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., Fire Chief Michael Burkey will be working out of the Cambria Veterans' Memorial Hall and would love to meet you and hear your thoughts on anything related to the Cambria Fire Department. 

Community Awareness Message from Fire Chief Michael Burkey

As we enter the hotter months, I want to remind everyone in our community to take precautions to stay safe during extreme heat. High temperatures can pose serious health risks, especially for children, seniors, and those with medical conditions.

Please remember to:

• Stay hydrated, drink plenty of water throughout the day.
• Avoid outdoor activities during the hottest parts of the day.
• Never leave children or pets in parked vehicles.
• Check on neighbors, especially the elderly or those living alone.
• Know the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke, and call 911 if someone shows symptoms.

Let’s work together to keep Cambria safe and healthy this summer. If you have questions or need assistance, don’t hesitate to contact the Cambria Fire Department.

Stay cool and stay safe,
Chief Michael Burkey

2025 Fire Hazard Fuel Reduction Program (FHFRP)

July 1, 2025 is the deadline to abate and remove the fuels and vegetation for vacant parcels requiring abatement.

Each year, the Cambria CSD Fire Department conducts a Fire Hazard Fuel Reduction Program (FHFRP) to abate vegetation and hazardous wildland fire fuels. The FHFRP is carried out pursuant to the authority contained in Government Code Sections 61100(d) and (t) and Health and Safety Code Sections 14875 et seq. and is initiated by the CCSD Board of Directors adoption of a resolution declaring the vegetation and hazardous wildland fire fuels on the identified properties to be a public nuisance.

This annual requirement is an effort to reduce the fire hazard caused by the accumulation of combustible materials on vacant parcels. Keep in mind that the forest helps define Cambria, and it is important that we reduce the fire hazard without destroying its ability to regenerate. Make every effort to protect seedlings, young native trees, ferns, and bushes by marking them prior to cutting. Property owners are required to clear all combustible vegetation and/or debris from their property by the deadline of July 1, 2025.

The following are vacant parcel guidelines to help you comply:

• Remove combustible construction materials and trash from the property.
• Trim weeds and annual grasses to 4 inches in height. Avoid exposing bare soil or creating a situation that would encourage erosion.
• All downed trees and rounds or dead limbs within 30 feet of any structure must be removed. Tree stumps fallen over shall be cut and retain no more than six feet of the log within this 30-foot zone.
• All downed trees beyond 30 feet from any structure 12 inches in diameter or greater may remain on the parcel. However, the entire trunk must be completely on the ground. Materials less than 12 inches in diameter shall be cut and removed from the property.
• All standing dead trees that pose a safety risk to improved property and/or infrastructure shall be removed.
• Remove ladder vegetation from under trees and shrubs, maintaining 6 feet of vertical clearance for trees greater than 20 feet in height.
• All Poison Oak, Scotch/Irish/French or other broom-type plants, Pampas grass, Jubata grass, and (Crocosmia) also known as Fire Weed, shall be removed. Isolated specimens may be left with greater than ten (10) feet separation, and all dead material removed. 

For more information, please click here.

Water & Wastewater Departments

Please refer to the May 8, 2025, Board Meeting agenda packet to read the latest utilities report.

Coastal Development Permit (CDP) for the Sustainable Water Facility (SWF)

We want to provide you with an important update regarding our Water Reclamation Facility (WRF) project and the recent response from the County of San Luis Obispo. As part of the Coastal Development Permit review process, the County has issued what is called an “information hold,” which means they need additional technical documentation and clarification before they can move forward. While the request includes many detailed items, we want to assure you that this is a standard part of the permitting process, not a setback.

In response to the County’s request, our professional engineers and environmental consultants are already working to address the items outlined. We are confident that we can provide the needed information promptly and completely. The County is asking for a more detailed project description and a full site plan that shows both the facilities installed under the original emergency permit and those now proposed for permanent installation. This includes identifying the exact location of four proposed brine storage tanks and providing updated engineering drawings and project maps. They’ve also asked us to quantify the expected earthwork, how much land will be graded or disturbed, especially around areas like the new advanced water treatment plant, pipelines, and the reconstructed pond. We’ve been asked to include drainage plans and cut/fill calculations to better understand the scope of soil movement across the site.

