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of Santa Barbara County

Santa Barbara County Water Agency July 2000

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Santa Barbara CountyWater Agency

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WaterResources


Santa Barbara County Water Agency July 2000

WaterResources


Prepared by:

Lynn RodriguezRory Lang

Under direction from:

Robert Almy, Water Agency Manager

Published by:

Santa Barbara County Water Agency

Co-Sponsored by:

Santa Barbara Water Purveyors Agency

Santa Barbara County Water Agency Board of Directors:

Naomi L. Schwartz ......................................................................... 1st District

Susan Rose ........................................................................ 2nd District, Chair

Gail Marshall .................................................................................... 3rd District

Joni Gray .................................................................. 4th District, Vice-Chair

Thomas B. Urbanske ................................................................. 5th District

Published July 2000

Additional copies available through:

Santa Barbara County Water Agency

123 East Anapamu StreetSanta Barbara, CA. 93101

(805) 568-3440

(805) 568-3434 fax

www.publicworkssb.org/water

Contributing Authors:

Darcy Aston ............................... Santa Barbara County Water AgencyDennis Gibbs ........................... Santa Barbara County Water AgencyAlison Whitney ...................... City of Santa Barbara Public Works Department

Edited by:

John Ahlroth ........................... Santa Barbara County Water AgencyDwayne Chisam ..................... City of Santa Maria Public Works DepartmentBill Ferguson .......................... City of Santa Barbara Public Works DepartmentDan Masnada .......................... Central Coast Water AuthorityGreg Mohr ................................. Santa Barbara County Planning and Development DepartmentGary Keefe .................................. City of Lompoc Utility DivisionReese Riddiough ................ Santa Barbara Water Purveyors AgencyBruce Wales ............................. Santa Ynez River Water Conservation DistrictKevin Walsh .............................. Goleta Water DistrictSusan Zavolta .......................... City of Lompoc Utility Department

Designed by:

Jan French ................................. Santa Barbara County Water Agency

ContentsIntroduction ....................................................................................... 1Setting ........................................................................................................ 2History ....................................................................................................... 6

Water Supplies

Groundwater .................................................................................... 12Surface Water ................................................................................. 36State Water Project ................................................................... 46Desalination ..................................................................................... 50

Water Quality

Influencing Factors .................................................................. 54Water Treatment .......................................................................... 56

Water Delivery & Oversight

Water Purveyors ........................................................................... 62Other Agencies ............................................................................... 66

Water Use

Urban Water Use ......................................................................... 70Agricultural Water Use ......................................................... 73Predicting Future Use ............................................................ 75

Water Supply Enhancement

Water Use Efficiency ................................................................ 78Cloud Seeding ................................................................................ 88Water Reuse ..................................................................................... 90

Regulatory Framework

Legislation .......................................................................................... 96Regulatory Agencies ............................................................ 100

Appendix

Glossary ............................................................................................. 108References ...................................................................................... 112

On-line References ........................................................ 114Acronyms ......................................................................................... 116

Charts and Graphs

Rainfall Comparison ................................................................. 3Hydrologic Cycle .......................................................................... 12Comparison of Groundwater Basins ..................... 16Measuring Water ......................................................................... 41County Reservoir Information ..................................... 45State Water Entitlements in the County .............. 471998 Urban Water Use Summary .............................. 71County Historical Per-Capita Water Use ............ 72Irrigation Water Use for Major Crops ................. 73County Historical Harvested Acres ........................... 74Wastewater Treatment Plants in the County ...... 91

Maps

Santa Barbara County Watersheds .............................. 4County Groundwater Basins ............................................ 14

South Coast Basins ............................................................. 18Santa Ynez River Watershed Basins ................. 24North County Basins ........................................................ 29Cuyama Basin ........................................................................... 33

County Rivers .................................................................................. 36State Water Project Pipeline in the County .... 49

IntroductionWater is a resource vital to Santa Barbara County.The availability, quality and cost of water in thisarea have greatly influenced the economy and thecommunity. Like other areas with limited localwater supplies, we must manage our resources care-fully and supplement local supplies with water fromother regions. Our water sources are diverse andthe facilities and programs established to managethose supplies are complex.

It is a major undertaking to plan for and manageour water resources. Managing water resourcesinvolves complicated scientific, technological, eco-nomic and political decisions. Water supplies arecarefully studied, treated, protected and distributedin their journey from source to user. However, most

water users know very little about the process ofdelivering this precious resource to their home orbusiness.

The purpose of this report is to provide a briefoverview of the water supplies available within SantaBarbara County, and how those supplies are usedand managed within the county. For those who wantmore information on this dynamic subject, oursource publications are listed in the Referencessection of this report.

Properly informed, we can each more effectivelyparticipate in the complicated process of manag-ing and protecting our water resources for our ownuse, the environment and future users.

4

Setting

Climate

Santa Barbara County has a Mediterranean climatewith several microclimatic regions. Summers arewarm and dry; the winters are cool and often wet.The county has a unique physical orientation, witha series of east-west transverse mountain ranges.This produces a profound orographic effect whena storm approaches the county from the PacificOcean. Most precipitation occurs between Novem-ber and March with the exception of some far in-land mountain areas receiving sporadic late sum-mer thundershowers. Moist air from the Pacific Oceanmoderates temperatures in the coastal areas; some-what lower winter minimums and higher summermaximums prevail in the inland valleys.

Santa Barbara County’s weather is mainly controlledby the Pacific high-pressure system. In the dry sea-son, from about May through September, the Pa-cific high usually occupies the area northeast of

Hawaii. During the winter months it is weaker andpositioned further south. For the most part, SantaBarbara County receives relatively gentle but steadyrainfall during storm events. At times the persis-tence of the Pacific high at a latitude farther norththan normal keeps the Pacific storm track fartherto the north. This “blocking high” results in eitherno precipitation for part or all of California, or, atmost, only light amounts. This climatological sce-nario is the reason for most of California’s droughts,including those occurring in the 1976-1977 and1986-1991 seasons.

Rainfall is variable and streamflow is highly vari-able. The county is divided into six major water-sheds each varying in their dominant geographyand by types and quality of water supply. Streamflowis directly from rainfall with no significant snow-melt and little base flow from headwaters. Moststreams are dry in the summer.

Drought

Historical records show that local drought periodsof several years or more are cyclical, recurring aboutevery forty years. Tree ring studies covering timeperiods of several centuries reveal apparent droughtslasting as long as 16 years or more. The mostrecent drought occurred from 1986 until 1991 andincluded some of the driest years on record. Evi-dence from tree ring analysis indicates that severedroughts occurred as far back as 1544. Droughtsin Santa Barbara County have lasted an average offive years, with a maximum of 9 years.

Currently, the impacts of drought on our commu-nity result from the interplay between a natural event(less precipitation than expected resulting fromnatural climatic variability) and the demand peopleplace on water supply. In order to lessen the im-pacts of droughts, local water purveyors have de-veloped water management plans that provide long-term options for augmenting water supplies in prepa-ration for future droughts.

East Beach, where SycamoreCreek meets the Pacific inSanta Barbara

Santa Barbara County is located approximately 100miles northwest of Los Angeles and 300 miles southof San Francisco. Over 409,000 people live in SantaBarbara County. The mild climate, picturesque coast-line, scenic mountains, and numerous parks andbeaches make the county a popular tourist andrecreational area.

5

Water Resources of Santa Barbara County

1980

1981

1982

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

0.00

5.00

10.00

15.00

20.00

25.00

30.00

35.00

40.00

45.00

50.00

Water Year

Rainfall Comparison

Cuyama

Santa Maria

Santa Barbara

Ra

infa

ll i

n I

nc

he

s

Rainfall Highlights

Annual precipitation varies from 7" - 9" near Cuyama to a maximum of about 36" at the uppermost elevationsof the San Rafael Mountains.

Most rainfall in a year:

1997-1998 .................. 46.75” .......... Santa Barbara1941-1942 .................. 30.76” .......... Santa Maria

Wettest Month:

February 1998 ......... 21.36” .......... Santa Barbara

Biggest Storm Event:

January 1969 ............ Highest flow in SantaYnez River in 2,900 years — 89,000 cfs(about 40 million gallons per minute)flowed into Lake Cachuma

Santa Barbara County is subject to someof the highest short-duration rainfallintensities in California:

• In 1995, 1.6” of rain fell in a 30 minuteperiod near San Marcos Pass

• In 1993, 1.25" of rain fell during a 15minute period at the Buellton Fire Station

• In 1969, 16" of rain fell in a 24 hour period atJuncal Dam

Driest year:

1877 ................................... 4.49” .............. Santa Barbara

6

Santa Barbara County

The five principal drainage areas of the county are:

Watershed Square Miles

• Santa Maria Watershed .......................................... 1,845Including Cuyama and Sisquoc Watersheds

• Cuyama Watershed ..................................................... 1,140

• San Antonio Watershed ............................................... 165

• Santa Ynez River Watershed ................................... 900

• South Coast Watershed ................................................ 416

Annual Average Rainfall:

City of Santa Barbara ..... 18” (1868-1999)

City of Santa Maria ........... 14” (1907-1999)

Figueroa Mountain ........... 23” (1961-2000)

New Cuyama ................................. 9” (1955-1998)

The county occupies 2,745 square miles, one-third of which is located in the Los Padres National Forest.

Buellton

Lompoc

Santa Ynez River

Santa Maria

Santa Barbara

Cuyama River

101

154

1

Figueroa Mtn.

TwitchellReservoir

Lake CachumaGibraltarReservoir Jameson

Lake

CuyamaWatershed

South CoastWatersheds

Santa Ynez River Watershed

San AntonioWatershed

Santa MariaWatershed New Cuyama

Sisquoc River

Santa MariaRiver

7


Flood flows,February 1998For More Information

Population/Employment:

Santa Barbara County Association of Governments:http://www.sbcag.org/

Rainfall:

Santa Barbara County Water Agency:http://www.publicworkssb.org/water/

Terrain

Like most of Southern and Central California, SantaBarbara County is very mountainous. The steep SantaYnez Mountains bound the coastal communities ofGoleta, Santa Barbara and Carpinteria on the north;farther north the San Rafael Mountains rise to thehighest elevations in the county; and the Sierra MadreMountains occupy the northeast portion of thecounty. About 65% of Santa Barbara County’s 2,745square miles are hilly or mountainous. Most of theremaining 35% of the land is taken up by a fewvalleys and plains.

Water Resource System

The county’s residents obtain their potable waterfrom several sources: storm runoff collected in res-ervoir systems, groundwater withdrawal, and theState Water Project. The county’s potable watersupply is delivered to the public through a varietyof water purveyors: incorporated cities, commu-nity service districts, water districts, public utilitycompanies, conservation districts and others.

There are four major reservoirs located in the Countyof Santa Barbara. Two reservoirs, Cachuma andTwitchell, are owned by the federal government,administered by the Santa Barbara County WaterAgency, and operated by local water districts. Thethird, Gibraltar Reservoir, is owned and operatedby the City of Santa Barbara. The fourth, JamesonReservoir, is owned and operated by the MontecitoWater District. Water from Cachuma, Gibraltar andJameson is delivered to the South Coast throughthree tunnels built into the Santa Ynez Mountains.

Groundwater is another source of potable waterfor county residents. Since groundwater fluctua-tions are cyclical and sensitive to overdraft, ground-water withdrawal is closely monitored. In the SouthCounty, water purveyors use groundwater as a sec-ondary source of potable water. However, the NorthCounty is nearly 100% supported by groundwaterand/or shallow, riparian basin water, both of which

are recharged by surface flows. The Santa YnezRiver Water Conservation District Improvement Dis-trict #1 (considered as part of the North County forpurposes of this report) does receive water fromthe Cachuma Project.

The State Water Project (SWP) has served as an-other source of potable water since 1997. Water isdelivered to Santa Barbara County from the LakeOroville Reservoir located in Plumas County througha series of aqueducts, reservoir systems, and openriver transport. Since SWP water is used primarilyas a supplemental supply for urban users, its por-tion of the county’s total water supply is likely tovary each year. At maximum rates of delivery, theSWP could supply up to one-third of the region’smunicipal and industrial demands.

History

The South Coast’s first watersupply and distribution systemwas developed at the SantaBarbara Mission

Santa Barbara County has a rich water develop-ment history, dating back to the Mission foundersin the earliest settlements of what is now the city ofSanta Barbara. Residents of Santa Barbara Countyrecognized its limited and seasonal water supply asa crucial factor for the region’s continued growthand development even before the incorporation oflocal cities.

South Coast

The Mission in Santa Barbara was the area’s firstmajor European population center and supportedsurrounding ranching and fruit-growing efforts.When water supplies became limited due to higherconcentrations of people in the area, plans weremade to construct the South Coast’s first large damand reservoir which was completed in 1807. A rockand masonry dam approximately 20 feet high, 80feet long, and 12 feet wide was constructed 1.5miles above the Mission. The dam still stands todayin the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, along withremnant portions of an aqueduct that conveyed waterto a reservoir north of the Mission, which heldapproximately 500,000 gallons of water (1.5 acre-

feet). After incorporation as a city in 1850, SantaBarbara’s population expanded and the City con-tinued to experience the pressures of limited watersupplies. A report written in 1889 by the City En-gineer concluded that the only feasible long-termsource of water for Santa Barbara would have tocome from the Santa Ynez River. He recommendedland purchases for two possible dam and reservoirsites on the Santa Ynez River, but the City’s initialbond proposal was defeated.

Droughts in 1894 and from 1898 through 1900re-emphasized the report’s conclusions. While theCold Spring Tunnel (constructed in 1896) initiallyprovided approximately 290 acre-feet of water peryear, its yield steadily decreased to about 100 acre-feet per year and attention again turned to poten-tial dam and reservoir sites on the Santa Ynez River.A 1905 report by the USGS recommended the con-struction of a tunnel (the Mission Tunnel) fromthe Santa Ynez River to the coast side of the moun-tains, in conjunction with building a dam and res-ervoir at the Gibraltar site on the river (Santa Bar-bara County Water Agency, 1949).

The main obstacle to this plan was that the tunnelwould have to pass through lands held by the SantaBarbara Water Company, a private firm which hadbought extensive tracts of land on the headwatersof the Santa Ynez River that encompassed all prac-ticable reservoir sites. The City negotiated a con-tract with the Santa Barbara Water Company to al-low construction of the tunnel in exchange for main-tenance of flows in Mission Creek. The 3.7 mile-long Mission Tunnel was completed in 1912, thesame year that the City purchased the holdings of theSanta Barbara Water Company.

The presence of major reservoirs in Santa BarbaraCounty began in 1920 with the completion of GibraltarDam and Reservoir on the Santa Ynez River. GibraltarReservoir is located north of Santa Barbara on thenorthern side of the Santa Ynez Mountains. Con-tinuing pressure due to increasing population inSanta Barbara County (mainly on the South Coast)and problems associated with rapid siltation of res-

9


ervoirs, which led to diminished storage capaci-ties, required the development of additional watersupplies. Descriptions of the development of thecounty’s four major reservoirs are presented in sub-sequent sections of this report.

North County

For the purposes of this report, the North County isdefined as the region encompassing the area fromthe San Luis Obispo County line south through theSanta Maria, Lompoc and Santa Ynez Valleys.

Santa Maria Valley

Up until the importation of State Water Project waterin 1997, the northern portion of the county hasbeen largely dependent on groundwater. Develop-ment of groundwater resources was accelerated inthe early 1900s as a result of advances in drillingand pumping technologies. Agricultural develop-ment increased dramatically after World War II dueto advances in refrigerated transport technology thatallowed crops grown in the Santa Maria Valley tobe transported by train in refrigerated rail cars forsale in distant locations.

Prior to the construction of the Vaquero Dam andReservoir (now called Twitchell Reservoir), largeportions of the Santa Maria Groundwater Basin weresubject to periodic flooding, as documented in theLippincott report (1931) to the Santa Maria ValleyWater Conservation District (SMVWCD). In an ef-fort to provide relief from flooding disasters, theSMVWCD, the Santa Barbara County Water Agency(SBCWA) and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR)evaluated a number of potential dam sites on theSanta Maria River in the 1940s and 1950s. In the1950s the USBR constructed the Vaquero Dam forwater conservation and flood control. The project wasintended to provide water for beneficial uses withinthe District that rely on the groundwater supplies un-derlying the Santa Maria Valley, and to protect ur-banized and agricultural areas from flood damage.

During the past 25 years some of the urban areas inthe North County have been expanding rapidly asthe population has been increasing. This urban-ization has displaced some agricultural lands. Atthe same time, improvements in agricultural tech-nology have allowed increases in crop yield andintensification of agricultural development on anacre-by-acre basis. In some cases, water demandper acre has increased to allow for double andtriple cropping and for higher water-using (andincome-producing) crops to be grown, such as straw-berries. Irrigation technologies have also improved,reducing the amount of water used by some crops.These improvements include drip irrigation, seed-ling propagation in controlled greenhouse envi-ronments, laser leveling of fields, and use of tailwaterrecovery systems in furrow-irrigated fields.

In some parts of the Santa Maria Groundwater Ba-sin, the water quality is not high enough to supporturban development. Due to declining water qual-ity and modest overdraft in the Santa Maria Ground-water Basin, urban water purveyors moved to de-velop their entitlement to imported State WaterProject (SWP) water. The SWP benefits all basinusers through improved water quality and will even-tually improve water quality in the basin. In addi-tion, the SWP will offset a portion of the ground-water overdraft, through reduced pumping and im-proved quality return flows. Today, most of thewater supply for the City of Santa Maria comes fromthe State Water Project.

Construction in progress onMission Tunnel,completed in 1912

10

Santa Ynez andLompoc Valleys

As discussed above, agricultural development in-creased significantly after World War II. Water sup-plies in the Santa Ynez and Lompoc Valleys were ob-tained from groundwater and from the Santa Ynez River.

In order to augment water supplies by capturingflood flows on the Santa Ynez River, the USBR, to-gether with water users and purveyors on the SouthCoast and the Santa Ynez River Basin area, evalu-ated potential dam sites on the river in the 1940sand 1950s. By 1956 site selection for and con-struction of the Bradbury Dam and Lake Cachumawere complete. The project included construc-tion of a transmission tunnel (Tecolote Tunnel)through the Santa Ynez Mountains, and a distribu-tion system along the South Coast.

The Cachuma Project provides a water supply forboth urban and agricultural users, 90% of whomare on the South Coast. The diversion of water fromthe Santa Ynez River Valley to the South Coast hascreated a number of issues regarding these watersupplies.

In the years since the Cachuma Project was com-pleted there have been legal challenges by variousdownstream users. These challenges allege thatconstruction of the Bradbury Dam has resulted inreduced water availability and declining water qualityin the lower reaches of the Santa Ynez River and in

the Lompoc Groundwater Basin. One result of this,and a greater understanding of the Cachuma Project’seffects on riparian groundwater users downstream,is that the State Water Resources Control Board(SWRCB) has issued several orders that govern waterrights releases from Lake Cachuma. In addition,Cachuma Member Units (five water purveyors thatcontract for water from the reservoir) have volun-tarily established an allocation of water to main-tain fish downstream from the Dam. The SWRCBwill consider the existing orders and the “fish ac-count” during its re-evaluation of the CachumaProject permit, which is scheduled for late in theyear 2000.

State Water Project

The concept of a statewide water development projectwas raised in 1919, when Colonel Robert B. Marshallpublished a plan for transferring water from theSacramento River system to the San Joaquin Valleyand through the Tehachapi Mountains to SouthernCalifornia. His proposal led to the first State WaterPlan, published in 1931, which identified facilitiesand means of accomplishing the north-to-southwater transfer. Although the plan was approved bythe voters, the bonds to fund the project could notbe sold as the state was in the midst of the GreatDepression. In 1937, the federal government tookover the funding and began constructing the Cen-tral Valley Project (CVP). Today, the CVP is oper-ated and maintained by the U.S. Bureau of Recla-mation and delivers about 7 million acre-feet ofwater through its system.

During and following World War II, California’spopulation nearly doubled and agriculture becamebig business so more water was needed beyond thatprovided by the CVP. Therefore, the Legislatureasked the State Water Resources Board to updateand expand the prewar water studies. In responseto this request, the Division of Water Resources(precursor to the Department of Water Resources)of the Public Works Department produced Bulle-tin 1 (1951), Bulletin 2 (1955) and Bulletin 3

Construction of the SouthCoast Conduit Channel whichruns from Tecolote Tunnel toCarpinteria

11


(1957), which included data on water resources,forecasts of future demand, and plans for the in-frastructure needed to transfer water from areas ofsurplus in the north to the water-deficient areas tothe south.

Concurrently, other specialists completed the firstproposal for a “Feather River Project” (eventuallynamed the State Water Project) in 1951 to meetthe state’s immediate water needs. The proposedproject was authorized by the State Legislature in1951. In 1955, a second report on the FeatherRiver Project was completed and included the ad-dition of another reservoir in the system.

That same year, Northern and Central Californiaexperienced one of the greatest floods on record,which caused more than $200 million in propertydamage and took 64 lives. In response to thisdisaster, the Legislature appropriated $25.2 mil-lion to the Department of Water Resources (offi-cially created in July 1956) to construct the StateWater Project for flood control and water supplypurposes. Work began in May 1957 in the Orovillearea to make way for the dam and reservoir. In1959 the California Water Resources DevelopmentBond Act, known as the Burns-Porter Act, was passedauthorizing the issuance of $1.75 billion in gen-eral obligation bonds to finance the SWP and anyadditional facilities needed to augment water sup-plies to meet local needs. Federal funding wasprovided for flood control and federal-state joint-use facilities. In November 1960, voters approvedthe bond act.

