Easement Standoff Threatens Solar Deal as SAM Board Draws Line With Half Moon Bay

The Sewer Authority Mid-Coastside (SAM) board drew a hard line against linking a promising watercourse restoration project to the renewal of an expired plant easement — a dispute that now jeopardizes a solar energy contract with an imminent vendor deadline. Meanwhile, the board heard encouraging water quality data showing rare improvement at some coastal monitoring sites, and learned that an Army Corps kickoff meeting to protect the aging plant from coastal hazards is days away.

• SAM board unanimously rejects structuring Half Moon Bay's land proposal as a quid pro quo for renewing the expired plant easement

• Solar PPA public hearing pushed to May 20 as Caldwell Energy's patience wears thin

• First Flush report finds three sites met E. coli standards — a rare bright spot — but fecal bacteria still exceed thresholds at most coastal discharge points

• Army Corps "new start" kickoff meeting expected within 10 days to assess federal interest in protecting the wastewater plant

• Federally funded electrical building upgrade at risk if easement impasse drags on

Half Moon Bay came to the SAM board with a new pitch: grant the city an approximately 4.5-acre easement on SAM's Langstrap parcel to restore the Kehoe watercourse, capture stormwater flooding the sewer plant, and potentially relocate a sewer pipe. In return, the city would extend SAM's expired easement on the plant site — the same easement that has been blocking a 25-year solar power purchase agreement and a federally funded electrical building upgrade.