PETITION IN OPPOSITION TO SWIMMING AT SANTA MARGARITA LAKE

STOP THE EXPANSION OF SWIMMING — PROTECT SANTA MARGARITA LAKE

To the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors, County Parks & Recreation, and all agencies responsible for the management and protection of Santa Margarita Lake:

WE ARE ASKING YOU NOT TO MOVE FORWARD

We, the undersigned residents, property owners, boaters, anglers, outdoor enthusiasts, environmental advocates, and concerned members of the community, respectfully but firmly oppose the implementation of swimming and expanded body-contact recreation at Santa Margarita Lake.

We are asking San Luis Obispo County to use every lawful option available to stop, delay, restrict, and decline implementation of this change at Santa Margarita Lake.

This is not a petition against people enjoying the outdoors.

It is not an attack on swimmers.

It is not an argument against responsible recreation.

It is a petition to protect Santa Margarita Lake from a change that we believe could create unnecessary environmental, financial, wildlife, and public-safety consequences.

Santa Margarita Lake is a valuable drinking-water reservoir, wildlife habitat, fishing destination, boating resource, and community asset.

We believe it should stay that way.

DON'T CHANGE THE LAKE BEFORE WE KNOW THE COST

The passage of a state law does not eliminate the County's responsibility to protect the lake and the people who use it.

Before the County takes steps toward opening Santa Margarita Lake to expanded swimming, we believe the public deserves clear answers.

ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTIONS

What will increased human activity do to water quality?
How will trash, human waste, shoreline erosion, and increased foot traffic be controlled?
What impact could swimmers and increased shoreline access have on sensitive habitat?
What wildlife areas will be protected?
What environmental monitoring will be performed?
What measurable conditions would cause swimming areas to be restricted or closed?
We should not wait for environmental problems to appear before deciding that protections were necessary.

Santa Margarita Lake is already an important natural resource.

Protecting the lake should come before expanding its recreational use.

WHO WILL PAY?

Opening a reservoir to expanded swimming is not simply a matter of putting up a sign that says "Swim Here."

Additional recreation can require:

Emergency and water-rescue resources.
Additional park staffing and enforcement.
Restrooms and sanitation.
Trash collection and maintenance.
Parking and traffic management.
Safety signage and barriers.
Environmental and water-quality monitoring.
Additional infrastructure and ongoing maintenance.

Who pays for all of this?

The County should provide taxpayers with a complete accounting of the anticipated costs before proceeding.

What will implementation cost?

What will it cost every year?

How much additional staffing will be required?

What emergency-response resources will be needed?

Will anticipated recreation revenue actually cover those costs?

Taxpayers deserve answers before the lake is changed — not after the bills arrive.

BOATING AND SWIMMER SAFETY

Santa Margarita Lake already has boaters, anglers, kayakers, paddlecraft users, and other recreational visitors.

Adding swimmers to an active boating environment creates another layer of risk.

We ask the County:

How will swimmers be separated from boat traffic?
How will boaters know exactly where swimming is permitted?
How will inexperienced swimmers be protected?
How will crowded summer weekends be managed?
Will additional patrols be required?
Does the lake have sufficient water-rescue and emergency-response capability?
Who will enforce the rules?
Recent water deaths at other Central Coast lakes should serve as a reminder that water safety is not theoretical.

A drowning occurred at Lopez Lake in March 2026. A fatal water incident occurred at Lake San Antonio in August 2026. Lake Nacimiento has also experienced serious water emergencies and maintains regulations allowing recreational restrictions when necessary for safety and other lake-management concerns.

These tragedies do not prove that swimming at Santa Margarita Lake will cause deaths.

They do demonstrate why the County should not expand water-contact recreation without first having a comprehensive safety plan in place.

We should learn from other lakes.

We should not wait for Santa Margarita to become the next example.

PROTECT THE WILDLIFE

Santa Margarita Lake is also home to wildlife.

Birds, fish, mammals, vegetation, and other species depend upon the lake and its shoreline.

More people in the water and along the shoreline means more disturbance.

We believe the County should first identify sensitive habitat and determine how expanded swimming and shoreline access will affect wildlife.

Where necessary, wildlife areas should be protected from increased human activity.