The initial facilities of the State Water Project, com-pleted in 1973, included 18 reservoirs, 17 pump-ing plants, 8 hydroelectric power plants, and 550miles of aqueduct. Additional facilities have beenadded to the system since that time including theCoastal Branch that serves Santa Barbara County.For more information refer to the State Water Projectsection of this report

For More Information

Historical photographs available on compact diskfrom Goleta Water District. Call 964-6761.

California Department of Water Resources, 1999.California State Water Project Atlas.

Santa Barbara County Water Agency. 1949. A WaterHistory and the Cachuma Project.

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. 1951. Santa MariaProject, South Pacific Basin, California.

City of Santa Barbara:http://www.ci.santa-barbara.ca.us/departments/public_works/water_resources/

Goleta Water District:http://www.goletawater.com/

Montecito Water District:http://www.montecitowater.com/

Vandenberg Village Community Services Districthttp://www.impulse.net/~vvcsd

Water SuppliesWater SuppliesWater SuppliesWater SuppliesWater SuppliesGroundwaterSurface Water

State Water ProjectDesalination

12

Introduction

Groundwater supplies about 75% of Santa BarbaraCounty’s domestic, commercial, industrial and ag-ricultural water. It is also one of the last lines ofdefense against the periodic droughts that occur inthe county. Historic records, combined with treering analysis, indicate that local drought periodsof several years or more have occurred two to fourtimes per century over the last 460 years for whichtree ring records are available (Turner, 1992).

To better understand the supply and limitations ofeach groundwater basin and aquifer, local, stateand federal agencies regularly monitor water quantityand quality. This information about our ground-water resources is critical to preventing overuse of

GroundwaterGroundwaterGroundwaterGroundwaterGroundwater

aquifers, which can lead to depletion, seawater in-trusion, diminished storage capacity, lower waterquality or land subsidence within a basin. Theresult of overuse depends on the characteristics ofthe aquifer. In areas with low recharge rates, ex-cessive pumping might render portions of an aqui-fer unusable indefinitely. The lowering of watertables might increase pumping “lifts”, renderinggroundwater economically infeasible for some uses.Thus, the consequence of long-term groundwater over-use can include permanent impairment of aquifers.

Significant changes in groundwater basins gener-ally occur over a period of decades. In larger ba-sins, trends in groundwater level and groundwaterquality are recognizable only by examining datathe length of one or more hydrologic (rainfall)

Most of the information in this section has been condensed form the following sources:• The Santa Barbara County Comprehensive Plan, Conservation Element, Groundwater Resources Section, 1994• The Santa Barbara County Groundwater Report, 1999Another important source of information for this section is:• The Santa Barbara County Environmental Thresholds and Guidelines Manual, 1995For further detail about groundwater basins in Santa Barbara County and specific sources of information cited,

please refer to these, or other documents listed in the References section of this report.

Hydrologic Cycle

13


cycles. However, some factors likely to affect thecondition of the basins, such as the importation ofsupplemental water supplies, the implementationof basin management plans, and short-term cli-matic influences, may change from year to year.

Because of these concerns and various studies in-dicating slight to moderate levels of overdraft inseveral groundwater basins within the county, anda severe level of overdraft in one basin, the Countydeveloped a set of goals and policies to protectlocal groundwater. These goals and policies arecontained in the Santa Barbara County Compre-hensive Plan, Conservation Element, Ground-water Resources Section, which was formallyadopted on November 8, 1994. In terms of thepermitting process for new developments proposedin the county, the effects of new extractions on wa-ter resources are evaluated under the CaliforniaEnvironmental Quality Act pursuant to the adoptedGroundwater Thresholds contained in the County’sEnvironmental Thresholds and Guidelines Manual(Santa Barbara County Planning and DevelopmentDepartment, 1995) and assessed for consistency withthe Comprehensive and Coastal Plan Policies.

Groundwater Terms

There are several terms used in this section thatwarrant definition. For consistency, these termsare defined as used in Environmental Thresholdsand Guidelines Manual, although some are notin widespread use. For example, most authoritiesavoid the use of the term “Safe Yield” because “anever changing quantity of available water depend-ing solely on natural water sources and a specifiedconfiguration of wells is essentially meaningless froma hydrologic standpoint” (Todd, 1980). However,in the County’s Environmental Thresholds andGuidelines Manual (Santa Barbara County Plan-ning and Development Department, 1995), SafeYield is defined as the maximum amount of waterthat can be withdrawn from a basin (or aquifer) onan average annual basis without inducing a long-term progressive drop in water level. This value canbe reported as either Perennial Yield (or the Safe

Yield for gross pumpage) or Net Yield. Peren-nial Yield refers to the amount of pumpage thatrepresents the Safe Yield without accounting forreturn flows (i.e., Perennial Yield includes thevolume of applied water that would return to thebasin through percolation called “return flows”.Net Yield is the Safe Yield value with the returnflows subtracted. The Perennial Yield value is al-ways greater than the Net Yield value.

Overdraft is defined as the level by which long-term average annual pumpage exceeds the estimatedSafe Yield of the basin and thus, in the long-term,may result in significant negative impacts on envi-ronmental, social or economic conditions. A basinin which Safe Yield is greater than estimated aver-age annual pumpage is defined as being in a stateof Surplus. The term Overdraft does not applyto a single year or series of a few years, but to along-term trend extending over a period of manyyears that are representative of long-term averagerainfall conditions. Thus, the estimated overdraftaccounts for both drought periods and periods ofheavy rainfall.

Available Storage is the volume of water in aparticular basin that can be withdrawn economi-cally without substantial environmental effects. Thisstorage value represents an acceptable range in stor-age fluctuations within the basin, not a current stor-age level measurement for the basin. This volume ofwater is also referred to as the Usable Storage orWorking Storage of a basin.

The term Confined or Artesian is used to de-scribe an aquifer, the upper surface of which isrestricted by an impermeable layer (confining layer)or barrier and is under greater than atmosphericpressure so that it will rise above the aquifer inwhich it is contained when the aquifer is pen-etrated by a well. In some cases, the water mightrise above ground surface.

14

Overview of Santa Barbara County Groundwater Basins

The basins are discussed in groups arranged geographically:

The North Coastal Groundwater Basins:

• San Antonio• Santa Maria

The Cuyama Groundwater Basin:

The only major basin located in the northeastsection of the county.

Others:

Areas of limited groundwater extraction andareas that have not been analyzed in detail.

Major South Coast Groundwater Basins:

• Carpinteria• Montecito• Santa Barbara• Goleta

The Santa Ynez River Watershed:

• Santa Ynez Uplands

• Buellton Uplands

• Santa Ynez River Riparian

• Lompoc Groundwater Basins

BuelltonLompoc

Santa Ynez River

Santa Maria

Santa Barbara

Cuyama River

101

101

154

1

TwitchellReservoir

LakeCachuma

GibraltarReservoir Jameson

Lake

New Cuyama

CuyamaBasin

South Coast Basins

Santa MariaBasins

Santa Ynez RiverWatershed Basins

Sisquoc River

Santa MariaRiver

15


Well Monitoringand Data Collection

The Santa Barbara County Water Agency (SBCWA)currently monitors approximately 250 wells through-out the county. Many more wells are monitored byindividual water districts. Several of these entitiescooperate with the United States Geological Survey(USGS) to collect and publish groundwater data.Groundwater depth is measured by the SBCWA oneor two times per year, using a graduated steel tapeor an electric sounder.

To track and record groundwater data, the SBCWAhas developed an electronic, geographically orga-nized database for analyzing and displaying his-torical groundwater data. Groundwater data mayalso be obtained from the USGS and SBCWA publi-cations and files.

The groundwater quality data used in this reportcomes from the USGS, the Regional Water QualityControl Board, or local water agencies, since theSBCWA does not collect this type of data. Thisreport discusses total dissolved solids (TDS) as anindication of general water quality, nitrates as anindication of possible return flow contamination andchlorides as an indication of possible seawater intru-sion.

The following water quality standards from the Com-pilation of Federal and State Drinking WaterStandards & Criteria (State of California, 1995)are provided for comparison purposes. The DHSsecondary standard, which applies to taste, odorand appearance, is 1,000 mg/L maximum contami-nant level for TDS in drinking water. The DHS pri-mary standards, which apply to chemical and ra-dioactive contaminants in water, are 45 mg/L fornitrates and 250 mg/L for chloride.

General Trends

Many of the monitoring wells discussed in this re-port exhibit pronounced water level declines andincreases as a result of varying weather patterns ofthe area’s semiarid climate. The severe drought thatoccurred between 1986 and 1991 led to signifi-cant declines in water levels. Then several years ofabove average rainfall from March 1991 to April1998 caused groundwater levels to rise substan-tially in most areas of the county. Depending onfuture climatic conditions, the rise in water levelsobserved in some of the basins may be a short-termvariation in a long-term trend of overdraft-inducedwater level decline.

Well response to precipitation depends on manyfactors including the percolation time required forrecharge to reach water tables. Deep aquifers re-spond slowly, often having a lag time of two ormore years. Shallow aquifers such as those nearcreeks and rivers and those located in relativelyshallow basins with surface material of high per-meability tend to respond more quickly to varia-tions in precipitation and stream flow. Therefore,in such areas there has been a strong correlationbetween well measurements for a particular yearand that season’s precipitation.

It is important to note that localized influencessuch as variations in pumping can also modify gen-eral trends. As a result of these factors, single yearor short-term groundwater trends are of limitedvalue in assessing overall basin conditions.

Historic trends and hydrologic balance studies us-ing available data indicate slight to moderate over-drafts in groundwater basins in the Santa MariaValley, San Antonio Valley, Santa Ynez Uplands andLompoc Uplands. Significant overdraft is evidentonly in the Cuyama Valley Groundwater Basin (SantaBarbara County Water Agency, 1996). Effects of im-portation of State Water Project (SWP) water in theSanta Maria area and Santa Ynez Uplands are as yetunclear, but may eliminate overdraft in these areasin the future.

A Brief Comparison of Groundwater Basins in Santa Barbara County

Basin Size GrossPump-

age

NetPump-

age

Estimated NetDemand on

Groundwater

NetSurplus/

(Overdraft)AvailableStorage

Land UseSummary

Acres AFY AFY AFY AFY AF

South County Groundwater Basins

Carpinteria 6,700 4,294 3,865

2,605Pumpage level assumesthat all available surface

supplies are utilized

1,260 50,000

One city, orchards,irrigated crops and

greenhouses

Montecito 4,300 1,350 1,215Pumpage not requireddue to surplus surface

suppliesN/A 14,400

Primarily low-densityresidential use;unincorporated

SantaBarbara

4,500 847 805

Pumpage not requireddue to surplus surface

supplies. Basin managedby City of S.B.

N/A 10,000Primarily residential,

industrial andcommercial

Foothill 3,000 953 905898 (Maximum long-term pumpage. Basin

managed by City of S.B.)

Not subject tooverdraft perSB/LCMWCagreement.

5,000 Primarily residential

GoletaNorth/Central

5,700 3,600 3,420 3,420Not subject to

Overdraft per Courtdecision.

18,000

Primarily residential,industrial and

commercial. Basin hasbeen adjudicated and isnot subject to overdraft.

GoletaWest

3,500 500 475 220 255 10,000Primarily residential,

industrial andcommercial.

Santa Ynez River Groundwater Basins

Santa YnezUplands

83,200 11,500 8,970 10,998 (2,600) 900,000

Three towns, one city,and other low density

residential; varied,high-value agriculure

BuelltonUplands

16,400 3,740 2,768 1,932 800 154,000Agriculture;

one city

Lompoc 48,600 28,537 21,468 22,459 (991) 170,000

One city, unincorporatedurban development,

Vandenberg AFB; variedagriculture; petroleum

PerennialYield for:

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PerennialYield for:

18

South Coast BasinsThe South Coast basins are located between theSanta Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean (seeSanta Barbara County Groundwater Map). In gen-eral, these basins are composed of the unconsoli-dated material that accumulated as a result of theuplift and erosion of the mountains. Several ofthe basins are generally differentiated from eachother where faulting or impermeable geologic for-mations limit the hydrologic connection betweenthe aquifers.

The major groundwater basins (Carpinteria,Montecito, Santa Barbara, and Goleta) are sepa-rated from each other by faults, impermeable bed-rock, inferred lithologic barriers, or arbitrary (ad-ministrative) boundaries. Inferred barriers existwhere pronounced changes in water depth and/orwater quality exist but where there is no other di-rect physical evidence of faulting or other physicalbarriers. It is important to note that basin andsubbasin boundaries might change as more is learnedabout the geologic and hydrologic relationshipsbetween the aquifer units.

The beach at Rincon Point

Goleta Basin Santa BarbaraBasin

Montecito Basin

CarpinteriaBasin

South Coast Basins

Toro Canyon� Subbasin

....................

FoothillBasin

19


CarpinteriaGroundwater Basin

Physical Characteristics:

The Carpinteria Groundwater Basin underlies ap-proximately 12 square miles in the Carpinteria Val-ley. It extends east of the Santa Barbara County lineinto Ventura County and includes the Toro Canyonsubbasin to the west. (The Toro Canyon Subbasinis included in the Montecito Water District servicearea but is hydrologically a part of the CarpinteriaGroundwater Basin.)

The aquifer consists of two storage units: StorageUnit One is located north of the Rincon Creek Faultand Storage Unit Two is located south of the RinconCreek Fault. Storage Unit One and possibly Unit Twoextend beneath the Pacific Ocean an unknown dis-tance. The Toro Canyon area occupies a small exten-sion of Storage Unit One. The Rincon Creek Faultacts as a barrier to groundwater flow between the twostorage units. Large portions of the southern CarpinteriaBasin aquifer are confined including portions of bothstorage units.

Precipitation in the basin varies with elevation butaverages about 16.6 inches per year near the coastand increases to about 24 inches per year on thesouth flank of the Santa Ynez Mountains. The pri-mary drainages through which surface water emp-ties into the Pacific Ocean are Rincon Creek,Carpinteria Creek, Franklin Creek, Santa MonicaCreek, and Toro Creek.

Water Quality:

Water quality has been monitored sporadically overmost of the 20th century. Since the initial USGSstudy (Upson, 1951; Worts, 1951), TDS concen-trations within the basin have increased, with recentconcentrations ranging from 436 to 980 mg/L. Ground-water analyses conducted in 1985 revealed nitrate levelsbelow the State Maximum Contaminant Level of 45mg/L for public water systems.

There is no evidence of seawater intrusion into thebasin. It is believed that the Rincon Creek andCarpinteria Faults act as barriers to seawater, as do claylayers overlying the aquifer near Carpinteria Slough.

Basin Supply and Demand:

The total volume of water in the basin is estimatedto be 700,000 acre-feet (AF). The Available Storageis estimated to be about 50,000 AF. Safe Yield of thebasin (for gross pumpage) is estimated to be 5,000AFY. Of this amount, 4,294 AFY is considered avail-able for the Carpinteria Valley area when the por-tions of the basin located in Toro Canyon and inVentura County are excluded. Two other sources ofwater are available: the Cachuma Project and theState Water Project. The Carpinteria Valley WaterDistrict receives approximately 2,800 AFY from LakeCachuma and holds an entitlement of 2,000 AFY inthe State Water Project. Agricultural demand is metby groundwater and Cachuma Project water. Agri-culture consists mostly of avocados, citrus and flori-culture. Urban demand is met by SWP water and theCachuma Projects. Total water supply available tothe Carpinteria Basin area (inside Santa BarbaraCounty excluding Toro Canyon) is approximately8,800 AFY.

The average annual demand in the entire basin isabout 7,400 AFY based on a County study (Baca,1991), which accounted for all current and esti-mated future water demands in the basin. Thus,there is currently an average annual surplus of about1,400 AFY (gross) and 1,260 AFY (net). A state ofoverdraft is not reasonably foreseeable in theCarpinteria Groundwater Basin.

Carpinteria Creek

20

MontecitoGroundwater Basin


The Montecito Groundwater Basin encompassesabout 6.7 square miles between the Santa YnezMountains and the Pacific Ocean. The MontecitoGroundwater Basin is separated from the CarpinteriaGroundwater Basin to the east by faults and bed-rock and from the Santa Barbara Groundwater Ba-sin to the west by an administrative boundary. Thebasin has been divided into three storage units onthe basis of east-west tending faults that act as bar-riers to groundwater movement. The northern-most unit is bounded on the south by the ArroyoParida Fault, the central unit by the Montecito Faultand the southernmost unit by the Rincon CreekFault. These storage units are numbered One, Two,and Three, respectively (Lovejoy and Sheahan, 1978).The Toro Canyon Subbasin is included in the sec-tion on the Carpinteria Groundwater Basin becauseit is contiguous with that aquifer. However, theToro Canyon subbasin is within the Montecito Wa-ter District service area.

Average precipitation within the basin ranges fromabout 18 inches per year near the coast to about21 inches per year in the foothills of the Santa YnezMountains. Surface drainage occurs via several smallcreeks that flow from the Santa Ynez Mountainssouth to the Pacific Ocean.

Water Quality:

Water quality in the basin is generally suitable foragricultural and domestic use. Some wells nearfault zones or coastal areas yield groundwater withelevated levels of TDS and other constituents. Studiesindicate that seawater intrusion is not a significantproblem in the basin. It is thought that deeperaquifers of the basin are protected from seawaterintrusion by an impermeable offshore fault. How-ever, some encroachment of seawater might occurin shallower aquifers during periods of heavy pumpingsuch as during the early 1960s.


Available Storage within the Montecito Groundwa-ter Basin is estimated to be 14,400 AF (excludingthe Toro Canyon subbasin). Groundwater from thisbasin supplies private residences and a small amountof agriculture within Montecito. Many residencesare served by private wells or by water pumped bythe Montecito Water District (MWD). Historically,water from Lake Cachuma and Jameson Reservoiron the Santa Ynez River has met roughly 90% of thewater demand within the MWD. The remaining 10%of the demand has been filled by groundwater. Therecent importation of State Water Project supplieshas substantially increased the water supply avail-able in the Montecito area.

The water supply available in the Montecito area isapproximately 8,700 AFY, including groundwaterand the available surface water sources. This fig-ure includes 2,300 AFY from the Cachuma Project,1,926 AFY from Jameson Lake and other surfacewater sources, 65 AFY from MWD bedrock wells,3,000 AFY of SWP water and the Safe Yield of thegroundwater basin of 1,350 AFY (for gross pumpage).Water demand in the Montecito area is approxi-mately 5,500 AFY according to a County study (Baca,1992) which incorporated demand associated withapproved projects and vacant lots. Since the avail-able surface supplies provide more than enoughwater to meet local demand, overdraft of the ground-water basin is not reasonably foreseeable.

Santa BarbaraGroundwater Basin


The Santa Barbara Groundwater Basin is composed ofalluvial sediments that underlie a coastal plain. Thebasin includes two hydrologic units: Storage Unit #Iand Storage Unit #III. These hydrologic units en-compass about 7 square miles in and adjacent to theCity of Santa Barbara. The basin is bounded on thenorth and west by faults, and by the ocean on thesouth. The boundary to the east is an arbitrary line,

21


Gibraltar Reservoir and desalinated seawater. Othersupplies include allocations from the Montecito andGoleta Water Districts and reclaimed wastewater.

The status of the City of Santa Barbara Basin (i.e.,Storage Units #I and #III) has been analyzed by theCounty on the basis of the overall supply/demandbalance of the City of Santa Barbara (Baca and Ahlroth,1992a). Overall water supplies available to the Citytotal approximately 18,300 AFY, including the ground-water basin Safe Yield (for gross pumpage) of 847AFY, a yield of 3,000 AFY from the State Water Project,and 14,453 AFY from the other sources listed above.Water demand has been estimated to be 15,121 AFY(Baca and Ahlroth, 1992a). Thus, a substantialsurplus in water supply is available to the City andoverdraft of the basin would not be reasonably fore-seeable. Furthermore, the City of Santa Barbara isactively managing the use of this basin as an under-ground storage reservoir. This is part of an overallplan for the conjunctive use of the various City wa-ter resources. Since the City is the dominant pumperin the basin, it can control the physical conditionsin the basin. Based on this circumstance, the Cityof Santa Barbara Groundwater Basin is not consid-ered to be subject to overdraft (City of Santa Bar-bara Water Department, 1994).

that does not reflect any known hydrologic or geo-logic barrier, separating the Santa Barbara Ground-water Basin from the Montecito Groundwater Basin.(The separate Foothill Groundwater Basin dis-cussed in the following section encompasses thehydrologic unit that includes the formerly desig-nated Storage Unit #II of the Santa Barbara Ba-sin and the former “East Subbasin” of the GoletaGroundwater Basin).

Annual rainfall within the Santa Barbara Basin var-ies with altitude but averages about 18 inches nearthe coast and up to about 21 inches in the higherelevations of the foothills (i.e., in the Foothill Basinarea). Major drainage channels include SycamoreCreek, Mission Creek, San Roque Creek, and ArroyoBurro Creek.

Water Quality:

TDS concentrations within the two basins range fromabout 400 mg/L to about 1,000 mg/L. Isolated wellshave exhibited much higher TDS concentrations. Sea-water intrusion occurred in some areas of the southbasin (Storage Unit #1) where heavy pumping frommunicipal wells caused groundwater levels to drop asmuch as 100 feet in the late 1970s.