Roadway improvements were also flagged, and the County has requested that we detail any changes to site access, including whether any trees will be affected and how we plan to manage stormwater and erosion. Because the project lies near sensitive environmental areas, we are also being asked to update our biological assessments to ensure protection of wetlands, streams, and habitat for rare or endangered species. The good news is, we have already started this process. 

Additionally, because some of the land falls within the agricultural zone and the County’s sensitive coastal overlay, we must show that no other feasible site exists for the project and that the work will have minimal impact on nearby agricultural land and coastal resources. We understand this list may look daunting, but we want to reassure the community that we are on it. Our engineering and environmental teams are built to answer these technical questions. We aim to meet these requirements as quickly as possible to secure Cambria's reliable and sustainable water future.

Annual Consumer Confidence Report

The Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) is an annual water quality report that the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) requires the CCSD to provide to its consumers. The purpose of the CCR is to raise customer awareness of the quality of their drinking water, where their drinking water comes from, what it takes to deliver water to their homes, and the importance of protecting drinking water sources. In the past, the CCSD has mailed its customers a printed copy of the CCR to comply with the SDWA. The California Department of Public Health began allowing for electronic delivery of the CCR in 2013.  CCSD encourages electronic delivery because it reduces the consumption of paper and minimizes printing, mailing, and handling costs to the CCSD and its customers. Hard copies will be made available to the public at various locations including the Cambria Library, Chamber of Commerce, Cambria Tourism Board, Veterans Memorial Hall, local public schools, and to leasing offices of certain multifamily properties. Paper copy of the CCR will be mailed only upon request. Please submit a request for paper copy online at www.cambriacsd.org/annual-ccr or by calling (805) 927-6223. 

Understanding Your Badger Water Meter

Your Badger Meter provides four rotating screens of information:

1. 9-Digit Consumption Display (45 Seconds)
   • Displays your total water usage with the highest level of accuracy.
   • For your purposes, only the first 4 underlined digits are necessary to read.
2. 6-Digit Consumption Display with Leak Detector (5 Seconds)
   • Functions like the traditional mechanical dials with 6-digit readings.
   • Features a segmented leak detector on the top right corner that moves in a circular motion to indicate water flow, even at low levels.
   • You only need to read the first 4 underlined digits for your water usage.
3. Rate of Flow (5 Seconds)
   • Displays the current water flow in gallons per minute (GPM).
4. Meter Model (5 Seconds)
   • Identifies the meter type. This information is for internal utility use only.

When reading your water meter for billing purposes, focus on the first four digits displayed.

• Billing Units:
  • The first four digits have dotted lines above and below them.
  • These represent your total water consumption in billing units.

Your water meter provides real-time information about your water usage through a series of rotating screens. The meter will automatically cycle through these screens, giving you accurate and up-to-date information.

If you have any questions about reading your Badger Meter or noticing irregular water usage, please contact us at (805) 927-6223.

Water Systems Operator T3/D2 Recruitment 

The Cambria Community Services District is currently accepting applications for the Water Systems Operator T3/D2 position. For more information, click here.

CCSD Board of Directors Meeting

Regular Board Meeting

📅 Date: Wednesday, May 28, 2025
⏰ Time: 1:00 PM
📍 Location: 1000 Main Street, Cambria, CA 93428

Public Participation:
✉️ Written comments may be submitted via email to boardcomment@cambriacsd.org or through the submission portal anytime before the Board meeting. 

On Tuesday, May 20, 2025, from 8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., I will be working out of the Cambria Veterans' Memorial Hall and would love to meet you and hear your thoughts on everything, Cambria. We will provide coffee and snacks; as always, we welcome your feedback and ideas. 

If you have any concerns, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Thank you again for your support; I am at your service. 

Matthew McElhenie