When I heard a few weeks ago that the state was going to cut some of the water delivery to some local cities, I really started to wonder why cities around here don't build desalination plants. In the latest New Times, they have an informative article about this topic.

http://www.newtimesslo.com/index.php?p=showarticle&id=2491

Here's a paragraph from it that mentions Cambria's wait list for water meters:

"As part of Cambria's "buildout reduction plan," a desalination plant would generate only enough potable water to supply the needs of existing Cambria residents, plus those on the water supply waitlist, for a total of 4,650 connections."

I guess that means if a lot isn't on the wait list, there is little chance someone will be able to build on that lot for a very long time.