More recently, samples taken from coastal wells haveconfirmed the presence of seawater intrusion withchloride concentrations greater than 1,000 mg/L.Groundwater pumping within the Santa BarbaraGroundwater Basin has been drastically reduced since1991. Effective pumping practices, together withgroundwater injection programs, have restored thepreviously existing gradient thereby reversing the trendof seawater intrusion.


Available Storage within the Santa Barbara Basin isestimated to be 10,000 AF. Groundwater constitutesabout 10% of the water supply for the City of SantaBarbara. Groundwater is produced by the City andby a few private businesses and homeowners. Sur-face water supplies available to the City of Santa Bar-bara include the State Water Project, Lake Cachuma,

FoothillGroundwater Basin

The Foothill Groundwater Basin is described andanalyzed in USGS Water Resources InvestigationsReport 89-4017 (Freckleton, 1989). The defini-tion and description of this basin presented beloware based on this report.


The Foothill Groundwater Basin is comprised ofunconsolidated alluvial sediments that have accu-mulated along the base of the Santa Ynez Moun-tains in the Santa Barbara and Goleta areas. Thisbasin encompasses about 4.5 square miles andextends from the outcrops of the underlying ter-tiary bedrock formations on the north to the Modoc

22

GoletaGroundwater Basin


The Goleta Groundwater Basin lies immediately westof the Santa Barbara Groundwater Basin on the county’ssouth coast. Goleta is an alluvial plain, bordered bythe Santa Ynez Mountains to the north and the MoreRanch Fault to the south. It is about eight mileslong and three miles wide including the hydrauli-cally connected alluvial materials extending into thedrainages along the northern border. Foothills andterraces to the southeast of the alluvial plain (HopeRanch Area) rise to an elevation of over 500 feetabove sea level.

Average rainfall within the basin ranges from about16 inches per year at the coast to about 20 inchesper year at the basin’s highest elevation in the foot-hills of the Santa Ynez Mountains. Surface drainageis to the south toward the Goleta Slough throughwhich several creeks empty into the ocean includ-ing Atascadero, Maria Ygnacia, San Jose, Tecolotito,and San Pedro.

The Goleta Groundwater Basin, as defined by theUSGS, is divided into two subbasins separated by aninferred low permeability barrier that separates ar-eas of differing water quality. The Goleta North-Cen-tral Subbasin extends from the Modoc Fault on theeast to a north-west trending line marking an in-ferred low permeability zone on the west. Extend-ing west from this line to outcrops of Tertiary bed-rock is the West Subbasin. Both basins are sepa-rated from the ocean on the south by the More RanchFault. Although originally defined as portions of alarger basin, these two hydrologic units are distinctand have been analyzed and described in planningand legal documents as separate basins. Two courtdecisions in 1989 and 1991 declared these basinsto be distinct and separate for purposes of water rights.Thus, the discussion presented below refers to the “North-Central Basin” and the “West Basin”. [Note: The term“Goleta Groundwater Basin” is sometimes used as asynonym for the Goleta North-Central Basin.]

and Mission Ridge Faults on the south. This hy-drologic unit includes the former Storage Unit #IIof the Santa Barbara Basin and the former “EastSubbasin” of the Goleta Groundwater Basin.

Water Quality:

TDS concentrations range from 610 to 1,000 mg/L in seven wells sampled in the basin. Chlorideconcentrations in this basin are relatively low (44to 130 mg/L) in the seven wells. Note that aneighth well was sampled in the USGS study fromwhich poor quality water (TDS 1,900 mg/L, chlo-ride 360 mg/L) was recovered. This well, however,is known to produce water from bedrock aquifersbelow the sediments that comprise the FoothillBasin.


Available Storage of the Foothill Basin is estimatedto be 5,000 AF. Safe Yield is estimated to be 953AFY (for gross pumpage) based on the 1989 USGSstudy. Demand on the basin falls into three cat-egories: pumpage by the City of Santa Barbara,pumpage by the La Cumbre Mutual Water Com-pany (LCMWC) and extractions by private land-owners. The supply/demand status of this basinhas been analyzed by the County (Baca and Ahlroth,1992a). Pumpage of the basin, including com-mitments to approved projects was estimated tobe 898 AFY when the effects of a City of SantaBarbara/LCMWC agreement involving the State WaterProject are considered. This agreement limitedLCMWC pumpage to a fixed annual volume andincluded cooperation in the management of thebasin. The City of Santa Barbara is conducting con-junctive use water supply management activitiesby injecting and storing surface water in the basin.Based on the agreement between the two majorpumpers (together the City and LCMWC accountfor about 80% of basin pumpage) and the activemanagement of the basin by the City of Santa Bar-bara, the Foothill Basin is not considered to besubject to overdraft.

23


Water Quality:

The USGS compiled water quality data for thesebasins in the early 1940s. Groundwater analysescompleted at that time indicated that chloride con-centrations throughout most of the North-Centraland West basins were less than the DHS secondarystandard of 250 mg/L. TDS ranged from about 170mg/L to 1,400 mg/L in the North-Central Basin, andwas approximately 800 mg/L in the West Subbasin.

More recent studies (Freckleton, 1989) yielded simi-lar TDS ranges as the USGS study with the excep-tion of high concentrations in some wells of theWest Basin. The recent study yielded no evidenceof seawater intrusion. In addition, seawater intru-sion is not likely to have occurred at any time dueto the rock formations and the More Ranch Faultalong the coast that act as barriers to groundwatermigration. Near-surface low permeability sedimentscause the southern portion of the North-Centraland West basins to be under confined conditionsand provide a barrier to contamination from po-tential surface sources of water quality degradationsuch as agricultural return flow or infiltration ofbrackish water in the overlying Goleta Slough. HighTDS perched water is present in shallow aquifersabove the confining layers. This water is not ingeneral use. Water quality in the North-Central Basinis sufficient for many agricultural uses but mightrequire treatment for domestic uses. Water in theWest Basin requires treatment for domestic use andcan be used for irrigation of a limited variety of crops.

The Goleta Water District has extracted water froma bedrock well on a test basis. The well pumpedwater from the fractures in consolidated bedrockin the foothills north of the basin and was of verypoor quality. The District has no plans to utilizewater from this source.


Goleta North/Central Basin:

Available Storage of the North/Central Basin is es-timated to be 18,000 AF. Total storage within thebasin (including the West Basin) has been esti-

mated to be about 245,000 AF. Safe Yield (forgross pumpage) of this basin is estimated to be3,600 AFY. Historically, this basin was in a state ofsevere overdraft. This state of overdraft resulted inlengthy legal proceedings and a long-term morato-rium on new water connections to the Goleta Wa-ter District (GWD). The Wright Judgement in 1989served to adjudicate the water resources of this basinand assigned quantities of the basin Safe Yield tovarious parties, including the GWD and the LCMWC.The judgement also ordered the GWD to bring theNorth/Central Basin into a state of hydrologic bal-ance by 1998. The GWD has achieved compliancewith this order through the importation of SWPwater and the development of other supplementalsupplies. These supplemental supplies have offsetthe court mandated reduction in pumpage fromthe basin. Given that the basin has been adjudi-cated and pumpage is controlled by the Court, over-draft is not foreseeable in the North-Central Basin.

Goleta West Basin:

Available Storage of the Goleta West Basin is esti-mated to be 10,000 AF. Safe Yield (for grosspumpage) is estimated to be 500 AFY. Based onthe results of a meeting in April, 1992 between theCounty and the GWD, gross pumpage in the GoletaWest Basin is estimated to be approximately 232AFY and is entirely attributable to private landown-ers. Thus, based on the most recent analysis theWest Basin has a surplus of 268 AFY for grosspumpage. This state of surplus is anticipated toextend for many years into the future given the avail-ability of high quality supplies from the GWD andthe generally poor quality of the water in this hy-drologic unit.

Other Supplies:

The Goleta area receives surface water from twosources, the Cachuma Project and the State WaterProject. These projects are the major sources ofwater for the area and provide about 16,300 AFY.

24

The groundwater basins within the Santa Ynez Riverdrainage lie between the San Rafael Mountains tothe northeast, the Purisima Hills to the north, andthe Santa Ynez Mountains to the south. The shapeand location of these basins are controlled by the

east-west oriented folds and faults of the region.In addition, the formations of the basins have beeninfluenced by the former stages and flow of theSanta Ynez River, creating terraces and uplands whichcomprise some of the primary aquifers.

Santa Ynez River101

101

1541

LakeCachuma

Groundwater Basins ofthe Santa Ynez River Watershed

Santa YnezUplands

Basin

LompocUplands

Basin

Santa Ynez �River Basin

BuelltonUplands

Basin

New vineyards in the SantaYnez Uplands

�LompocTerraceBasin

LompocPlains

Basin�

25


Santa Ynez UplandsGroundwater Basin


The Santa Ynez Uplands Groundwater Basin under-lies 130 square miles located about 25 miles eastof the Pacific Ocean and north of the Santa YnezRiver. The basin is wedge shaped, narrowing to theeast. It is bounded by a groundwater divide (fromthe San Antonio Basin) to the northwest, faults andthe impermeable rocks of the San Rafael Moun-tains to the northeast, and impermeable rock for-mations that separate it from the Santa Ynez River(and the Santa Ynez River Riparian Basin) to the south.

Average rainfall within the basin varies from a maxi-mum of about 24 inches per year in the higherelevations to a minimum of about 15 inches peryear in the southern and central areas. Rainfall isthe primary source of recharge to the basin.

Water Quality:

Water quality within the basin is generally adequatefor most agricultural and domestic purposes. Studiescompleted in 1970 indicate TDS concentrationsranging from 400 to 700 mg/L. Although recentwater quality data are limited, samples analyzed bythe USGS in 1992 exhibited a TDS concentration of507 mg/L.


Available Storage within the Santa Ynez UplandsGroundwater Basin is estimated to be about 900,000acre-feet (AF). Safe Yield of this basin is estimatedto be 11,500 AFY (for gross pumpage). Estimatedgross pumpage of the basin is 14,100 AFY (SantaBarbara County Water Agency, 1977). Recent esti-mates by the County show that this number is cur-rently accurate. Thus, the basin is in overdraft at alevel of 2,600 AFY. This level of overdraft is smallin comparison to the Available Storage.

Groundwater pumpage meets about 75% of the waterdemand within the basin area. In addition to ground-

water, water is imported into the basin from theCachuma Project and the State Water Project. Agri-culture accounts for almost 90% of the water de-mand within the basin; the remaining demand ismostly from urban consumers.

The basin is pumped by private agricultural anddomestic users, and by the Santa Ynez River WaterConservation District Improvement District #1(SYRWCDID#1). In addition, the City of Solvangpumps about 375 AFY of groundwater from onewell located within the basin. Domestic demandsupplied by SYRWCDID#1 is estimated to be 2,350AFY, including about 550 AFY supplied to the Cityof Solvang. Based on survey reports, Solvang’s totaldomestic usage is estimated to be about 1,800 AFY(Santa Ynez River Water Conservation District, 1996).

The SYRWCDID#1 holds an entitlement of 2,000AFY in the State Water Project, 500 AFY of whichwill likely go toward filling some of its water de-mand, and therefore, eliminating some of the esti-mated basin overdraft. The remaining 1,500 AFY,which was to be delivered to the City of Solvang, iscurrently in litigation and the final amount of SWPwater to be used within the basin has yet to bedetermined. Although there is not yet sufficientbasis for changing the 1977 conclusion that a smalloverdraft exists within the basin, the importationof supplemental supplies and the implementationof a Groundwater Management Plan may bring thebasin into balance.

Santa Agueda Creek in theSanta Ynez Watershed

26

Buellton UplandsGroundwater Basin


The Buellton Uplands Groundwater Basin encom-passes about 29 square miles located about 18 mileseast of the Pacific Ocean and directly north of theSanta Ynez River. The basin boundaries includethe impermeable bedrock of the Purisima Hills tothe north, the Santa Ynez River Fault to the south,a limited connection to the Santa Ynez UplandGroundwater Basin to the east and a topographic(drainage) divide with the Lompoc Basin to thewest.

The Santa Ynez River Riparian Basin sediments overlieportions of the Buellton Uplands in the southeastpart of the basin. Due to the hydrologic gradient(generally north to south), it is likely that the BuelltonUplands Basin discharges into the Santa Ynez RiverRiparian Basin. The Santa Ynez River Riparian Ba-sin is discussed later in this section.

The SBCWA has estimated average annual rainfallin the basin to be about 16 inches per year.

Water Quality:

Current water quality data for the basin is limited.However, data from late 1950s and early 1960s in-dicate TDS concentrations between 300 and 700mg/L for several wells within the basin.


The Buellton Uplands Basin has been a recognizedhydrologic unit for decades and is designated onthe groundwater basin maps adopted into the SantaBarbara County Comprehensive Plan (Santa Bar-bara County Planning and Development Department,1994). Until 1990-91, however, this basin was notsubject to detailed analysis by either the USGS orthe SBCWA. At that time, the SBCWA evaluated thisbasin and found it to be in a moderate state ofoverdraft (Baca, 1994). Subsequently, further analysis

of the basin was conducted and the SBCWA (Almyet al., 1995) determined that the basin is in a stateof surplus.

Available Storage in the Buellton Uplands Basin isestimated to be 154,000 AF. The total volume ofwater in storage in this basin is estimated by theSBCWA to be about 1.4 million AF (assumes a spe-cific yield of 10%). Safe Yield for consumptive use(Net Yield) is estimated to be 2,768 AFY (Almy etal., 1995). Based on an estimated average of 26%return flows, Safe Yield for gross pumpage (Peren-nial Yield) is estimated to be 3,740 AFY. Estimatedpumpage from the basin is 2,599 AFY (gross) and1,932 AFY (net). Thus, the basin is considered bythe SBCWA to be in a state of surplus with naturalrecharge exceeding pumpage by a net 800 AFY. Thissurplus represents the amount of groundwater fromthe Buellton Uplands Basin that discharges annu-ally into the Santa Ynez River Riparian Basin.

Recharge to the basin is from deep percolation ofrainfall, stream seepage, underflow into the basinfrom adjacent basins and return flow from agricul-ture. As stated above, the basin discharges to theSanta Ynez River via natural seepage.

Approximately 80% of the 2,599 AFY of pumpagein the basin is attributable to agricultural irriga-tion. The remaining 20% is used by the City ofBuellton and scattered farmsteads around the ru-ral area.

LompocGroundwater Basin


The Lompoc Groundwater Basin consists of threehydrologically connected subbasins: the LompocPlain, Lompoc Terrace, and Lompoc Uplands. To-gether, these subbasins encompass about 76 squaremiles. The basin surrounds the lower reach ofSanta Ynez River and is bordered on the north bythe Purisima Hills, on the east by a topographic

27


for elevated TDS levels in the middle zone in thenortheastern plain.

Groundwater from the main zone exhibited TDSconcentrations as high as 4,500 mg/L near the coast.It is thought that contamination of the main zone(mainly near the coast) is due to percolation ofseawater through estuary lands and upward migra-tion of poor quality connate waters from the un-derlying rock. Groundwater of the Lompoc Ter-race and Lompoc Upland Subbasin is generally ofbetter quality than that of the Lompoc Plain, aver-aging less than 700 mg/L TDS. Some of the naturalseepage from these subbasins is of excellent qual-ity. For an in-depth discussion of water quality, seethe Water Quality section of this report and docu-ments referenced therein.

Groundwater users and public agencies within thebasin are working to clarify and resolve water qual-ity concerns.

Central coast oak woodland

divide (the Santa Rita Hills) with the Buellton Up-lands Basin, on the South by the Lompoc Hills andon west by the Pacific Ocean. The Lompoc PlainAlluvial Subbasin is divided into three horizontalzones: an upper, middle and main zone. Based onrecent hydrologic and water quality studies, thesezones have points of hydrologic continuity and ex-change limited amounts of water.

Precipitation within the basin is influenced by oro-graphic effects and other meteorological factors.The maximum average rainfall is about 18 inchesand occurs near the southern edge of the basin inthe Lompoc Hills; near the Pacific Ocean precipi-tation averages approximately 10 inches per year.The average rainfall in the City of Lompoc is 13inches. Rainfall averages about twelve inches peryear over the entire basin.

Water Quality:

Water quality in the shallow zone of the LompocPlain tends to be poorest near the coast and inheavily irrigated areas of the subbasin. TDS con-centrations of up to 8,000 mg/L near the coastwere measured in the late 1980s. The poor qualitywater in this area is attributed to upwelling of poorquality connate waters, reduction in fresh waterrecharge from the Santa Ynez River beginning inthe early 1960s, agricultural return flows, and down-ward leakage of seawater from an overlying estuaryin the western portion of the basin (Bright, et al.,1992). The presence of elevated boron and ni-trates (constituents common in seawater and agri-cultural return flow, respectively) supports this con-clusion.

In the middle zone, water samples taken from be-low agricultural areas of the northeastern Plain con-tained TDS concentrations averaging over 2,000mg/L. However, some middle zone groundwaterfrom the western plain exhibited TDS levels below700 mg/L. Areas of recharge, adjacent to the SantaYnez River, contained TDS concentrations of lessthan 1,000 mg/L in the eastern plain. It is believedthat leakage from the shallow zone is responsible


The supply/demand status of this basin was up-dated in 1998 (Ahlroth, 1998).

Available Storage within the Lompoc GroundwaterBasin is estimated to be approximately 170,000 AF(Santa Barbara County Planning and Development,1994). Safe Yield is estimated by the SBCWA to be28,537 AFY (gross or Perennial Yield) and 21,468AFY (net). Net pumpage or consumptive use fromthe Lompoc Basin is estimated to be 22,459 AFY.Based on water level trends evaluated in 1998, thebasin is in a state of overdraft with net extractionsexceeding recharge by 991 AFY.

Groundwater is the only source of water supply withinthe basin. Agricultural uses account for 70% ofthe total water consumed within the basin. Munici-pal uses account for the remaining demand andinclude the City of Lompoc, the Vandenberg Vil-lage Community Services District and the MissionHills Community Services District.

The general direction of groundwater flow is fromeast to west, parallel to the Santa Ynez River. His-torically, underflow from the Lompoc Uplands andLompoc Terrace contributed to recharge of the

Lompoc Plain. As a result of a long-term decline inwater levels, very little underflow will move fromthe Lompoc Upland to the Lompoc Plain in thefuture. Localized depressions in the water tableoccur in areas of heavy pumping. One such area isin the northern part of the Lompoc Plain where theCity operates municipal supply wells. Pumping de-pressions are also present in the Mission Hills andVandenberg Village areas. Sources of recharge to thebasin include percolation of rainfall and stream flow(including Lake Cachuma releases), agricultural waterreturn flow and underflow into the basin.

The City is consulting with upstream entities re-garding concern over worsening water quality inthe Lompoc Plain. Although the cause of the trendis much debated, future Groundwater ManagementPlans created in accordance with AB 3030 couldaddress the problem. Both the USGS and the Cityof Lompoc have developed numerical models ofthe basin that might be used during the implemen-tation of these plans. In addition, the City of Lompochas implemented recycling and conservation pro-grams. The City and the Santa Ynez River WaterConservation District have also initiated a Ground-water Management Plan for the Lompoc Plain por-tion of the basin.

Row crops over the LompocPlain portion of the LompocGroundwater Basin

29


North County Basins

The San Antonio and Santa Maria Groundwater Basinsare located north of the Santa Ynez River water-shed. These basins are hydrologically separate fromeach other and the other basins in the county.

San AntonioGroundwater Basin


The San Antonio Valley Groundwater Basin is ap-proximately 30 miles long and 7 miles wide. Thewestern end of the basin is about 7 miles inlandfrom the Pacific Ocean. It is cradled between theSolomon and Casmalia Hills to the north and thePurisima Hills to the south. The eastern boundaryis a groundwater divide with the Santa Ynez Up-lands Basin. Land use within the valley consistsmainly of agriculture (primarily vineyards), ranch-ing and a small amount of urban development inthe town of Los Alamos. In addition, the westernpart of the basin is within Vandenberg AFB, whichuses groundwater for Base operations.

Average annual rainfall within the basin is about15 inches. Barka Slough, a wetland area in thevalley, was created by consolidated rocks below theeastward plunging syncline (a concave upward foldin stratified rock), forming the basin.

Water Quality:

Water quality studies conducted by the USGS in thelate 1970s indicated an average TDS concentrationwithin the basin of 710 mg/L, with concentrationsgenerally increasing westward. The cause of thewestward water quality degradation is thought tobe the accumulation of lower quality water fromagricultural return flow and the dissolution of solubleminerals. The highest TDS concentration (3,780mg/L) was found in the extreme western end; thelowest concentration (263 mg/L) was found at theextreme eastern end.

Analyses compiled for samples taken between 1958and 1978 indicate that groundwater quality remainedfairly stable during that period. Analyses of watersampled in 1993 for several wells show only slightincreases in TDS since the previous study. There isevidence that poor quality connate waters exist withinfracture zones of the bedrock and that this watermight be induced into overlying strata through ex-cessive pumping. There is no evidence of seawaterintrusion in the basin, nor is the basin consideredsusceptible to seawater intrusion due to the con-solidated rock that separates the basin from theocean.


The supply/demand status of this basin was up-dated in 1999 (Baca and Ahlroth, 1999). The dis-cussion presented below reflects this recent update.

Available Storage within San Antonio GroundwaterBasin is estimated to be about 800,000 AF. SafeYield of the basin is 8,667 AFY (gross) and 6,500

Santa Maria

Cuyama River

101

TwitchellReservoir

Sisquoc River

Santa Maria River

San AntonioBasin

Santa MariaBasin

AFY (net), according to the USGS (Hutchinson,1980). Baca and Ahlroth (1999) estimate netpumpage (net consumptive use) of groundwater inthe basin to be 15,931 AFY (equivalent to grosspumpage of 21,128 AFY). Thus, the basin is in astate of overdraft at a level of 9,431 AFY (net).

