Supes to discuss masks and water

OROVILLE » In what promises to be a lengthy and contentious meeting today, the Butte County Board of Supervisors will consider indoor mask mandates and a proposed new water district in the northwest county.

The indoor mask item is apparently at the request of some local business owners. The county has been following state guidelines to deal with COVID-19, and no indoor mandate has been issued from Sacramento.

The staff report notes that while masks reduce the risk of transmission, a mandate would be “difficult if not impossible” to enforce. It would be up to individual business operators and would likely cause significant conflict.

The Department of Public Health is seeking direction on the matter.

The discussion is a timed item, set for 9:15 a.m. Then at 2:15 p.m., or as soon after as possible, the board is being asked to make a recommendation on the proposed Tuscan Water District.

A group of agricultural groundwater users are seeking to create the district to bring surface water into what’s known as the Vina Sub-basin. The area in the northwest county is almost entirely dependent on wells. Under a recent state law, the amount of water that is pumped will need to be reduced.

A number of strategies have been developed to achieve some of that reduction, but without import of surface water from elsewhere, some agricultural land will have to be fallowed. Avoiding that is the reason the district has been proposed.

Opponents argue, among other things, that the district isn’t necessary. There are other entities

that could do what the district proposes to do.

The structure of the proposed district has also come under fire, as voting

is based on acreage rather than the number of voters.

Any action by the supervisors will only be advisory. The actual decision on whether the district is formed lies with the Local Agency Formation Commission. LAFCO has asked the county and a number of

other parties for their opinions.

The board meeting starts at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Sept 28, in the Board of Supervisors Chambers in the county Administration Building, 25 County Center Drive in Oroville. The meeting is live streamed, and it is possible

to participate remotely. Go to http://www.buttecounty. net/clerkoftheboard/boardmeetings to learn how.

The meeting will also have four additional public hearings, and about a dozen other items. The full agenda can be seen at the “agenda” link at the website above.