The animals that depend on Santa Margarita Lake cannot speak at a public hearing. We have to speak for them.

THIS IS ABOUT PRESERVATION — NOT FEAR

We understand that supporters of expanded swimming believe more recreational opportunities would benefit the community.

We respect that viewpoint.

But another recreational opportunity does not automatically make a community better.

Sometimes responsible stewardship means saying:

Not here.

Not this way.

Not until we know the consequences.

Santa Margarita Lake already provides opportunities for fishing, boating, kayaking, camping, hiking, wildlife viewing, and enjoying the outdoors.

We believe those uses can continue without fundamentally changing the lake.

We do not need to turn Santa Margarita into another heavily used swimming destination simply because we can.

LOOK AT LOPEZ LAKE , LAKE NACIMIENTO, AND SAN ANTONIO — THEN PROTECT MARGARITA

The Central Coast has several lakes where people swim and participate in numerous forms of water recreation.

We have also seen serious water emergencies and deaths.

Lopez Lake experienced a drowning in 2026.

Lake San Antonio experienced a fatal water incident in 2026.

Lake Nacimiento has experienced its own serious water emergencies and has rules specifically addressing public safety and restrictions on recreational activities when conditions warrant.

The lesson should not be that people should never enter a lake.

The lesson should be that every lake has different conditions, risks, infrastructure, wildlife, boating patterns, and management needs.

Santa Margarita Lake should not be required to follow the same recreational model simply because other lakes allow swimming.

Santa Margarita deserves its own careful consideration.

WE ARE ASKING SLO COUNTY TO SAY NO

We respectfully ask the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors and responsible County agencies to:

Oppose the implementation of expanded swimming and body-contact recreation at Santa Margarita Lake to the fullest extent legally permitted.
Use every lawful administrative, regulatory, operational, and management option available to delay, restrict, or prevent implementation.
Conduct a complete environmental and wildlife-impact evaluation before allowing expanded swimming.
Publish a transparent financial analysis showing the complete cost to taxpayers.
Conduct a comprehensive swimmer and boating-safety assessment.
Establish clear emergency-response requirements before permitting additional water-contact activity.
Identify and protect sensitive wildlife habitat.
Provide meaningful opportunities for residents, boaters, anglers, environmental groups, and existing lake users to participate in the decision.
Clearly explain to the public why expanded swimming is necessary and what measurable benefits it will provide.
Put the long-term protection of Santa Margarita Lake ahead of expanding recreational use.

SIGN THIS PETITION

If you believe Santa Margarita Lake should be protected rather than opened to expanded swimming, please sign this petition.

Your signature tells the County that this issue matters.

Your signature tells decision-makers that residents want their concerns heard.

Your signature tells the County that protecting the lake's environment, wildlife, water resources, public safety, boating community, and financial future matters.

We cannot wait until problems occur and then ask why we did not act sooner.

We have an opportunity to speak now.

If you care about Santa Margarita Lake, get involved.

If you care about its wildlife, get involved.

If you care about clean water, boating safety, responsible spending, and preserving this resource for future generations, get involved.

SAVE THE LAKE.

Please sign this petition in opposition to expanded swimming at Santa Margarita Lake and ask San Luis Obispo County to stop, delay, or restrict implementation to the fullest extent legally permitted.

SIGNATURE STATEMENT

I oppose the implementation of expanded swimming and body-contact recreation at Santa Margarita Lake. I respectfully ask San Luis Obispo County to use every lawful option available to stop, delay, restrict, or decline implementation of this change. I believe the environmental health of the lake, wildlife, drinking-water resources, boating and public safety, and responsible use of taxpayer funds must come before expanding recreational access.

I am signing this petition because I care about Santa Margarita Lake and want to help protect and preserve it for future generations.

Names and contact information for petition group:

We are a group of avid outdoorsmen and fishermen, and are very passionate about protecting the beautiful environment around us. If you have any questions, any information that you would like to share, or would like to help promote, please do not hesitate to reach out. Thank you.

Oliver Tostado - ollietostado@gmail.com

Nolan Love- spearfisher12@gmail.com

Romain Langlois- romainlanglois3147@gmail.com

Morgan Yoder - mjy.yoder@gmail.com

Jimmy Paulding

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