All but 500 AFY of the total of 15,931 AFY of con-sumptive use in the San Antonio Basin is attribut-able to agricultural irrigation, primarily vineyards.The minor municipal demand is for VandenbergAFB and the small community of Los Alamos.Groundwater is the sole source of water supply withinthe basin boundaries. It should be noted thatVandenberg AFB historically pumped approximately3,000 to 4,000 AFY from the San Antonio Basin.With the recent importat ion of SWP water,Vandenberg AFB pumpage has dropped to about300 AFY. This drop in Vandenberg AFB pumpagehas been offset by the increase in pumpage associ-ated with the recent and extensive vineyard devel-opment in this area.

Recharge to the basin occurs through the percola-tion of rainfall and seepage from streams. Water leavesthe basin through well extractions and surface out-flow to the Pacific Ocean. The surface outflow at thewestern end of the basin supports the Barka Sloughwetland.

As stated above, the basin is in overdraft at an esti-mated level of 9,431 AFY (net). This, dependingupon future climatic conditions, could lead to ad-verse effects over the long-term. Because of theimpermeable character of the west basin bound-ary, seawater intrusion will not occur as a result ofoverdraft. However, underflow of connate waterfrom bedrock formations in contact with the basinmay cause gradual deterioration of groundwaterquality. Overdraft could also result in a gradualprogressive reduction in the amount of water dis-charged on an average annual basis from the basin.Thus, the basin outflow which supports the BarkaSlough wetland, and stream flows in the westernportion of San Antonio Creek, could progressivelydecline.

Agricultural land in the SantaMaria Valley

31


Santa Maria ValleyGroundwater Basin


The Santa Maria Valley Groundwater Basin is analluvial basin that is situated in the northwest por-tion of Santa Barbara County and extends into thesouthwest portion of San Luis Obispo County. Thebasin boundaries include: 1) an east-west line justsouth of the Nipomo area, 2) the Sierra MadreMountains to the north and east, and 3) the Casmaliaand Solomon Hills to the south and west. The SantaBarbara County portion of this basin equals 170square miles, with a thinning northern continua-tion that terminates in the Five Cities area in SanLuis Obispo County.

Average rainfall varies from about 12 to 16 inchesper year within the basin. Surface drainage is pri-marily from the Sisquoc and Santa Maria Riverswhich traverse the north side of the basin from eastto west. Orcutt Creek, Bradley Canyon, Cat Canyonand Foxen Canyon are the primary drainages onthe south side of the basin.

Water Quality:

Water quality data indicates that TDS concentra-tions generally increase from east to west, with themost significant degradation occurring in the westernpart of the basin. TDS concentrations for shallowerwells also tend to increase southward, away fromthe recharge area of the Santa Maria River. TDSconcentrations east of Guadalupe have increasedto over 3,000 mg/L in 1975 from less than 1,000mg/L in the 1930s. In addition, TDS levels haveincreased significantly in Orcutt wells since the 1930s,but have remained relatively stable since 1987. Theimportation and domestic use of SWP water nowresults in better quality discharge water from thetreatment facilities.

A recent study conducted by the State of CaliforniaWater Resources Control Board (1995) indicatesthat the basin is subject to nitrate contamination,particularly in the vicinity of the City of Santa Maria

and in Guadalupe. The study shows that nitrateconcentrations have increased from less than 30mg/L in the 1950s to over 100 mg/L in the 1990sin some parts of the basin.

Coastal monitoring wells are measured biannuallyfor any indication of seawater intrusion, althoughthere has been no evidence that it has occurred.The concern of seawater intrusion is based on evi-dence that the Careaga Sand crops out on the oceanfloor several miles west and there are no knownbarriers to prevent intrusion. Although it is likelythat the seawater-freshwater interface has migratedtoward land during the 20th century, the slope ofgroundwater has remained positive toward the oceanin the western-most part of the basin.


The supply/demand status of this basin was reviewedin the Orcutt Community Plan Update: FinalEnvironmental Impact Report (Santa BarbaraCounty Resource Management Department, 1995).The discussion presented below reflects this recentupdate as well as recent SBCWA reports (Ahlroth,1992; Naftaly, 1994) on this basin.

Water storage above sea level within the Santa MariaGroundwater Basin was estimated to be about 2.5million acre-feet (MAF) in 1984 and 1.97 MAF in1991, and in 1998-99 probably greater than 2.5MAF. The maximum storage level of record oc-curred in 1918 and was over 3 MAF. The portionof the groundwater basin located in San Luis ObispoCounty was estimated by the Department of WaterResources to contain about 226,000 AF in 1975, apart of which is included in the SBCWA estimate.Based on examination of past storage and climatetrends, current storage above sea level in the basinis probably greater than 2.3 MAF (year 2000 con-dition). The basin supplies groundwater to theCity of Santa Maria, California Cities Water Com-pany, the City of Guadalupe, Casmalia CommunityServices District, oil operations and private agri-culture throughout the valley. Groundwater waspreviously the only source of water used within thevalley, however, SWP water has provided an addi-tional water source since 1997.

The aquifer is considered to be essentially con-tinuous hydrologically with the exception of claylenses that cause localized confinement. Depres-sions of the water table occur in areas of heavypumping.

After World War II, agriculture in the valley in-creased dramatically resulting in significant ground-water declines. The construction of Twitchell Res-ervoir in 1959 increased recharge significantly. TheTwitchell Project is estimated to yield an average of20,000 AF annually.

Recovery of the basin from extended dry periodsbecame more rapid after the construction of TwitchellReservoir. Comparison of post-drought recoveryperiods illustrates this. For example, recovery ofthe groundwater in some wells from 1937 through1945 was more gradual than for the period from1967 through 1971 despite greater pumpage andless rainfall during the later period. The rapidrecovery was due to the added recharge from TwitchellReservoir.

The Perennial Yield for gross pumpage of the basinhas been estimated to be approximately 120,000AFY. Historic hydrologic data indicate an averageannual overdraft of approximately 20,000 AF basedupon a 45-year base period with very wet and verydry cycles, and with average annual rainfall equalto the long-term average precipitation, but not ac-counting for importation of SWP water as discussedbelow.

The Cities of Santa Maria and Guadalupe, and Cali-fornia Cities Water Company of Orcutt have con-tracted to receive a combined total of 17,250 AFYfrom the State Water Project, which began deliveryin 1997. Santa Maria holds 16,200 AFY of entitle-ment. According to the City of Santa Maria StateWater Master Plan (Boyle Engineering Corp., 1994),approximately two-thirds of its SWP supply is des-ignated for blending purposes to meet establishedCity water quality objectives and will not be used tosupport new development. Thus, this use of SWPwater represents a corresponding reduction in long-term pumpage (and overdraft) of the basin. An-other benefit of SWP water importation is the rela-tively low salinity of return flows from water use inthe city. This serves to improve overall water qualityin the basin.

Deliveries of SWP water to the basin were approxi-mately 12,000 AF in 1999. If the rate of these de-liveries continues or increases, and if net usageremains the same, the estimated overdraft wouldbe reduced.

Produce from Santa MariaValley farmland ready formarket

33


Cuyama Groundwater Basin

Cuyama Groundwater Basin


The Cuyama Groundwater Basin is comprised ofunconsolidated sands and gravels that fill a 225-square-mile intermontane topographic depressionnamed the Cuyama Valley. This valley lies about 35miles north of the City of Santa Barbara betweenthe Sierra Madre Mountains on the south and theCaliente Mountain Range on the north. The basintrends northwest-southeast. The basin extends eastinto Ventura County and north into Kern and SanLuis Obispo Counties. Rainfall within the basinranges from about 24 inches per year at the crest ofthe Sierra Madre Mountains to as little as 6 inchesper year in the central valley.

Water Quality:

Agricultural water use began in 1938 and has sinceprogressively increased. The constant cycling and

evaporation of irrigation water has resulted in de-creasing water quality. Groundwater within the basinmakes up 100% of the water supply for CuyamaValley agriculture, petroleum operations, businessesand homes. Agriculture accounts for over 95% ofthe water use within the valley.


The supply/demand status of this basin was up-dated in 1992 (Baca and Ahlroth, 1992b). Thediscussion presented below reflects this informa-tion.

Available Storage in this basin is estimated to be1,500,000 AF. Safe Yield has been estimated to be10,667 AFY (gross) and 8,000 AFY (net). The grossdemand on the Cuyama Valley Groundwater Basinhas been estimated to be 48,700 AFY, with a netdemand of about 36,525 AFY. The overdraft is there-fore in excess of 28,000 AFY. Water level declinessince the 1940s in excess of 100 feet are not un-usual in some parts of the basin.

Cuyama River

New Cuyama

Sisquoc River

CuyamaBasin

34

The following extraction areas are relatively small,undeveloped or lacking groundwater data:

More RanchGroundwater Basin

The supply/demand status of this basin was up-dated in 1993 (Baca, 1993). The discussion pre-sented below reflects this report.

The More Ranch Basin occupies about 502 acresin the southern Goleta area between the More RanchFault and the Pacific Ocean. The unconsolidatedsand and silt of Santa Barbara Formation that com-prise the basin overlie consolidated bedrock of theSisquoc and Monterey formations. Average rainfallfor this area is approximately 16 inches per year.

Most of the area encompassed by this basin is inopen space. Developed land uses include residen-tial dwellings with some open field and greenhouseagriculture. Water quality within the basin aver-ages from 800 to 2,300 mg/L, TDS. The Safe Yieldof the basin is estimated to be 84 AFY (gross), 76AFY (net). The gross demand is estimated to beabout 24 AFY, resulting in a surplus of 60 AFY.

Ellwood to GaviotaGroundwater Area


The Ellwood to Gaviota groundwater area coversabout 105 square miles in the southern part ofSanta Barbara County between the crest of the SantaYnez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. Geologi-cally, the area consists of the south limb of a largeanticline (convex upward fold), that forms the SantaYnez Mountains. The terrace and alluvial depositslocated near the coast formed as the mountainsuplifted, folded and eroded.

Rainfall in the area ranges from about 18 inchesper year near the ocean to over 30 inches at thecrest of the Santa Ynez Mountains. Surface drain-age is south, down the steep slope of the moun-tains to the Pacific Ocean. The direction of ground-water flow is also south.

Water Quality:

Samples analyzed from many groundwater wells inthe late 1960s indicated that most of the ground-water of the Ellwood-Gaviota area was too hard fordomestic use without treatment. In addition, sa-linity was found at hazardous concentrations in manywells. Seawater intrusion might be occurring inalluvial areas near the coast. However, the pres-ence of impermeable strata might prevent seawaterfrom reaching deeper aquifers.


The USGS (Miller and Rapp, 1968) estimated thetotal groundwater in storage above sea level withinthe area to be over 2 MAF. This study also estimatedthat average annual recharge (Safe Yield for netconsumptive use) to this area is 6,000 AFY on thebasis of groundwater discharge measurements.Groundwater comprises the majority of the watersupply used within the area, although some LakeCachuma water was imported into the eastern halfof the region in the early 1960s (less than 1,000AFY) and is still used in support of agriculture atpresent.

Groundwater in the Ellwood-Gaviota area is pro-duced from wells that tap bedrock aquifers or al-luvial sediments which accumulated along canyonfloors. Land uses supported by this pumpage in-clude the Exxon Las Flores Canyon oil processingfacility; the Chevron Gaviota oil processing facility;residential development and agriculture at the ElCapitan Ranch; the El Capitan, Refugio and GaviotaState Parks; the Tajiguas Landfill and several largeavocado orchards. A detailed land use and water

Other Groundwater Extraction Areas

35



demand survey of this area has not been conducted.Water resources are evaluated by the County on aproject-by-project basis during the review of ap-plications for discretionary and ministerial Countyland use permits. The Groundwater ThresholdsManual for Environmental Review of Water Re-sources in Santa Barbara County (Baca, 1992)describes the adopted County methodology for es-timating the Safe Yield of bedrock aquifers.

Gaviota toPoint ConceptionGroundwater Area

This area encompasses about 36 square miles be-tween the crest of the Santa Ynez Mountains andthe Pacific Ocean. It is located west of the Ellwoodto Gaviota Area described in the previous section.

The geologic structure and hydrology of the Gaviotato Point Conception and the Ellwood to Gaviotagroundwater areas are nearly identical. The pri-mary difference between the two is that the SantaYnez Mountains are lower within the Gaviota toPoint Conception area. As a result, there is lessannual precipitation, less runoff and less rechargeto the aquifer.

Groundwater is the only water supply source withinthe area. The primary land use within the area isranching and some limited agriculture. A numberof remote ranch homes are also present in thisarea. A detailed land use and water demand surveyof this area has not been conducted. Water resourcesare evaluated by the County on a project-by-projectbasis during the review of applications for discre-

tionary and ministerial County land use permits.The Groundwater Thresholds Manual for Envi-ronmental Review of Water Resources in SantaBarbara County (Baca, 1992) describes the adoptedCounty methodology for estimating the Safe Yieldof bedrock aquifers.

The Santa Ynez RiverRiparian Basin

The Santa Ynez River Riparian Basin consists ofunconsolidated sand and gravel alluvial depositsalong the Santa Ynez River. These deposits are upto 150 feet thick and several hundred to severalthousand feet across, and extend 36 miles fromBradbury Dam to the Lompoc Plain. Storage withinthe upper 50 feet of the basin is about 90,000 AF.Groundwater in the Riparian Basin is in direct hydro-logic communication with surface flow of the river.

Inflow to the basin is from underflow from adja-cent basins (Santa Ynez Uplands, Buellton Uplands,Lompoc Basin), percolation from rainfall and in-filtration of river flow. In accordance with existingrequirements included in State Water ResourcesControl Board agreements, water is released fromLake Cachuma to recharge the Riparian Basin basedon water levels in monitoring wells and “credits”of water held in reservoir storage. Thus, basin wa-ter levels are controlled by the Cachuma Project atcertain times. This basin is not subject to overdraftbecause the average annual flow of the Santa YnezRiver (the recharge source) is greater than the vol-ume of the basin. Water is extracted from thisbasin for municipal and agricultural uses by manyentities both private and public.

Gibbs, D. 1999. Groundwater Resources Report.Santa Barbara County Water Agency.

Santa Barbara County Planning and Development.1994. Santa Barbara County Comprehensive Plan,Conservation Element, Groundwater ResourcesSection.

Groundwater Resources Association:http://www.grac.org/

Department of Water Resources:http://www.dwr.water.ca.gov/

USGS: http://water.wr.usgs.gov/

36

Santa Ynez River

Cuyama River

Sisquoc River

Santa MariaRiver

San Antonio Creek

TwitchellReservoir

Surface WaterSurface water refers to water resources that flow or are stored in surface channels (streams and rivers, orlakes and reservoirs). Surface water can be naturally occurring, or can be created or altered through humandesign. A surface reservoir is formed when a dam is built to trap natural flows along a river and to tempo-rarily store water behind the dam in the reservoir. Water can then be released in a controlled fashion forflood control, recreational purposes, or as needed for water supply. The land area that collects water whichfeeds into surface flows, such as creeks and rivers, is called a watershed. A watershed includes the areas upto the mountain ridges that collect rainwater, the valleys with streams within these areas, and the lakes wherethe water flows are stored.

LakeCachuma Gibraltar

Reservoir

RiversJamesonLake

Santa Ynez River

General Information

In Santa Barbara County there are several riversthat flow from back-country watersheds into theocean. The flow of the rivers in Santa Barbara Countyis highly variable with more years of low and inter-mediate flow than years with high flow. In SantaBarbara County flow is dependent on rainfall, asthere is little base flow and no significant snow-melt. The years within the top 25% for rainfallcreate most of the volume in Santa Barbara Countyrivers, so during normal years many streams aredry throughout the summer and fall. Four reser-voirs have been built to capture these surface flowsfor a variety of uses.

Santa Ynez River

Geology, Topography, Location:

The Santa Ynez River watershed, located in the centralpart of Santa Barbara County, is about 900 squaremiles in area. The Santa Ynez River originates inthe San Rafael Mountains in the Los Padres Na-tional Forest, at an elevation of about 4,000 feetnear the eastern border of the county. A smallportion of the Santa Ynez River watershed lies inVentura County. The river flows westerly about 90miles to the ocean, passing through Jameson Lake,Gibraltar Reservoir and Lake Cachuma. The ter-rain on the south side of the river rises steeply to

37


the crest of the Santa Ynez Mountains. These moun-tains range in elevation from about 2,000 to 4,000feet and separate the Santa Ynez River Basin fromSanta Barbara and the South Coast. The north sideof the basin is formed by the Purisima Hills andSan Rafael Mountains, which range in elevation from1,000 to 6,000 feet.

As the river descends from higher elevations, it passesthrough a narrow trough between the mountainsjust upstream of Lake Cachuma. Below LakeCachuma, the river passes along the southern edgeof the Santa Ynez Upland and flows past the broadpart of the valley near Buellton. West of Buellton itflows through a narrow meandering stretch to theLompoc Narrows and emerges onto the broadLompoc Plain before it empties into the PacificOcean at Surf Beach.

The river is characterized by both narrow channelsections on bedrock and broad alluvial floodplainsmore than 2,000 feet wide near Solvang and Lompoc.Near Bradbury Dam, the active channel is approxi-mately 400 feet wide. Further downstream nearthe confluence with Alamo Pintado Creek, the ac-tive channel is more than 400 feet wide.

Flow Rates/Flooding History:

Streamflow in the Santa Ynez River watershed isderived primarily from surface runoff and shallowgroundwater inflow following storm events, whichvary greatly in frequency and intensity from year toyear. The soils, geology, and topography of thewatershed create relatively rapid runoff conditions,with streamflow hydrographs showing a rapid riseand fall in response to precipitation. As a result,the Santa Ynez River is characterized as a “flashy”system, with streamflow rising and falling in re-sponse to precipitation.

When water rights releases are made from Gibraltarand Bradbury Dams in the summer months, thereare flows downstream of Gibraltar Reservoir andLake Cachuma. In addition, the Lompoc RegionalWastewater Treatment Plant discharges approximately3.5 million gallons of treated wastewater per day,

creating almost year-round flow from the plant facilityto the ocean.

Several major tributaries downstream of BradburyDam contribute significant flows to the lower SantaYnez River, including Santa Agueda, Alamo Pintado,Zaca, Alisal, Salsipuedes, and San Miguelito Creeks.

Data taken from several stream gages demonstrateyear to year variability in streamflow within thewatershed. The data also demonstrate the inter-mittent nature of streams in the watershed, withhigh flows occurring in the winter and the likeli-hood of little or no flows in the summer. Annualmedian flow from the Santa Ynez River into LakeCachuma is 20,000 acre-feet (AF) with an annualaverage inflow of approximately 74,000 acre-feetper year (AFY). The maximum flow into Cachumais approximately 500,000 AFY. The highest flow inthe Santa Ynez River occurred near Solvang duringthe 1969 floods when flows reached 82,000 cubicfeet per second (cfs).

Water Use:

In the Santa Ynez River Basin there are three stor-age reservoirs that divert Santa Ynez River water tousers primarily on the South Coast of the county.

Juncal Dam was completed in 1930 and is onesource of water for the customers of the MontecitoWater District. For more information see Reser-voirs section.

Receding storm runoffbringing rainwater from the

back-country

38

Gibraltar Dam has been in place since 1920 cre-ating Gibraltar Reservoir, which serves as a watersupply for the City of Santa Barbara. For moreinformation see the Reservoirs section.

Bradbury Dam created Lake Cachuma in 1952and supplies water for the USBR’s Cachuma Project,which provides water to project members includ-ing the City of Santa Barbara, Montecito Water Dis-trict, Goleta Water District, Carpinteria Valley Wa-ter District, and Santa Ynez River Water Conserva-tion District, Improvement District #1. The Projectyield and downstream water rights releases serveover 290,000 people in Santa Barbara County andover 38,000 acres of cropland in Santa Ynez Valleythat supports a multimillion dollar agricultural in-dustry. For more information see Reservoirs sec-tion.

The watershed above Bradbury Dam is primarilyundeveloped open space under the jurisdiction ofthe Los Padres National Forest and the Lake CachumaCounty Park. Lands downstream of Bradbury Damare mainly in private ownership and fall under thejurisdiction of the County with the exception ofVandenberg AFB at the river’s mouth. Existing landuses in the lower watershed include irrigated andnon-irrigated agriculture, residential and urban areas(cities of Lompoc, Buellton, and Solvang along withseveral small towns), a federal prison, VandenbergAFB, cattle grazing, undeveloped open space, andmineral extraction (quarries, surface mines, oilfields). Crops grown in this watershed include winegrapes, beans, lettuce, broccoli, artichokes, andvarious flowers and trees.

The Santa Ynez watershed provides habitat to a widevariety of fish and wildlife species. Ten fish speciesare native to the river basin, four in freshwater andsix in estuarine habitats. Two species are listed asfederally endangered: steelhead trout and tidewa-ter goby. Fifteen introduced species have popula-tions in the basin, most of which are game speciesor baitfish that were originally planted in LakeCachuma, but have since spread. Other species ofnote include the California red-legged frog, least

Bell’s vireo, the southwestern willow flycatcher, andthe southwestern arroyo toad.

State, federal and local agencies signed a Memo-randum of Understanding (MOU) in 1993 for Co-operation in Research and Fish Maintenance onthe Santa Ynez River downstream of Bradbury Dam.Since then, a program of cooperative fisheries in-vestigations and basin management planning hasbeen underway in the Santa Ynez River. The goal ofthe plan is to identify and evaluate potential man-agement actions that will benefit fish and otheraquatic resources in the lower Santa Ynez River.

Sisquoc River


The Sisquoc River receives runoff from a watershedarea of approximately 470 square miles. The wa-tershed of the Sisquoc River is defined by the north-westward-trending Sierra Madre Mountains on thenorth and the westward trending San Rafael Moun-tains on the south. The San Rafael mountains riseto 6,828 feet (U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, 1951).Most of the Sisquoc River drainage lies within theboundaries of the Los Padres National Forest.


Streamflow in the Sisquoc River has averaged 54.6cfs for water years 1942-1998. Flows of up to 33,600cfs have occurred in extremely wet years like 1983,however it is not uncommon for long periods of noflow to occur each year. Floods from the SisquocRiver basin are short in duration with relativelyhigh peak discharges. Shallow erodible soils, steepslopes, and high rainfall combine to make pos-sible destructive flood flows whenever the cover isdestroyed or reduced in density (U.S. Departmentof Agriculture, Forest Service, 1951).

Water Use:

Land use occurring along the reaches of the rivervaries from wilderness to agriculture. Hiking trailsand campgrounds are established in the section

39


within the Los Padres National Forest. The remote-ness of this region allows for relatively pristine,diverse and abundant wildlife habitat. The SisquocRiver is known to provide habitat to native troutand is within the range of the peregrine falcon (Jonesand Stokes Assoc, Inc. and Leeds, Hill and Jewett,Inc., January 1979).

The Sisquoc Plain is intensely cultivated. Land usesalong lower reaches of the river include vineyards,wineries, sand/gravel mining, and cattle ranches.The Sisquoc is unregulated so irrigation occursthrough pumping from wells along the river. Cropsgrown in this area include cauliflower, broccoli,carrots and strawberries.

Cuyama River


The Cuyama River drains an 1,140 square milewatershed area that includes southeastern San LuisObispo County, northeastern Santa Barbara Countyand relatively small portions of Ventura and KernCounties. Major tributaries to the Cuyama Riverare Huasna River and Alamos Creek. On the north,the Cuyama River basin is flanked by the dry,semibarren Caliente Mountains, which attain a maxi-mum elevation of 5,095 feet (U.S. Bureau of Rec-lamation, 1951). The rugged, chaparral-coveredSierra Madre Mountains form the southern bound-ary of the Cuyama River basin and reach an eleva-tion of 5,880 feet. Since February 1959, flow inthe Cuyama River has been regulated by TwitchellReservoir, which retards a portion of interceptedstorm flow for later release. Below the dam, theCuyama River meanders approximately five milesthrough vineyard farmland in a valley less than amile wide surrounded on both sides by hills thatrise quickly to elevations of 800 feet. About a halfmile before Fugler Point the river enters the flat-tened terrain of the Santa Maria Valley.

The Cuyama River with its two principal tributar-ies, Huasna River and Alamos Creek, is the largestcontributor of silt and floodwater to the Santa Maria

River system. The major sediment sources are thesemibarren badlands at the head of the drainageand the channel banks in the Cuyama Valley. TheCuyama River has cut a deep channel in the lowerhalf of the Cuyama Valley. Enough material is avail-able in the steep banks to load any flow of the river.The semidesert area, about two-fifths of the water-shed, has very scant cover, consequently rainfall ineven small amounts produces debris (U.S. Depart-ment of Agriculture, Forest Service, 1951).


The Cuyama River is characterized as “flashy” withrelatively rapid response to rainfall and little or noflow in its reaches during the summer months. Theannual mean flow is approximately 27.8 cfs, how-ever during the 1998 floods flow rates reached26,200 cfs. Due to the variation of flow in theriver, no significant surface water diversions fromthe Cuyama occur. Water quality is variable, rang-ing from 800 to 1000 mg/L TDS depending on whichtributary is contributing the majority of the flow tothe river. In addition the Cuyama River carriessignificant volumes of silt during high flow. Due tocoarse alluvial deposits and low annual precipita-tion in the eastern Cuyama watershed, during yearsof low to moderate precipitation, most of the run-off percolates into the ground before reaching theTwitchell Reservoir. Only in years of high precipi-tation is there a significant contribution to Twitchellfrom the eastern Cuyama River. In years of aver-age rainfall, most of the runoff is from the Huasnaand Alamo watersheds directly north of TwitchellReservoir.

Cuyama River flowing intoTwitchell Reservoir

Water Use:

Twitchell Dam was constructed in 1959 north ofFugler Point on the Cuyama River. It is both aflood control and water conservation reservoir. Waterconserved in Twitchell is released to the Santa MariaRiver during dry months for the purpose of re-charging the groundwater basin. No water is di-verted directly from the reservoir for any other uses.Inflow into Twitchell Reservoir from the CuyamaRiver averages 41,000 AFY.

The Cuyama Valley is a sparsely populated area withsmall urban areas and mainly agricultural land use.Irrigation began in the Cuyama Valley around 1938.Initially, irrigated crops were chiefly potatoes andalfalfa, but a potato rust caused the phasing out ofpotato planting. More recent crops include pista-chios, apples, carrots, and alfalfa.

Santa Maria River


The Santa Maria River is formed by the confluenceof the Cuyama and Sisquoc Rivers at Fugler Point, alocation 20 miles inland from the Coast. The SantaMaria River Valley covers the 260 square mile wa-tershed area downstream of the Cuyama-Sisquoc

River confluence. Much of the valley consists of abroad alluvial area known as the Santa Maria Plain.A broad syncline underlies this plain. Anticlinesare expressed as adjacent highlands and moun-tains. The Sierra Madre Mountains and the Solomonand Casmalia Hills are representatives of the lattertopography, and respectively form the northeast andthe southwest boundaries of the valley basin. Rela-tively elevated terrace surfaces and dune sands bor-der the Santa Maria Plain on the north and south.These deposits comprise the Nipomo Mesa, whichrises gently northward to the western extension ofthe Sierra Madre Mountains, and the Orcutt Up-land, which rises southward to the Solomon andCasmalia Hills.

The Santa Maria River is bounded on the north bya levee that starts at Nipomo Mesa and ends at High-way 1 near Guadalupe. There is also a levee on thesouth that begins at Fugler Point and continues upto the Highway 1 crossing, just north of Guadalupe.

The Santa Maria River historically has possessedtwo outlets to the ocean through sand dune depos-its in the westerly extreme of the basin. The activeriver channel presently discharges to the coast down-stream of Guadalupe. Flow at Guadalupe is zeroduring much of the year, except for agriculturaltailwater flows, and additional flows may occur inwinter during periods of heavy storm runoff. Anadditional point of discharge, now blocked, oc-curred through Oso Flaco Lake along the northernboundary of the valley. The abandoned channelveers from the active river course about three milesupstream from Guadalupe. It follows the course ofOso Flaco Creek, which presently conveys drainageto Oso Flaco Lake. Oso Flaco Creek does not pos-sess flow adequate to maintain an opening to theocean through the dunes.

A historically inactive channel of the Santa MariaRiver is situated in the southern portion of the SantaMaria Plain. This drainage, known as Green Can-yon, encompasses the area south of Guadalupe fromUS Highway 101 to the mouth of the Santa MariaRiver. This inactive channel generally exhibits char-acteristics typical of the alluvial valley plain. The

Aerial photograph of the mouthof the Santa Maria River

41


Measuring Water

Cu. Ft. 1 Cubic Foot (7.48 Gallons)62.37 pounds of water

cfs Cubic Feet per Second(water flow measurement)1 cfs = 26,929 gallons per hour;646,300 gallons per day

HCF Hundred Cubic FeetThis is the measurement used to calculateyour water bill

AF Acre-FootThe amount of water required to coveran acre of land one foot deep — 43,560 cu.ft.or 325,851 gallons.

gpm Gallons per minute (water flow measurement)

western-most portion of Green Canyon serves tocollect runoff from a local drainage of about 17square miles as well as storm inflow from the wa-tershed of Corralitos Canyon and Orcutt Creek. Thelatter two tributaries intersect Green Canyon at lo-cations approximately one and one-third miles southof Guadalupe. These watercourses convey drain-age from watershed areas of about 4½ and 38 squaremiles, respectively. Flows conveyed to Green Can-yon are discharged to the Santa Maria River at alocation slightly more than one mile east of theriver mouth.


The Santa Maria watershed is much larger than theSanta Ynez River watershed, but it receives far lessrainfall. The Santa Maria River is ephemeral, withno surface through flows about 83% of the time.Discharges that occur are highly variable. Histori-cally, the stream meander eroded the banks, strippedfarmland of soil, and undercut portions of the floodcontrol levees downstream from Fugler Point. Thehighest flows in the Santa Maria system have beenaround 30,000 cfs at Fugler Point.

Water Use:

The climate, soil, and topography of the Santa MariaValley contribute to the agricultural nature of theregion. Intensely irrigated agriculture dominatesmuch of the Santa Maria Valley. Groundwaterpumpage for agriculture began in the Santa MariaValley in 1898 with the inception of the sugar beetindustry. Irrigated lands gradually expanded withthe introduction of vegetable farming in the valleyin the 1920s and 1930s. Vegetables were histori-cally rotated with sugar beets, beans, alfalfa, anddry land crops (U.S. Department of Agriculture,Forest Service, 1951). Recent crops include straw-berries, broccoli, various flowers, and alfalfa.

The area around the mouth of the Santa Maria Riverhas been designated as a National Natural Land-mark by the US Secretary of the Interior because ofthe presence of extensive sand dunes, dune up-lands, lakes and wetlands (Santa Barbara CountyWater Agency and URS Greiner Woodward Clyde

Consultants, 2000). In addition to oil develop-ment activities and agricultural activities, the coastalarea is a popular recreation destination. There ispublic access at Oso Flaco Lake Natural Area and atRancho Guadalupe Dunes County Park just southof the Guadalupe oil field.

For More InformationJones & Stokes Associates, Inc. and Leeds, Hill &Jewett, Inc. 1979. Final Environmental & WaterResources Reconnaissance Study for State Wa-ter Project and Alternatives. Santa Barbara CountyWater Agency.

Santa Barbara County Water Agency and URS GreinerWoodward Clyde Consultants. 2000. Twitchell Res-ervoir Sediment Management Plan. Santa MariaValley Water Conservation District.

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. 1951. Santa MariaProject, South Pacific Basin, California.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 1951.Report of Survey - Santa Maria River Watershed,California: For Runoff and Waterflow Retarda-tion and Soil Erosion Prevention.

42

Bradbury Dam and LakeCachuma from Vista Point

Reservoirs

Santa Ynez River Watershed

The Santa Ynez River Watershed extends from the south slope of the San Rafael Mountain Range to the northslope of the Santa Ynez Mountains, and westward from the Ventura County line to the Pacific Ocean. Thethree reservoirs that have been constructed on the Santa Ynez River supply most of the water used in theSouth Coast area of Santa Barbara County. The largest of these is Lake Cachuma, followed by Gibraltar andJameson Reservoirs, which are located upstream.

The United States Bureau of Reclamation (USBR)constructed Lake Cachuma and Bradbury Dam inthe early 1950s as part of the Cachuma Project.The construction of Bradbury Dam began in Au-gust of 1950 and was completed on June 17, 1953.Filling of the reservoir was completed in 1958.

The principal features of the Cachuma Project areBradbury Dam, Lake Cachuma, Tecolote Tunnel,the South Coast Conduit and distribution systems.Included in the main conduit system are four regu-lating reservoirs and the Sheffield Tunnel.

Tecolote Tunnel was one of the most difficult tun-nel projects undertaken by the USBR. The tunnelwas completed in 1956 following a difficult sixyear construction period. Tunnel construction washampered by groundwater inflow reaching 9,000gallons per minute, temperatures up to 117°F, anddangerous levels of methane gas.

Lake Cachuma and Bradbury Dam

43


Gibraltar Damand Reservoir

The City of Santa Barbara completed constructionof Mission Tunnel in 1912 and Gibraltar Dam in1920, and thus accomplished the first diversion ofwater from the Santa Ynez River Basin to the SouthCoast area. Mission Tunnel, about 3.7 miles in length,was designed to intercept groundwater flow and tolater convey water from Gibraltar Reservoir to theCity of Santa Barbara. Infiltration into Mission Tunnelvaries with rainfall, but averages approximately 1,100AFY. Gibraltar Dam construction began in 1914and was completed in 1920. During the construc-tion of the dam and reservoir, the City’s water sup-ply became so deficient that residents had to revertto the use of well water, and even that use wasrestricted.

In the winter of 1920-21, the first rainy seasonafter the completion of the dam, the reservoirfailed to fill because the rainfall was below aver-

age. In the 1921-22 season, with rainfall only slightlyabove average, the reservoir filled to capacity, anda large volume went over the spillway, causing ex-tensive damage.

By 1945, sedimentation had reduced storage inGibraltar Reservoir from 14,500 AF to approximately7,800 AF. In 1948, the dam was raised 23 feetand storage capacity was restored to approximatelythe original volume. However, sedimentation hascontinued to decrease the storage capacity of thereservoir by an average of 150 AFY.

Gibraltar Dam

The Montecito Water District completed construc-tion of Juncal Dam and Jameson Lake in 1930.Water is diverted to the Montecito area through theDoulton Tunnel. Construction of Doulton Tunnelbegan in 1924 and initially penetrated only the

Juncal Dam and Jameson Lake

first mile of the Santa Ynez Mountains due to sub-stantial groundwater inflow. The tunnel was finallycompleted in 1928. Groundwater inflow to DoultonTunnel currently averages approximately 440 AFY.

Jameson Lake, muddied bystorm runoff

44

Twitchell Reservoir

The United States Bureau of Reclamation constructedthe Vaquero Dam and Reservoir in the late 1950sas part of the Santa Maria Project. The Project pro-vides recharge to the groundwater basin underly-ing the Santa Maria Valley and provides for floodprotection. The project was completed in 1959 ata cost of approximately $11 million dollars, whichwas 30% less than the original estimate. The namewas eventually changed to Twitchell Dam and Res-ervoir to honor Mr. T.A. Twitchell of Santa Maria,who was instrumental in bringing about the project.Twitchell Reservoir is operated and maintained bythe Santa Maria Valley Water Conservation District.

Twitchell Reservoir is important to both the watersupply and the flood protection of the Santa MariaValley. The reservoir supplies about 20,000 AF ofrecharge to the Santa Maria Groundwater Basin an-

Santa Maria River Watershed

The Santa Maria River is formed by the confluence of the Cuyama and Sisquoc Rivers about 20 miles from thePacific Ocean. The Cuyama River Basin, with a drainage area of about 1,140 square miles, drains essentiallyall of the northern half and easternmost portion of the Santa Maria River Basin. Twitchell Dam is located onthe Cuyama River six miles above its junction with the Sisquoc River.

nually. The replacement cost of getting this waterfrom other sources would be millions of dollarsevery year.

Since its completion, Twitchell Reservoir has beentrapping sediments from the 1,140 square mileCuyama River watershed. Original studies estimatedthat 40,000 AF of sediment would accumulate inthe reservoir during the first one hundred years ofoperation. In 1981, a study found that the rate ofsedimentation was about 70% greater than the origi-nal estimate. As of 1998, the accumulated sedi-ment had reached an estimated 44,000 AF. Be-cause of this, the SBCWA and the Santa Maria Val-ley Water Conservation District are preparing a sedi-ment management plan. This plan will help to en-sure the continued safe operation of the reservoir’swater release works, and also extend the usable lifeof the reservoir.

Twitchell Reservoir, filled tonear capacity with stormwater

For More InformationCachuma Operations and Maintenance Board(COMB): 3301 Laurel Canyon Road,Santa Barbara, CA 93105, (805) 687-4011


Montecito Water District: http://www.montecitowater.com/

Goleta Water District: http://www.goletawater.com/

USBR: http://www.usbr.gov/

Trapped or accumulatedsediment surrounding the

intake structure in the dry bedof Twitchell Reservoir

County Reservoir Information

Bradbury Dam Gibraltar Dam Juncal Dam Twitchell Dam

Type of Dam Earth and rock fill Constant radius Concrete arch Earth and rock fillconcrete arch

Structural Height 275 feet 175 feet 160 feet 241 feet

Height Above 205 feet 150 feet N/A 218 feetStreambed

Crest Length 2,975 feet 600 feet 1,407 feet 1,804 feet

Reservoir Area 3,108 acres 244 acres (1998) 138 acres 3.600 acres

Recent Capacity 190,409 AF (1990) 7,264 AF (1998) 5,291 AF (1998) 198,339 (2000)

Drainage Area 417 sq. mi. 216 sq. mi. 14 sq. mi. 1,135 sq. mi.Above Dam

Tunnel Name Tecolote Tunnel Mission Tunnel Doulton Tunnel N/A

Tunnel Length 6.4 miles 3.7 miles 2.2 miles N/A

Tunnel Diameter 7 feet 4 feet to 20 feet 7 feet N/A

Tunnel Slope 3”/1,000 feet NR .0018”/1,000 feet N/A

Tunnel Capacity 100 cfs 40 cfs N/A N/A

46

State Water ProjectHistoryHistoryHistoryHistoryHistory

The State Water Project (SWP), managed by theDepartment of Water Resources (DWR), is the largeststate-built, multipurpose water project in the country.The SWP system collects, stores and distributes waterfrom northern California, where most of the state’srainfall occurs, to southern California, where mostof the state’s population lives. Approximately 20million of California’s 32 million residents receiveat least part of their water from the SWP, and SWPwater is used to irrigate approximately 600,000acres of farmland.

In 1951, the state legislature authorized construc-tion of the SWP, a water storage and supply systemto capture, store, and redistribute surface runoffon a massive scale. Eight years later, legislation waspassed to provide the mechanism for obtaining fundsnecessary to construct the initial facilities. In 1960,California voters approved a $1.75 billion bondissue to build the SWP. The initial facilities of theSWP were completed in 1972, although some partsof the Project have been delivering water to Cali-fornians since 1962.

Total entitlements to the SWP are approximately4.2 million AFY, while the firm yield (i.e., duringdrought periods) of existing SWP facilities is 2.4million AFY. The average annual yield of the projectapproaches 3 million AFY. It is projected that fu-ture improvements to the SWP system, both struc-tural and operational, will increase both the firmand average yields.

The State Water Project inSanta Barbara County

In 1963, the Santa Barbara County Flood Controland Water Conservation District contracted with theDWR for the delivery of SWP water. At that time, theCounty began payments to DWR to retain an en-titlement to SWP for 57,700 AFY, but funds werenot allocated to construct the necessary delivery sys-tem. The contract with the DWR was handled by theSBCWA. In 1981, the contract was amended to reducethe County’s State Water entitlement to 45,486 AFY.

In 1979, a bond measure was placed on the ballotto secure funds to construct the delivery system tobring SWP water into the county. Fear of growth,environmental concerns, and opposition to highwater costs caused a majority of voters to vote againstthis measure.

In 1991, after six years of extremely dry condi-tions, voters throughout Santa Barbara County votedto import SWP water. This included the communi-ties of Carpinteria, Summerland, Montecito, SantaBarbara, Hope Ranch, Goleta, Buellton, Solvang, SantaYnez, Orcutt and Guadalupe. The Santa Maria CityCouncil and Vandenberg Air Force Base also decidedto participate in the SWP. The communities of Lompoc,Vandenberg Village, and Mission Hills voted not toparticipate in the SWP.

As a result of numerous favorable bond elections,the Central Coast Water Authority (CCWA) was formedto finance, construct, manage, and operate SantaBarbara County’s 42 mile extension of the SWP waterpipeline and a regional treatment plant to treatSWP water for both San Luis Obispo and Santa Bar-bara Counties. The CCWA is made up of eight mem-ber agencies, one associate member, and four ad-ditional participants. The CCWA is governed by aneight member Board of Directors, with a represen-tative from each member agency.

The following table presents the allocated entitle-ment of SWP water to each project participant. Ex-isting entitlements range from 50 AFY (Raytheon

Construction of the State WaterProject Pipeline in Santa Barbara

County began in 1994

47


Systems Company) to as high as 16,200 AFY (Cityof Santa Maria), though actual water deliveries maybe less than the entitlement in any given year de-pending on a number of factors, primarily cus-tomer demand and weather in northern California.Factors other than drought that may cause short-term delivery reductions of SWP water include equip-ment failure and natural disasters such as floodsand earthquakes. Other factors that affect the long-term reliability of the State Water Project includetiming of additional SWP storage facility develop-ment, ongoing environmental challenges to the SWP,and eventual utilization of full SWP entitlement byother SWP water contractors.

Construction of the facilities to import SWP waterto the county began in 1994, including pipelines,pumping plants and treatment costing almost $600million. The Coastal Branch portion of the project

brings water 117 miles from the California Aque-duct in Kern County, through San Luis Obispo Countyand the Santa Maria Valley, and continuing to thenortherly portion of Vandenberg AFB. The DWRfinanced this section of the pipeline and constructedit with the CCWA’s assistance.

At Vandenberg AFB, the Coastal Branch connectsto the 42-mile pipeline comprising the Mission Hillsand the Santa Ynez Extensions. The Santa Ynez sec-tion, which was financed and constructed by theCCWA, ends at Lake Cachuma. Water is then deliv-ered through existing facilities to the south coastof Santa Barbara County. The CCWA also constructedand operates the Polonio Pass Water Treatment Plant,located in northern San Luis Obispo County. In ad-dition, under a joint powers agreement with the DWR,the CCWA operates all of the Coastal Branch facilitiesdownstream of the treatment plant.

State Water Entitlements in Santa Barbara County

Project Participant SWP Allocation 1999 Delivery (AFY)

California Cities Water Co. (Orcutt area) ................................................................. 500 ........................................ 215Carpinteria Valley Water District ..................................................................................... 2,000 ........................................ 00*

(Includes Summerland)City of Buellton ........................................................................................................................................ 578 ........................................ 583City of Guadalupe .................................................................................................................................. 550 ........................................ 484City of Santa Barbara ................................................................................................................... 3,000 ............................................... 0City of Santa Maria ...................................................................................................................... 16,200 ............................... 11,380Goleta Water District .................................................................................................................... 4,500 .............................. 32*(+)La Cumbre Mutual Water Co. .............................................................................................. 1,000 ........................................ 366Montecito Water District .......................................................................................................... 3,000 ........................................ 51*Morehart Land Company ............................................................................................................... 200 ............................................... 1Raytheon Systems Company ........................................................................................................... 50 ............................................ 55Santa Ynez River WCD, I.D. #1 (Includes City of Solvang) .......... 2,000 ................................. 3505*Vandenberg Air Force Base ................................................................................................... 5,500 .................................. 3,438

TOTAL 39,078 23,853Drought buffer** 3,908

* Note: Santa Ynez River WCD, I.D. #1 exchanged 2,989 AF of their delivery. Exchange recipients were Goleta (2,444 AF),Montecito (99 AF) and Carpinteria (446 AF)**The drought buffer entitlement of 3,908 AFY increases the reliability of each project participant’s entitlement. This entitlementcan be stored for future use and/or requested in dry years when cutbacks are expected to SWP allocations. By storing this waterand/or increasing the CCWA’s water request in dry years, even after a percentage cutback by the DWR, the CCWA projectparticipants will reduce shortages in their entitlement deliveries.+ Goleta Water District has an additional 2,500 AF drought buffer.

Unit CostUnit CostUnit CostUnit CostUnit Cost

The cost per AF for SWP water varies depending onthe location of each project participant along thepipeline. All participants pay their share of the costsfor the water treatment plant located at PolonioPass based on (1) SWP water entitlement for capi-tal and fixed operating costs and (2) entitlementdeliveries for variable costs. Each participant alsopays for its share of the Coastal Branch and CCWAExtension fixed and variable costs essentially to thepoint where it takes delivery of water. Therefore,costs for participants in the northern part of thecounty are less than for those on the South Coast.

The unit cost of SWP water ranges from about $900per AF in Santa Maria to about $1,500 per AF inthe Santa Ynez Valley and South Coast of Santa Bar-bara County. The unit cost differs for each projectparticipant for a number of reasons including, butnot limited to: (1) location along the pipeline (e.g.,participants that are located in the north county donot share in the cost of facilities downstream oftheir turnouts), (2) financing of the CCWA projectfacilities (certain participants paid cash for theirshare of the CCWA facilities instead of financingthem through the CCWA revenue bond issue), (3)financing of local project facilities using the CCWArevenue bond funds, and (4) capitalizing revenuebond interest during the first three to six years ofthe bond issue.

EnvironmentalEffects and MitigaEffects and MitigaEffects and MitigaEffects and MitigaEffects and Mitigationtiontiontiontion

Environmental Impact Reports (EIRs) were com-pleted prior to constructing each segment of thepipeline and associated facilities. These reportsdocumented potential environmental impacts of theproject and identified ways to lessen or avoid thoseimpacts. Identified mitigation methods includedusing existing facilities and avoiding new construc-tion where possible, and locating the pipeline awayfrom environmentally sensitive areas. Changes inthe pipeline’s location were made to protect sensi-tive habitats, animal species and cultural resources.

Where it was necessary to remove sensitive nativevegetation such as oak trees and Burton Mesa Chap-arral, replacement trees and chaparral were plantedalong the pipeline right-of-way and in other “offsite”areas. During construction of the project, environ-mental experts were hired to observe and monitorconstruction activity, and to assist construction teamsin avoiding or mitigating impacts to wildlife, bio-logical and cultural resources.

ReliabilityReliabilityReliabilityReliabilityReliability

The SWP, as with many other sources of water, isnot 100% reliable. This is particularly true duringdroughts or when operational problems occur withinthe SWP system. Another major factor affecting thereliability of SWP water is the fact that the SWP isnot complete. The total complement of facilitiesneeded for the SWP to deliver all of its entitlementsis not yet constructed. This is, of course, the sub-ject of much discussion and planning among engi-neers and planners for the SWP and SWP watercontractors. In the meantime, when shortages oc-cur along the system, all contractors must take aproportionate reduction in their entitlement deliv-eries during the shortage.

The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is part of thesystem that supplies water to SWP water contrac-tors south of the Delta. Since 1995, a group ofstate and federal resource agencies known as CALFED

State Water ProjectCalifornia Aqueduct bringingNorthern California water to

the Coastal Branch pipeline

49


Buellton Lompoc

Santa Ynez River

Santa Barbara

101

Lake Cachuma

GibraltarReservoir

JamesonLake

Santa Maria

has been developing an unprecedented program torestore the Delta’s ecosystem and reliability as awater source. In the summer of 1996, after anexhaustive year-long public process, CALFED’s Bay-Delta Program identified three alternative solutionsthat involve different Delta water conveyance facili-ties and varying levels and locations of water stor-age. Formal environmental review of these alter-natives is ongoing.

Each conveyance system would have an optimalamount of storage to meet overall CALFED goals ofan improved ecosystem, improved water quality andmore reliable supplies. Implementation of the se-lected alternative will enhance the reliability of SWPwater supplies and reduce shortage reductions.

Benefits

State Water Project water helps:

• Reduce the overdraft in all major ground-water basins in the county except the CuyamaBasin, which does not have a water purveyorthat receives SWP water;

• Improve water quality in areas that directlyreceive SWP water (i.e., participants fromSan Luis Obispo County in the north andSanta Ynez in the south);

• Increase overall water supply in Santa Bar-bara County.

For More InformationCalifornia Department of Water Resources, 1999.California State Water Project Atlas.

Central Coast Water Authority: (805) 688-2292 orCCWA’s web site: http://www.ccwa.com/

Cuyama River

San Luis ObispoCounty

Santa BarbaraCounty

Interstate 5

California Aqueduct

TwitchellReservoir

1

101

154

State Water Project Pipeline in Santa Barbara County

Desalinationround horizontal media filters. There are two setsof filters — primary, consisting of sand, gravel,and anthracite, and secondary consisting of thesame media as primary, plus garnet. Next, the car-tridge filters act as a check to catch any materialthat gets through the primary and secondary stages.At this point all particulate matter has been re-moved from the water; only dissolved salt remains.Then, pumps drive the water at 800 pounds persquare inch (p.s.i.) through reverse osmosis mem-branes that separate the dissolved salt from the wa-ter. Approximately 45% of the pressurized seawa-ter goes through membranes and becomes drink-ing water. The drinking water is pumped into theexisting Yanonali Street water main for distribu-tion to water customers. The remaining seawaterand concentrated salts (brine) are combined withtreated wastewater from the adjacent wastewatertreatment plant, and discharged to the ocean at theend of the 1.5 mile long outfall line.

Electricity is used to operated the facility. At thisfacility, it takes approximately 6,600 kilowatt hoursof electrical energy to produce one acre-foot (AF)(326,000 gallons) of desalted water. (This is ap-proximately the amount of energy one family usesin a year.)

History

The 1986-1991 drought showed that the City ofSanta Barbara’s pre-drought water supplies wereinadequate. In 1990-91, an extensive analysis wasdone to determine which water supply alternativeswould best ensure adequate water supplies for thefuture. The analysis showed that either desalina-tion alone, at a capacity of 5,000 acre-foot peryear (AFY), or the State Water Project at an entitle-ment of 3,000 AFY plus a desalination capacity of3,000 AFY as a drought backup, were the best al-ternatives. In June 1991, City voters supportedboth the State Water Project and desalination aspermanent water supplies and the City has includedthe combined State Water Project/desalination op-tion in its Long-Term Water Supply Program(LTWSP).

The DesalinationProcess

Desalination is the process of removing salt fromseawater. Desalination is used in many arid coun-tries around the world to provide a reliable sourceof drinking water. The process dates back to the4th century B.C. when Greek sailors used an evapo-rative process to desalinate seawater. Most UnitedStates desalination plants are used to clean brack-ish groundwater or to produce highly purified wa-ter for industrial use. Desalination separates sa-line water into two products: fresh water and watercontaining the concentrated salts, or brine. Suchseparation can be accomplished by a number ofprocesses. The three most common processes aredistillation, electrodialysis, and reverse osmosis.Distillation works by heating salty water to producewater vapor that is then condensed to form freshwater. Both the electrodialysis and the reverse os-mosis processes use membranes to separate saltsfrom water.

The City of Santa Barbara Charles Meyer Desalina-tion Facility, located at 525 E. Yanonali Street, wasbuilt in 1991-1992 as a temporary emergency wa-ter supply in response to the severe drought of 1986-1991. The facility is the largest seawater reverseosmosis desalination facility in the United States.First, ocean water is pumped at a very low pressurethrough a 2,500 foot seawater intake line to thefacility. The incoming seawater is pretreated in

Filtered seawater is pumpedthrough a reverse osmosis

membrane that separates thesalt from the seawater, expelling

drinking water through onepipe and brine through another

51


The Charles Meyer DesalinationFacility serves the City ofSanta Barbara

As a result of the analysis in the LTWSP and the1991 vote, the Santa Barbara City Council decidedthat the temporary facility would be converted topermanent status for use as a backup during futuredroughts. The facility also has the potential for useduring non-drought periods, which would help meetregional or statewide needs for water by operatingunder a water exchange agreement.

To obtain permanent status the facility went throughadditional environmental review and permittingwhich was completed in December 1995. The fa-cility was dedicated as the Charles Meyer Desalina-tion Facility on December 11, 1995 in honor of Mr.Meyer’s long and dedicated service on the CityWater Commission, and in recognition of thefacility’s permanent role in the City’s water future.

The City’s facility was built by a private company,Ionics, Inc., under a “take or pay” contract. Overthe 5-year contract period, the City, along with theMontecito and Goleta Water Districts, paid off the$34 million construction cost and either paid forwater produced or paid to maintain the facility instandby mode. Due to abundant rainfall since 1991the facility has been on standby since the initialtesting period was completed in June 1992. Thefacility has permits to operate as a permanent partof the City’s water supply and all equipment is com-patible with long-term use.

Unit Cost

Because a relatively high proportion of the cost ofdesalination is in operation rather than capital costs,savings accrue when the water is not needed. Thismeans that desalination will be as cost effective asother new water supplies, such as State Water, forwhich costs remain relatively constant regardlessof the amount of water delivered. The cost of de-salted water is approximately $1,100 per AF in-cluding labor, chemicals, power, maintenance, anda sinking fund to replace worn components.

There are several other desalination facilities lo-cated in coastal communities throughout the state.These include Catalina Island and the City of MorroBay. For communities in semiarid climates, de-salinated ocean water provides a water source thatis not dependent on rainfall. This gives the com-munity the ability to provide fresh water as a backupfor depleted surface water supplies, thereby easingthe hardship of drought. As technology advancesand other water sources become less available,desalination will become more cost-effective andmore communities may turn to this as a viable sourceof water.


Aston, D. 1999. Water of Santa Barbara County.Santa Barbara County Water Agency.

American Desalting Association:http://www.webcom.com/ada/

City of Santa Barbara:http://www.ci.santa-barbara.ca.us/departments/

public_works/water_resources/

USBR: http://www.usbr.gov/water/desal.html/

Water QualityInfluencing Factors

Water Treatment

Influencing FactorsGeneral Information

Water quality is a term used to describe the chemi-cal, physical, and biological characteristics of wa-ter with respect to its suitability for a particularuse. Water quality standards have been developedthrough nearly a century of trial and error and ad-vances in technology. Currently, both state and fed-eral standards regulate the quality of water that isprovided to users. The importance of water qualityas it relates to human activity is directly related tothe intended use(s) of the water. The highest qual-ity standards apply to drinking water, while some-what lower standards apply to water used for irriga-tion or recreation. The California Department ofHealth Services’ (DHS) drinking water standards provideone example of how water quality can be evaluated.

Extensive laboratory testsensure that local water qualitymeets state and federalstandards

California DHS has set Maximum Contaminant Lev-els (MCLs), which are enforceable, regulatory lev-els under the Safe Drinking Water Act that must bemet by all public drinking water systems to whichthey apply. Primary MCLs are established for a num-ber of chemical and radioactive contaminants, whileSecondary MCLs are set for taste, odor, or appear-ance of drinking water. Action Levels (ALs) arehealth-based advisory levels established by DHS forchemicals for which primary MCLs have not beenadopted. They are not enforceable standards, butexceedances do prompt requirements for localgovernment notification, recommendations for con-sumer notice and, at higher levels, recommenda-tions for source removal. In addition, there are anumber of unregulated chemicals that are or maybe required to be monitored, depending on thevulnerability of drinking water sources.

Water quality varies from source to source and isinfluenced by natural and human factors. Naturalinfluences include the layers of rock and soil sur-rounding an aquifer or surface conveyance, whichdetermine the types and amount of minerals foundin surface water or groundwater. Human impactson water quality result from such activities as urban-ization (storm-water runoff and septic tanks), agri-cultural irrigation (runoff from irrigated land), di-rect disposal of wastewater into waterways, and graz-ing of livestock.

The origin of water pollution is generally character-ized as either being from nonpoint (diffuse) or pointsources. Nonpoint source pollution is caused by rain-fall or snowmelt moving over and through the groundpicking up and carrying natural and human-madepollutants, and depositing them into lakes, rivers,coastal waters, and underground sources of drinkingwater. Point source pollution comes from sourcesthat are concentrated and readily identifiable likedischarges from wastewater treatment facilities, solidwaste landfills, golf courses, stockyards, poultry farms,and feedlots. Point sources of pollution are moreeasily controlled and monitored so they have beenthe focus of most pollution reduction efforts to date.Only recently has the control of nonpoint sources

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Contaminants

Water quality comparisons in this report will focuson Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), chloride, and ni-trates. The DHS secondary standard for total dis-solved solids (TDS) in drinking water is 1,000 mil-ligrams per liter (mg/L) and the secondary stan-dard for chloride in drinking water is 250 mg/L. TheDHS primary standard for nitrates in public drinkingwater systems is 45 mg/L (State of California, 1995).

Chloride contamination is a concern in Santa Bar-bara County due to a variety of factors. The mostprevalent potential source of chloride contamina-tion in the county is from seawater intrusion. El-evated chloride levels associated with seawater in-trusion occur when there are no geological barri-ers (impermeable bedrock or clay layers) betweencoastal groundwater basins and the basins underthe ocean that are saturated with seawater. The like-lihood of seawater intrusion is increased when ex-tensive pumping of groundwater basins adjacent tothe ocean affects groundwater flow gradients andseawater is drawn inland. Irrigated agriculture alsoincreases chloride levels in groundwater by intro-ducing problems of poor drainage and increasingevaporation.

Nitrates can accumulate in watersheds due to theuse of fertilizers or the presence of poorly main-tained septic systems. Nitrogen not taken up byplants can leach through the soil to groundwaterand then flow to recharge areas or private wells.Nitrates are of particular concern in drinking wa-ter sources because nitrates interfere with the ab-sorption of oxygen into the bloodstream. AlthoughSanta Barbara County has extensive agricultural areasand many residents use septic systems, nitrate con-tamination of groundwater supplies is rare.

High levels of total dissolved solids frequently im-pair the use of groundwater in California. In SantaBarbara County, several groundwater basins showdegradation of water quality due to high TDS lev-els. Total dissolved solids may be increased through

natural dissolution of soluble materials, reductionin recharge from surface waters, and constant cy-cling and evaporation of irrigation water.

Local Conditions

Surface and groundwater quality in Santa BarbaraCounty is variable but generally of high enoughquality for reasonable use. As described above,quality is determined by factors such as native con-dition of groundwater and surface water, sourcesof contamination (natural and human induced)and presence of seawater. Several areas in the county(Santa Barbara and near Santa Maria) have experi-enced signs of seawater intrusion. As of yet, theseinitial signs of intrusion do not pose a threat todrinking water supplies. Nitrate contamination hasbeen found in some portions of the Santa MariaGroundwater Basin. The Regional Water QualityControl Board has identified this problem and plansto implement a research effort to isolate the causesand seek solutions. Increases in total dissolvedsolids have also been recorded in many basins withinthe county. Efforts to increase recharge and im-prove irrigation efficiency have been implementedto address this problem.

Groundwater Quality: The USGS has performedwater quality testing in most of the fourteen ground-water basins in Santa Barbara County. An extensivestudy of the Lompoc area was conducted in re-sponse to increasing groundwater demands and his-toric documentation of the deterioration of waterquality in some parts of the Lompoc GroundwaterBasin (Bright et al., 1992). For summaries ofwater quality information on specific groundwaterbasins, please refer to the Groundwater section.

Surface Water Quality: Two sources of surfacewater include local reservoirs/rivers, and water fromthe State Water Project (SWP). The highest qualitywater in the county is State Water Project water,which ranges from 222 to 510 mg/L TDS. In por-tions of the county where SWP water is distributeddirectly to customers, the water is of very high quality.

56

Water TreatmentGeneral Information

Portions of the following information have beenadapted from: The City of Santa Barbara Waterand Wastewater Systems Inventory (1998) andthe City of Lompoc Urban Water ManagementPlan 1995 - 2000 (1995).

Surface water acquires its characteristics (taste, odor,chemical and mineral make up, temperature, cor-rosiveness, and clarity) from the environment with

which it has contact. Thus surface water qualityvaries by location and season. During the late summerand early fall, surface water deteriorates slightly inquality because of the growth of algae. Water takenfrom surface water supplies may contain variouscontaminants. Possible contaminants include siltsand clays, dissolved minerals and salts, organic mate-rial from vegetation and wildlife, algae, bacteria, pro-tozoans, viruses and man-made pollutants. In orderto remove these contaminants and to comply with stateand federal water quality standards, water is treatedbefore it is distributed for consumption.

In many areas of the county, SWP water is blendedwith other, lower quality water, which results in ahigher overall quality of the water distributed tocustomers. For the South Coast water purveyors,SWP water is conveyed through Lake Cachuma whereit mixes with local surface water. The water is thendirected to local water treatment plants, after whichit is distributed to customers.

According to the USGS figures for 1998 (Agajanianet al., 1998) the TDS for the rivers in Santa Bar-bara County range from 518 mg/L to 1,130 mg/L(see below). Water quality sampling was completedin October, April and May of the 1998 Water Year.Some of the variations in water quality seen alongthe Santa Ynez River are a partial result of the addi-tion of SWP water mentioned above.

Total Dissolved Solids in Local Rivers - 1998

Cuyama River ..................................... 1,130 mg/LSanta Maria River ......................... 1,030 mg/LSisquoc River ..................................... 862 mg/LSanta Ynez River

at Jameson Lake ................. 842 mg/Lat Lake Cachuma ............... 518 mg/Lbelow Lake Cachuma .... 625 mg/L

(Source: Agajanian et al., 1998)

The Health and Safety Code of California State Lawplays a role in maintaining surface water quality

throughout California by preventing bodily contactof water that serves as drinking water supply. Sec-tions 115825 (a) and (b) prevent bodily contactwith water in Lake Cachuma:

(a) It is hereby declared to be the policy of thisstate that multiple use should be made of all pub-lic water within the state, to the extent that mul-tiple use is consistent with public health and pub-lic safety. (b) Except as provided in Sections 115840,115840.5, and 115841, recreational uses shall not,with respect to a reservoir in which water is storedfor domestic use, include recreation in which thereis bodily contact with the water by any participant.

For More InformationCarpenter, A.G.; King, N.J. and Montoya, I. 1994.Water Quality Control Plan: Central Coast Region- Region 3. State of California, Regional WaterQuality Control Board - Central Coast Region.

Environmental Protection Agency; Water Quality -Surf Your Watershed:http://www.epa.gov/surf/surf_search.html/

State of California, The Resources Agency, Depart-ment of Water Resources, Division of Local Assis-tance. 1995. Quality Assurance Technical Docu-ment 3: Compilation of Federal and State Drink-ing Water Standards and Criteria.

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Communities in Santa Barbara County rely on dif-ferent types of water supplies. As a result, there is awide variety of treatment processes in use. The fol-lowing information provides a description of thetreatment processes used in four communities withinthe county and in the State Water Project.

City of Santa BarbaraCity of Santa BarbaraCity of Santa BarbaraCity of Santa BarbaraCity of Santa Barbara

William B. Cater Water Treatment Plant

The City of Santa Barbara constructed the WilliamB. Cater Filtration Plant in 1964. The plant wasoriginally designed as a lime softening plant with atreatment capacity of 10 million gallons per day.The capacity was increased in 1969 to 16 milliongallons per day by converting sand filters to dualmedia (sand and anthracite coal) filters. The “JointExercise of Powers Agreement” to expand and op-erate the Cater Filtration Plant to treat all Cachumawater delivered to the districts was signed in 1978and is still in effect for the Montecito Water Dis-trict, the Carpinteria Valley Water District and theCity of Santa Barbara. The plant was expanded from16 million gallons per day to the current 37 mil-

lion gallons per day capacity in 1982. The in-crease in capacity was the result of the addition offive filters. The water treated at the plant may bedrawn directly from the South Coast Conduit (SCC)or from Lauro Reservoir. The water in the SCCcomes directly from Lake Cachuma (via the TecoloteTunnel). The water in Lauro Reservoir is a combi-nation of water from Gibraltar Reservoir (via theMission Tunnel into the Penstock pipeline) andwater from the SCC. Normal operation is for Caterto draw the water from Lauro Reservoir.

The Cater Treatment Plant method of treatment isconsidered “conventional treatment” using the pre-treatment, aeration, flash mix, coagulation/floc-culation, sedimentation, filtration and disinfectionprocess. The water treated at this facility is testedextensively to ensure compliance with state and fed-eral water quality standards. The Plant is locatedat 1150 San Roque Road and is staffed 24 hours aday. The facility is open to the public and tours areoffered. For more information contact the City ofSanta Barbara at (805) 897-2609.

Water Treatment PlWater Treatment PlWater Treatment PlWater Treatment PlWater Treatment Plants inSanta Barbara Countybara Countybara Countybara Countybara County

Lauro Reservoir and the CaterWater Treatment Plant

The quality of groundwater is determined by thecharacter of the water entering a groundwater ba-sin, the chemical nature of the groundwater basin,and the time of residence within the basin. Waterquality may vary within the same groundwater ba-sin depending on where the well is located withinthe basin and the depth from which the well draws.Generally, water taken from groundwater supplieswas naturally filtered as it passed through the lay-ers of the earth so, unless the basin is contami-nated, it usually does not require the same level oftreatment as water from surface supplies. However,groundwater may also require some treatment inorder to meet water quality standards.

58

Pretreatment

Pretreatment is used to kill disease-causingorganisms and help control taste and odorcausing substances. A pretreatment chemicalcould be any number of oxidants or disinfec-tants. Ozone, hydrogen peroxide, potassiumpermanganate and chlorine are all commonlyused in water treatment.

Aeration

The purpose of this process is to “off-gas”taste and odor causing substances by passinglarge quantities of air through the water. Thisis accomplished by pumping air through aseries of diffusers placed on the bottom ofthe storage basins, which causes the water to“boil”. The resulting air bubbles carry offthe most volatile of the taste- and odor-caus-ing organics.

Flash Mixing

The flash mix, or rapid mix process, occursjust after coagulation chemicals are added tothe raw water. Coagulation chemicals are usedto attract particles together that will not readilysettle or filter out of the water. Some ex-amples of coagulation chemicals include alu-minum sulfate and various polymers.

Coagulation/Flocculation

Coagulation starts immediately after flash mix-ing and is facilitated by the flocculation pro-cess. Flocculation is a gentle mixing of co-agulated raw water. This mixing allows par-ticles now “sticky” from the addition of co-agulant, to gather to form larger, heavier par-ticles called “floc”.

Sedimentation

The sedimentation process settles out largersuspended particles and the floc created throughthe coagulation/flocculation process. As theraw water flows very slowly through the sedi-mentation basin, heavy particles fall to thefloor while the water overflows the basin andis channeled into filters. The particles rest-ing on the floor of the basin are moved into asludge basin for eventual disposal.

Filtration

Through the filtration process, any remain-ing particles are removed from the raw water.The water may be filtered through layers ofsand, gravel and/or coal. The raw water trav-els through the various filter materials andout into the treatment plant reservoir. Someexamples of filter materials include mixedmedia (layers of various sizes of gravel, high-density garnet, sand and anthracite coal), di-atomaceous earth, and granular activated car-bon (GAC).

Disinfection

The finished water from the treatment plantmay be disinfected as it leaves the reservoirand enters the distribution system. Disinfec-tion ensures unwanted bacteria and organ-isms have been eliminated and helps discour-age any further growth of disease-causing or-ganisms in the drinking water.

Overview of the Treatment Process

There are many methods of treating water so that it is fit for potable uses. The following informationoutlines several steps that are typically taken to treat water that will be sold for consumption.

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Goleta Water District

Corona del Mar Water Treatment Plant

The Corona del Mar Water Treatment Plant beganoperation in 1974. Due to the plant elevation of192 meters (630 feet), water can move throughthe plant by gravity flow and be delivered withoutpumping to the vast majority of district customers.The design capacity of the plant is one cubic meterper second (about 24 million gallons per day),with a peak capacity of 1.6 cubic meters per sec-ond (about 36 million gallons per day). The “rawwater” received from Lake Cachuma is directed tothe plant for removal of suspended matter, such asclay particles and algae, in order to meet state healthstandards. The stages of treatment completed atthis plant include pretreatment, flash mixing, co-agulation/flocculation, sedimentation, filtration, anddisinfection. These processes are precisely con-trolled and carefully monitored around the clock. Formore information about the plant and treatment pro-cess, call the Goleta Water District at (805) 964-6761.

City of Lompoc

The City of LompocWater Treatment Plant

The City operates eight wells of varying capacitiesbetween 250 and 2,500 gallons per minute. Ground-water is pumped from the wells to the water treat-ment plant for demineralization and softening. Limeand caustic soda are used to reduce the hardnessby approximately 50%. The City of Lompoc WaterTreatment Plant has a peak capacity of 8 milliongallons per day with a reservoir capacity of approxi-mately 7.5 million gallons of usable storage. For moredetailed information about the treatment process, pleasecall the City of Lompoc at (805) 736-1617.

City of Santa Maria

The City of Santa Maria relies mostly on State WaterProject water for its water supplies. This water is

of sufficient quality that it requires little treatmentbeyond addition of chlorine and ammonia (see be-low for information on SWP water treatment). Formore information contact the City of Santa Maria at(805) 928-5022.

State Water Project

Polonio Pass Water Treatment Plant

State Water Project water begins as rain and snowmelt from the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. Itpasses through both natural streams and rivers andman-made conveyance structures on its way to thePolonio Pass Water Treatment Plant in San LuisObispo County. At this treatment plant, water issent through the flash mixing, coagulation/floccu-lation, sedimentation, filtration and disinfection pro-cesses. For more detailed information on the treat-ment process, please call the Central Coast Water Au-thority at (805) 688-2292.


Central Coast Water Authority: http://www.ccwa.com/



Polonio Pass WaterTreatment Plant

Water Water Water Water Water DeliveryDeliveryDeliveryDeliveryDelivery& Oversight& Oversight& Oversight& Oversight& Oversight

Water PurveyorsOther Agencies

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Water PurveyorsWater PurveyorsWater PurveyorsWater PurveyorsWater PurveyorsWater purveyors in Santa Barbara County are thoseentities responsible for supplying water to custom-ers (residents, businesses, farmers, institutions)within their service area. The water purveyors inSanta Barbara County include cities, public utilitycompanies, special (water) districts, and commu-nity services districts.

The purveyors are responsible for complying withall local, state, and federal regulations regardingwater production, distribution, and conservation.In addition, each agency must provide regular sum-maries and updates regarding their activities to lo-cal, state and federal agencies.

Public utility companies are private entities thatserve the public and are governed by the PublicUtilities Commission, which ensures that they meethealth and safety requirements and regulations.These utilities have shareholders and a board ofdirectors. There is only one public utility com-pany in Santa Barbara County.

Public Utility Companies

Mutual Water Companies

Mutual water companies are private nonprofit en-tities. The stockholders are landowners who havejoined together to develop and use a water supply.Mutual water companies are governed through aboard of directors elected by the stockholders.

California Cities Water Co.

4854 F. Bradley Rd.Santa Maria, CA 93455937-1010 FAX: 934-3240

The California Cities Water Company is a subsid-iary of the Southern California Water Companyand serves approximately 32,200 customers. Theyprovide potable water for the Orcutt, Sisquoc,Lake Marie, and Tanglewood areas through 11,330active service connections. The water suppliesfor this District are groundwater from the SantaMaria Valley Groundwater Basin and surface waterfrom the State Water Project.

La Cumbre MutualWater Company

695 Via TranquilaSanta Barbara, CA 93110967-2376 FAX: 967-8102

The La Cumbre Mutual Water Company operatesas a nonprofit mutual water company under thelaws of the State of California and was organizedsolely for the purpose of delivering water to its stock-holders at cost. The Company serves the communi-ties of Hope Ranch and Hope Ranch Annex, servingapproximately 4,900 people with 1,400 active ser-vice connections. The water supplies for this Com-pany are groundwater from the Goleta North Cen-tral and the Foothill Groundwater Basins, and sur-face water from the State Water Project.

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Cities

Incorporated cities provide certain municipal func-tions, governed by a city council, including but notlimited to police protection, land use planning,building safety, and street maintenance. The fol-lowing cities provide additional services includingpotable water production and distribution:

City of Buellton

P.O. Box 1819Buellton, CA 93427688-5177 FAX: 686-0086

The City of Buellton furnishes potable water to3,840 customers through 990 active service con-nections. The water supplies for this District arewells tapping the Buellton Uplands Ground-water Basin, the Santa Ynez River Riparian Ba-sin, and State Water Project water.

City of Guadalupe

Department of Public Works918 Obispo St.Guadalupe, CA 93434343-1340 FAX: 343-5512

The City of Guadalupe serves approximately 6,500residents with 1,570 active water service con-nections. The water supplies for this communitycome from groundwater in the Santa Maria Val-ley Groundwater Basin and the State Water Project.

City of Lompoc

P.O. Box 8001Lompoc, CA 93438-8001736-1261 FAX: 736-5347

The City of Lompoc has 9,170 active service con-nections providing water for a population of42,450. All water provided by the City of Lompoccomes from the Lompoc Groundwater Basin.

City of Santa Barbara

P.O. Box 1990Santa Barbara, CA 93l02564-5460 FAX 564-5467http://www.ci.santa-barbara.ca.us/departments/public_works/water_resources/

The City of Santa Barbara has approximately25,100 active service connections serving a popu-lation of 95,000. The sources of water for theCity are numerous. They include the CachumaProject; the Gibraltar Reservoir; groundwater fromthe Foothill Groundwater Basin and the SantaBarbara Groundwater Basin; the State WaterProject; recycled wastewater and desalination,which is used during droughts and emergencies.

City of Santa Maria

Public Works110 E. Cook StreetSanta Maria, CA 93454925-0951 x220 FAX: 928-4995

The City of Santa Maria serves 72,000 peoplewith 16,590 service connections. The sourcesof water for the City include groundwater fromthe Santa Maria Groundwater Basin and the StateWater Project.

City of Solvang

P.O. Box 107Solvang, CA 93464688-5575 FAX: 686-2049

The City of Solvang has 1,890 active water con-nections serving a population of 5,300. The wa-ter supplies for the City are the Santa Ynez Up-lands Groundwater Basin and the Santa Ynez RiverRiparian Basin.

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Water Districts

Water Districts are political subdivisions of the Stateof California organized under Division 12 of theCalifornia Water Code. They were formed for thepurposes of furnishing potable water within theirdistricts.

Carpinteria ValleyWater District

P.O. Box 578Carpinteria, CA 93013684-2816 FAX: 684-3170

The Carpinteria Valley Water District serves apopulation of 16,250 with 4,090 active waterconnections. The water for this District is sup-plied through the Carpinteria Valley Groundwa-ter Basin, the Cachuma Project and the State WaterProject for urban and agricultural use.


4699 Hollister Ave.Goleta, CA 93110964-6761 FAX: 964-7002http://www.goletawater.com

The Goleta Water District serves a population of75,000 with approximately 14,860 active serviceconnections. The water supplies for this Districtinclude the Goleta North/Central GroundwaterBasin, the Cachuma Project, and the State WaterProject. The Goleta Water District also treats anddistributes reclaimed water to various golf courses,U.C. Santa Barbara and other sites for irrigationand agricultural purposes.

Montecito Water District

P.O. Box 5037Santa Barbara, CA 93150969-2271 FAX: 969-7261http://www.montecitowater.com

The Montecito Water District serves the commu-nities of Montecito and Summerland, a popula-tion of approximately 13,100, with 3,990 activeservice connections. The water supplies for thisDistrict include groundwater from the MontecitoGroundwater Basin, the Cachuma Project, theState Water Project, Jameson Lake, Fox and Al-der Creeks, and Doulton Tunnel.

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Community Services Districts are established as lo-cal government agencies under California Govern-ment Code Section 61000, et seq., for the purposeof providing various municipal services to unin-corporated communities in the county. The fol-lowing Community Services Districts provide waterservice for residents and businesses within theirdistricts and may provide other services includingwastewater collection and treatment, street-light-ing, and street sweeping.

Cuyama CommunityServices District

P.O. Box 368New Cuyama, CA 93254

766-2780

The Cuyama Community Services District has 242active service connections and serves a popula-tion of approximately 820 people. The watersupplies for this District come from the CuyamaGroundwater Basin.

Los Alamos CommunityServices District

P.O. Box 675Los Alamos, CA 93440344-4195

The Los Alamos Community Services District has418 active service connections that provide wa-ter for approximately 1,300 people. The ground-water in the San Antonio Groundwater Basin isthe source of water for this District.

Mission Hills CommunityServices District

1550 E. Burton Mesa Blvd.Lompoc, CA 93436733-4366 FAX: 733-4188

The Mission Hills CSD serves 3,200 people with1,100 active service connections. The MissionHills water supply comes from the LompocGroundwater Basin.

Vandenberg VillageCommunity ServicesDistrict

3757 Constellation RoadLompoc, CA 93436733-3417 FAX: 733-2109e-mail: [email protected]://www.impulse.net/~vvcsd

The Vandenberg Village Community Services Dis-trict serves 5,970 customers with 2,130 activewater connections. The water supply for thisDistrict comes from the Lompoc GroundwaterBasin.

Community Services Districts

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Other AgenciesOther AgenciesOther AgenciesOther AgenciesOther AgenciesWater Conservation Districts

Water Conservation Districts are special districtsformed to oversee water conservation and ground-water management and operate pursuant to theWater Conservation District Law, Water Code §74000et seq.

Santa Maria ValleyWater ConservationDistrict

110 S. LincolnSanta Maria, CA 93455925-5212 FAX: 739-0763

The Santa Maria Valley Water Conservation Dis-trict operates Twitchell Dam and Reservoir andsupports water conservation projects within theSanta Maria Valley. The District encompassesthe northern half of the Santa Maria Valley in-cluding the City of Guadalupe and the northernportion of the City of Santa Maria. It extendsfrom a point east of the town of Sisquoc almostto the Pacific Ocean on the west and from OsoFlaco Lake on the north to Guadalupe Lake onthe south. In general, the District includes theland within the historical flood plain of the SantaMaria River, most of which is irrigated farmland.

Santa Ynez RiverWater Conservation DistrictImprovement District #1

P.O. Box 157Santa Ynez, CA 93460688-6015 FAX: 688-3078

The Santa Ynez River WCD ID#1 serves approxi-mately 8,300 people with 2,240 active serviceconnections. It was formed by the Santa YnezRiver Water Conservation District in 1960 forthe purposes of furnishing potable water withinthe communities of Santa Ynez, Los Olivos, Ballard,and the City of Solvang. The water supplies forthis District include the Cachuma Project, theState Water Project, and groundwater from theSanta Ynez Upland Groundwater Basin and theSanta Ynez River Riparian Basin.

Santa Ynez RiverWater Conservation District

P.O. Box 719Santa Ynez, CA 93460-0719693-1156 FAX: 688-8065

The SYRWCD protects water rights and providessupplies by managing releases of water fromBradbury Dam to replenish the Santa Ynez RiverRiparian Basin and the Lompoc GroundwaterBasin. It also provides groundwater managementplanning and related activities on the uplandsadjacent to the river throughout the watershed.The District runs from the Pacific Ocean inlandto encompass much of the Santa Ynez River wa-tershed including Lake Cachuma and the Citiesof Lompoc, Buellton and Solvang. It also oper-ates pursuant to the Water Replenishment Dis-trict Act (Water Code 60000 et seq.) within por-tions of the watershed where groundwater man-agement plans have been adopted (Water Code19750 et seq.).

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Cachuma Operations andMaintenance Board

3301 Laurel Canyon RoadSanta Barbara, CA 93105687-4011/687-0959 FAX: 569-5825

The Cachuma Operations and Maintenance Board(COMB) was formed as part of the CachumaProject, which was constructed in the early 1950sto deliver water to the Santa Ynez Valley and SouthCoast communities. Construction was completedby the Bureau of Reclamation, under contractwith the Santa Barbara County Water Agency(SBCWA) on behalf of the Cachuma Project Mem-ber Units (City of Santa Barbara, Goleta WaterDistrict, Montecito Water District, Carpinteria ValleyWater District, and the Santa Ynez River Conser-vation District, Improvement District #1). COMBhas operated and maintained the Cachuma Projectfacilities, other than Bradbury Dam, since 1956when the Board was formed to take over theseresponsibilities from the Bureau of Reclamation.

Central CoastWater Authority

255 Industrial WayBuellton, CA 93427688-2292 FAX: 686-4700http://www.ccwa.com/The CCWA was formed in 1991 to construct, man-age, and operate Santa Barbara County’s 42-mileportion of the State Water Project. Member agen-cies (project participants) of the Central CoastWater Authority include cities, special water dis-tricts and public utility companies (see the StateWater Project section of this report).

Other Entities

Santa Barbara CountyWater Agency

See Regulatory Agencies section.

Santa Barbara WaterPurveyors Agency

1020 David RoadSanta Maria, CA 93455937-5241The Santa Barbara Water Purveyors Agency was formedin the early 1980s to aid the local water purveyors incoordinating their planning and operations of watersupplies, their administration of basins and waterdevelopments, and their development and distribu-tion of water. In addition, membership with the Agencystrengthens the relations between the purveyors andwith agencies of the city, county, state and federalgovernments. The group utilizes Project Service Agree-ments to finance and conduct projects and programsof mutual interest to all or some member agencies.

Vandenberg Air Force Base

30th Space Wing Environmental Public Affairs806 13th Street, Suite 116Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA 93437734-8232 ext. 6-2071

Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) began operationin 1957 when 86,000 of central coast property wastransferred from the United States Army to the UnitedStates Air Force. The Base hosts and supports vari-ous water use categories including residential hous-ing, schools, recreational parks, wildlife reserves, shop-ping centers, industrial maintenance, airfield opera-tions, and various other mission-related activities.VAFB has an estimated system demand of approxi-mately 4,500 AFY. The sources of water for the Baseinclude groundwater and SWP water.

Water UseWater UseWater UseWater UseWater Use Urban Water Use

Agricultural Water UsePredicting Future Use

72

M&I use, which supplies urban users, includes allcommercial, industrial, residential and institutionaluses. Most M&I use is supplied by water purveyors,though a small number of people have privategroundwater wells or belong to a mutual water com-pany that serves their water.

Per-Capita Use

Per-capita use is the average amount of water usedby individual residential customers each year, in-cluding water that they do not directly use but whichbenefits them such as fire fighting, park and schoolirrigation, commercial water use and other mu-nicipal and industrial (M&I) water uses. Per-capitause is usually derived by dividing the total M&I useby the total service area population.

Per-capita demand (use) rates are calculated onan annual basis. Evaluating per-capita use is animportant way to track water use trends and moni-tor the effectiveness of water use efficiency pro-grams because per-capita rates factor out the influ-ence of growth – new customers – on fluctuationsin demand.

Urban Water UseUrban Water UseUrban Water UseUrban Water UseUrban Water Use

Water Use in the Average Home

The amount of water that is used by customers isinfluenced by a wide variety of factors: climate varia-tions; the types of water using appliances, plumb-ing fixtures and irrigation systems used by custom-ers; socioeconomic differences among customers;the price of water; customer awareness of waterresources and the need for efficiency; the presenceor absence of droughts; varying behavior and be-liefs of water users; and the types of programs inplace to promote efficient use by the retail waterpurveyors. See the following tables: County Histori-cal Per-Capita Water Use and 1998 Urban WaterUse Summary for detailed information by waterpurveyor.

Santa Barbara County’sPopulation

The county has a population of over 409,000 withseven incorporated cities:

City Population (1999)

• Santa Barbara 95,000 (County Seat)

• Santa Maria 72,000

• Lompoc 42,450

• Carpinteria 14,950

• Guadalupe 6,500

• Solvang 5,300

• Buellton 3,840

The unincorporated area, with a population of172,200 includes several communities, among them:Goleta, Orcutt, Los Alamos, Isla Vista, Los Olivos,Santa Ynez, Vandenberg Village, New Cuyama,Summerland, Montecito, Mission Hills, Hope Ranch,Ventucopa, Casmalia, Gaviota and others.

The largest employment categories in the county:• Services• Wholesale and retail trade• Public administration• Education• Manufacturing

Exterior 59%

Kitchen 7%

Toilet11%

Bath/Sh

ower

7%

Laundry9%Laundry9%

Leak 6%

Other 1%

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1998 Urban Water Use Summary

WATER PURVEYOR

City of Buellton 3,500 806 206 295 102 216 52 63

Cal-Cities Water - Orcutt 32,172 7,394 205 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Carpinteria Valley Water Dist. 16,250 2,192 120 1,583 (Combined 431 129 49

Cuyama CSD 820 166 180 117 0 9 0 40

Goleta Water District 75,000 8,863 103 3,875 2,317 2,260 0 211

City of Guadalupe 6,450 574 79 425 12 112 0 25

La Cumbre Mutual Water Co. 4,900 1,258 229 1,258 0 0 0 0

City of Lompoc 39,149 4,264* 97 2,123 1,237 660 22 201

Los Alamos CSD 1,300 238 170 136 44 24 0 31

Mission Hills CSD 3,200 540 151 257 0 12 0 0

Montecito Water District 13,100 3,829 261 2,989 153 402 0 285

City of Santa Barbara 95,064 11,336 111 4,994 3,176 2,087 565 1,104

City of Santa Maria 69,326 9,983 129 5,172 1,850 2,556 359 0

Santa Ynez River WCDID#1 8,298 2,482 267 2,436 0 0 0 0

City of Solvang 5,242 1,277 217 712 132 298 0 126

Vandenberg Village CSD 5,971 1,071 160 825 29 114 0 103

* Includes other water use not identified by one of the other categories listedM&I (Municipal and Industrial) refers to all urban use, not including agricultural irrigation

w/singlefamily)

74

Urban Use: 26%

S.B. County Historical Per-Capita Water UseGallons/Person/Day

1992* 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998

City of Buellton 230 227 213 228 232 253 206

California Cities Water Co. 199 193 235 229 249 343 205

Carpinteria Valley Water Dist. 108 113 130 130 127 131 120

Cuyama CSD 183 NR 187 188 205 238 180

Goleta Water District 98 107 101 140 161 131 103

City of Guadalupe 108** 96** NR 72 83 88 79

La Cumbre Mutual Water Co. 241 241 283 250 259 307 229

City of Lompoc 113 112 114 112 120 109 97

Los Alamos CSD NR NR 160 218 191 170 NR

Mission Hills CSD 170 175 174 168 NR NR 151

Montecito Water District 268 269 199 270 249 325 261

City of Santa Barbara 99 104 109 115 120 126 111

City of Santa Maria 168 165 155 159 173 137 129

Santa Ynez River WCD, ID#1 212 NR 327 NR 198 366 267

City of Solvang 353 353 NR 252 262 262 217

Vandenberg Village CSD 192 179 179 179 206 NR 160

NR = Not reported * First post-drought year **Based on water production, not sales/use (per City of Guadalupe)

Agricultural use refers to all water used for cropirrigation and production/processing. In SantaBarbara County, most agricultural water suppliesare obtained from private groundwater wells. Somefarmers on the South Coast buy some or all of their

water from a water purveyor. Information abouttotal agricultural water use in the county is derivedfrom two sources: 1) water purveyors that servefarmers, and 2) estimates of irrigation water usebased on consumptive use factors for each croptype (provided by the Department of Water Resourcesand the U.C. Cooperative Extension) multiplied bythe number of acres of various crops in the county(obtained from the annual Crop Report publishedby the County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office).See the following tables for detailed crop informa-tion and agricultural water use information by wa-ter purveyor: Santa Barbara County Historical HarvestedAcres; Irrigation Water Use for Major Crops Grown;and Santa Barbara County Agricultural Water Use.

Agricultural Use: 74%

Agricultural Water UseAgricultural Water UseAgricultural Water UseAgricultural Water UseAgricultural Water Use

Irrigation Water Use for Major Crops Grown

Crop(acre-feet)/acre/season

VegetablesBroccoli/Cabbage 1.4 1.7Cauliflower 1.7 2.5Carrots 2.3 2.2 3.0Celery 2.2 2.2Lettuce 1.1 1.5Potatoes 1.7 2.5Strawberries 3.0 2.7Tomatoes 1.5 1.7Field CropsBeans 1.0 1.3 1.5Corn, field 1.8 2.2 2.8Grain, irrigated 0.5 0.8 1.5Sugar Beets 3.0 3.2 4.0Alfalfa 3.0 3.5 4.3

Crop(acre-feet)/acre/season

Fruit and Nut CropsAvocados 1.6 1.7Deciduous Fruits 1.7 2.5 3.8Grapes 1.2 2.0Lemons 1.5 1.6Walnuts 1.5 1.8 3.3Nursery ProductsCut flowers/field 1.8 1.8GreenhouseCarnations 2.5Mums, pompom 4.0Mums, potted 5.5Turfgrass 2.7 2.7 3.5 4.0

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Adapted from the Irrigation Water Use for Major Crops Grown in Santa Barbara County: Estimates of Amounts of WaterApplied under Normal Conditions in Four Climatic Areas of Santa Barbara County.

These figures are based on typical practices of local growers and show the amount of water applied in addition to rainfall(assuming average rainfall for each climatic zone). These figures allow only enough water to satisfy the plants’ requirements, toleach salts, and to facilitate the application of water, without waste.

The figures are for the whole season for that particular crop. For land used for several crops in one year, the water used is shownseparately for each crop. The units used are acre-feet of water per acre per season.

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76

Estimated Acre-feetWater Purveyor for 2000*

Carpinteria Co. Water District .................................... 2,188

Goleta Water District ............................................................ 2,598

La Cumbre Mutual Water Co. .......................................... 103

Montecito Water District ....................................................... 538

City of Santa Barbara .................................................................... 81

Santa Ynez River Water Cons. District ............... 2,812

Santa Barbara County Historical Harvested Acres

1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998

Harvested Acreage by Crop

Vegetable Crops 58,234 56,971 58,941 61,543 65,214 63,759 67,530

Field Crops 623,593 619,111 621,063 620,607 616,871 620,066 615,924

Fruit and Nut Crops 25,997 26,106 26,247 25,197 25,689 24,526 25,833

Nursery Products 2,375 2,538 1,510 1,539 1,707 2,067 2,238

Seed Crops 3,852 2,686 3,165 3,002 3,274 3,615 2,143

Leading Crop Acreages

Broccoli 20,757 19,229 21,666 21,698 22,006 21,860 23,130

Head Lettuce 9,909 9,335 10,060 11,343 11,707 11,409 12,711

Grapes 9,532 9,214 9,624 8,731) 9,018 9,369 10,799

Avocados 9,561 9,041 9,368 8,772 8,748 8,381 8,316

Cauliflower 8,920 8,515 8,140 7,733 7,944 8,196 8,839

Santa Barbara County Agricultural Water Use

Estimated Acre-feetPrivate Wells for 2000*

Cuyama Valley .......................................................................... 15,300

San Antonio Valley .............................................................. 17,020

Santa Maria Valley ........................................................... 117,852

Santa Ynez Valley .................................................................. 59,980

South Coast ................................................................................. 28,255

Total Agricultural Water Use ............................................................................................................................................................................. 246,727

* These figures are based on forecasts made by water districts and the Department of Water Resources,estimating the number of acres in production and types of crops grown.

The amount of water used in Santa Barbara Countyvaries from one area to another and from one yearto the next. Information about how and wherewater is used for different purposes is collectedand compiled by the Santa Barbara County WaterAgency (SBCWA). Every year, the SBCWA gatherswater production (how much water is producedfrom each source) and demand (how much wateris used by metered customers) figures from waterpurveyors throughout the county. The data col-lected from each retail water purveyor includes waterproduced from all sources, water delivered to allcustomers by class (single-family, multi-family, com-mercial, industrial, and landscapes) and the totalnumber of customers.

Understanding water use, and predicting future waterdemand, is not an exact science. It is nearly im-possible to account for or predict all of the vari-able factors (listed above) that influence water use.Municipalities and water purveyors must developestimates based on their best knowledge of water

Predicting Future UsePredicting Future UsePredicting Future UsePredicting Future UsePredicting Future Use

use patterns and project growth rates in their ser-vice areas. Some communities in California havedeveloped water use forecasting models that aredesigned to calculate future demand based on avariety of assumptions about population, water ef-ficiency programs, water prices, and climate. Aswater becomes more scarce and expensive, thesemodels will be refined and more communities willuse such models in planning for how they will meetthe future needs of their customers.


Goleta Water District:www.goletawater.com



Santa Barbara County AgriculturalCommissioner’s Office: http://www.co.santa-barbara.ca.us/agcomm/

Santa Barbara County Water Agency: http://www.publicworkssb.org/water/

University of California Cooperative ExtensionSanta Barbara County: http://www.sbceo.K12.ca.us/~uccesbl/

Water SupplyWater SupplyWater SupplyWater SupplyWater SupplyEnhancementEnhancementEnhancementEnhancementEnhancement

Water Use EfficiencyCloud Seeding

Water Reuse

Water Use EfficiencyWater Use EfficiencyWater Use EfficiencyWater Use EfficiencyWater Use EfficiencyAn effective way to manage water supplies is to in-crease the efficiency of use in order to reduce de-mand. The semiarid climate, periodic droughts andhigh cost of water locally make efficient use of valu-able water supplies essential. This means that allwater consumers use only the amount of water re-quired to meet their needs. Water consumers in-clude farmers, residents, businesses, schools, mu-nicipalities, parks and others. Efficient use of wa-ter results in little or no waste.

Some benefits of using water efficiently include savingenergy, reducing flow into wastewater treatment fa-cilities, and minimizing the need to develop newsupplies, with associated costs, to meet expandingneeds. Individual water consumers can also ben-efit by saving money on their water and energy billswhen using water efficiently.

Efficient use of water entails responsible design oflandscapes and appropriate choices of appliances,irrigation equipment and the other water-usingdevices that enhance our lives. In recent years,laws have been passed that require efficient plumbingdevices, appliances, and landscape designs. How-ever, it is still up to individual water consumers touse water wisely and minimize waste.

The Santa Barbara County Water Agency (SBCWA)operates the Regional Water Efficiency Program toassist water purveyors and residents. Though theSBCWA does not sell water, it supports a variety ofprograms that are effective when administered atthe County level in cooperation with individual waterdistricts. These regional programs include:

• Landscape education

• Public information

• School education

• Irrigation efficiency training

• New development review

• Data collection

• Research regarding new technologies

• Compliance with regulations

• Planning and participation in state andfederal technical committees.

Each of the regional program elements is describedbriefly below:

Landscape EfficiencyEducation

Roughly half of the water consumed in urban com-munities in Santa Barbara is used to irrigate resi-dential and commercial landscapes, parks and golfcourses. The climate of Santa Barbara County isperfect for low-water-using landscapes that are lush,attractive, and easy to maintain. The SBCWA, incooperation with local water purveyors, providesinformation, training and demonstrations of waterefficient landscape design and maintenance strate-gies. A major component of this effort is the pro-motion of appropriate, low water using plant spe-cies (natives and others that thrive in Mediterra-nean climates). Local demonstration gardens arelisted on page 86.

Sustainable landscaping is a term that refers to land-scapes that make efficient use of resources such aswater and energy, while reducing pollution due torunoff of fertilizers and pesticides, and minimizingwaste from excess pruning.

South Coast SustainableLandscape Fair

81


Typical landscapes require an input of time, money,labor, water, chemicals, and fertilizers. Maintainedlandscapes also create waste: plant trimmings andweeds, polluted runoff from the use of chemicalsand fertilizers, and water lost by evaporation fromplants and soils. In sustainable landscaping, theinput and output of landscaping are both minimized.

Sustainable landscaping practices result in land-scapes that are an integral part of the local envi-ronment. For more information on sustainablelandscaping, see the free, full-color brochure Sus-tainable Landscaping: Resource Efficient Land-scapes for Southern California produced by theSBCWA with support from local water purveyorsand the Bureau of Reclamation. Call the SBCWA at(805) 568-3546 to obtain a copy.

Cachuma Resource Conservation DistrictLarge Landscape Audits

In Santa Barbara County, trained professionals fromthe Cachuma Resource Conservation District (CRCD)use the Mobile Irrigation Lab to provide irrigationevaluations to property managers with large areasof turf that require irrigation. Some of the proper-ties that are targeted by this program include Cityand county landscapes, parks, golf courses, schoolgrounds, and cemeteries. Evaluations include themeasurement of the Distribution Uniformity of thesprinklers, a sprinkler inspection, a soil survey, andrecommendations for controller settings. Follow-ing the evaluation, property managers receive a re-port from the CRCD that outlines recommenda-tions and projections for potential savings.

Public Information

The SBCWA works closely with local water purvey-ors to inform the public about water issues andways to use water efficiently. Some of the publicinformation programs include: planning or par-ticipating in special events throughout the year suchas the fairs, workshops and tours held during EarthDay (April) and Water Awareness Month (May),preparing and distributing literature regarding spe-

cific techniques to save water, and preparing a news-letter on current topics in water resources efficiency.

School Education

The SBCWA distributes free, locally developed watereducation materials that are available to teachers andother interested people. A brief description of thosematerials and services offered appears below:

Water Activities Manual (Grades 6 - 8)

This manual is especially designed for Santa BarbaraCounty. It gives general information about water aswell as specialized information on the county’s uniquewater supply situation. Reading units are comple-mented by activities, worksheets, experiments, andfield trip suggestions. Maps and tables give studentsa close-up view of water use and supply in the county.This publication is available in teacher and studentversions.

Water Education Web Site

Through a partnership of local water purveyors, edu-cators and the Bureau of Reclamation, this web siteprovides teachers, students and others with easy ac-cess to information about water including lesson plans,activities, resource materials, water quality and weatherdata, other web sites, photos, ways to access localwater purveyors and other helpful information. Theweb site address is <www.sbwater.org>.

Water Education Resource Guide

This guide provides ordering information on freeand low-cost water education materials. In additionto classroom materials, the guide provides informa-tion on films, maps and posters, local field trips,speakers, and on-line resources.

Water of Santa Barbara County(Grades 4-12)

This publication describes the various watersources used in Santa Barbara County, andprovides general information on the water cycle,how water is used in the county, and waterconservation tips.

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A CIMIS station in operation


This general information report is suitable forstudents grades 6 through 12, and adults. Itprovides an overview of rainfall, water sourcesand supplies, and water demand.

Classroom Presentations

SBCWA staff give classroom presentations (on a lim-ited basis) on a variety of water supply and conser-vation topics. Local water purveyor personnel pro-vide most classroom presentations.

Teacher Workshops

The SBCWA also sponsors training in water educa-tion curriculum, including Project WET. Call the SBCWAto learn about this program and currently scheduledworkshops.

Statewide Water Education Committee

The California Department of Water Resources(DWR) holds semiannual meetings for water pur-veyors and educators in California. SBCWA staffparticipates in these meetings, which facilitate theexchange of information and ideas regarding watereducation.

Irrigation EfficiencyTraining/Assistance for

FarmersFarmersFarmersFarmersFarmers

The County supports a variety of services for agri-cultural water users. In cooperation with the County,the Cachuma Resource Conservation District offersirrigation system evaluations for agricultural waterusers, conducts workshops on irrigation efficiencyand provides a toll free CIMIS (California Irriga-tion Management Information System) Hotline. TheSBCWA provides funding assistance to the CachumaResource Conservation District to conduct theseprograms.

California Irrigation ManagementInformation System (CIMIS)

CIMIS is a network of more than 90 computerizedweather stations located at key agricultural andmunicipal sites throughout California. Six of thesestations are located in Santa Barbara County. Sta-tions are located in Santa Barbara, Goleta, SantaYnez, Santa Maria, Guadalupe, and Cuyama. TheCalifornia Department of Water Resources operatesthe system.

How does CIMIS work?

Each weather station automatically reads and col-lects information on wind speed and run, averagevapor pressure, air temperature, relative humidity,dew point, solar radiation, soil temperature, andprecipitation. The information is transmitted to acentral computer database in Sacramento that con-verts the data into reference evapotranspiration, orETo. ETo is the combined value of the water needsof cool-season grass and soil evaporation. The dailywater needs of crops or landscape plants can thenbe estimated using ETo and crop coefficients, fac-tors that adjust ETo for specific types of plants.

From this information, agricultural or landscapeirrigators can establish a water budget irrigationschedule. In many cases, this method of irrigation

83


Mobile lab irrigation evaluation

scheduling can reduce the amount of water used inirrigation, and at the same time improve growthperformance.

How to access CIMIS

A toll-free hotline has been established to accessCIMIS information. The number is 1-888-CIMIS2U(1-888-246-4728). The SBCWA provides brochuresthat can assist growers and landscapers in usingETo to determine irrigation schedules. For a bro-chure, call the SBCWA or the Cachuma ResourceConservation District.

Tours and Demonstrations

Local agencies sponsor tours and demonstrationsfor farmers and others to learn more about effi-cient water use in agriculture. Some of these effi-cient water use practices include laser levellingland for more efficient furrow irrigation appli-cation; tailwater recovery systems for reuse ofirrigation water; nursery cultivation of plant cut-tings that are then transplanted to the field, thuseliminating more consumptive pre-irrigation inthe field; use of drip irrigation and other effi-cient technologies.

Irrigation Water ManagementProgram

The objectives of the Irrigation Water ManagementProgram are to conserve water and energy in SantaBarbara County. This is accomplished through theimplementation of Best Management Practices(BMPs) for operating and maintaining agriculturalirrigation systems. Staff from the Cachuma Re-sources Conservation District (CRCD) provides ir-rigation system evaluations to local agricultural waterusers to help implement the BMPs. The CRCDmanages the Mobile Irrigation Lab, which travelsto the site to be evaluated. As part of the evalua-tion CRCD staff analyzes the Distribution Unifor-mity of the sprinklers; provides an estimate of sea-sonal evapotranspiration, effective rainfall, leach-ing and irrigation water requirements; tests pump-

ing plants for energy efficiency; and measures thewater quality by testing pH, electrical conductivity,nitrates, hardness and iron in the irrigation water.Following the evaluation, the agricultural water userwill receive a report from the CRCD that outlinesrecommendations and projections.

Statewide AgriculturalWater Efficiency MOU

There are many ways that irrigation water supplierscan promote efficient use by farmers. In the late1990s, legislation (AB 3616) was passed that cre-ated a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) out-lining practical and cost effective efficient watermanagement practices (EWMPs) for irrigation dis-tricts. The EWMPs contained in the MOU includesuch practices as water pricing, education, effi-cient irrigation technology, water management prac-tices (irrigation scheduling, moisture monitoring)and weather monitoring. As a result of this legisla-tion, a council was formed which includes the Cali-fornia Department of Water Resources (DWR), anumber of large irrigation districts, public and en-vironmental interest groups and agricultural agen-cies such as the Farm Bureau and the Natural Re-sources Conservation Service. This statewide council,comprised of the above entities and individuals thathave signed the MOU, was formed to oversee imple-mentation of the EWMPs. The SBCWA participatesin these quarterly council meetings and promotesimplementation of EWMPs by local irrigation wa-ter suppliers.

84

Cultivation nursery fortransplant cuttings in SantaMaria, utilizing a method of

propagation which saves water

New Development Review

There are many ways that water use in new develop-ment can be minimized. Some methods include care-ful design and planning, the inclusion of efficientplumbing devices and appliances, appropriate land-scaping (plants and irrigation systems) and efficientprocesses used in commercial and industrial projectsthat have high water demands. The County Planningand Development Department reviews all new de-velopment in the unincorporated areas of the countyand coordinates this review with local water purvey-ors to assure an adequate water supply. At this timewater purveyors, as well as staff in the SBCWA, havethe opportunity to comment on design features asmentioned above and to recommend more efficientalternatives if needed. This is an important aspectof the Regional Water Efficiency Program because itis easier to influence water use before a project isinstalled than to change behavior of the occupantsonce the project is complete.

Data Collection

The SBCWA collects and analyzes data regardingwater production and demand, water rates anduse of recycled wastewater. This data providesvaluable feedback to staff regarding water use pat-terns and the effectiveness of efforts to promote effi-cient use of water.

The SBCWA also participates in regional or nationalstudies which enhance our understanding of water

use patterns. In 1998-99 the SBCWA helped fund anational study regarding the residential end uses ofwater, which included one local study site — theCity of Lompoc. Results of this study are helpinglocal agencies better understand the impact of theirconservation programs, and how residential wateruses affect their water needs.

Research Regarding New Technologies

Each year new technologies and devices are devel-oped that help consumers save water and energy.Water has become a scarce and expensive resourcein most regions of country, at least periodically, asa result of short-term climatic changes.

Federal and state laws have changed in the past 15years to require the manufacture and sale of effi-cient plumbing fixtures.

Compliance withRegulations

It has been proven that using water more efficientlycan be less expensive and result in fewer impactsthan developing new sources of water – such asbuilding new reservoirs. This is especially true inmany areas of California where water is a limitedresource. Due to these economic and resource con-straints, laws have been enacted that require effi-cient use of water. These laws address manufacture

85


and sale of water efficient plumbing fixtures andappliances, design standards for landscapes and insome cases require water purveyors to develop andimplement water efficiency plans. State and federalagencies have also adopted standards for efficiencythat affect local water purveyors.

The Regional Water Efficiency Program staff reviewregulations and standards and assist local water pur-veyors with compliance. Many elements of the Re-gional Program satisfy specific requirements.

Individual water purveyors conduct many of theirown water efficiency programs, directed at theircustomers’ unique needs. For more informationabout water efficiency programs conducted by lo-cal water purveyors, contact the individual purvey-ors listed in the Water Purveyors section.

California Urban WaterConservation Council

In 1991 water purveyors, public and environmen-tal interest groups, cities and counties, consultantsand others joined together to sign a statewide agree-ment for implementation of far-reaching urban waterconservation measures in California. The SBCWAwas among the first public agencies to sign theagreement. This agreement (MOU) contains bestmanagement practices (BMPs) to be implementedby water purveyors serving urban customers, withthe support of the environmental interests and oth-ers. The recently revised agreement contains 14 BMPsthat are being implemented by signatory agencies.These BMPs include water conservation pricing, land-scape water management, education, replacementof high water using plumbing fixtures, promotion ofmore efficient washing machines, residential andcommercial water use audits, and other conserva-tion practices.

A statewide council of signatories was formed in1991 and has been meeting quarterly for over nineyears. The SBCWA is an active participant in thisgroup and promotes participation in the Council

to all local water purveyors. As of early 2000, fivelocal water purveyors have become signatories to theMOU. Implementation of the urban BMPs is requiredby state and federal law for some local purveyors.

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation(USBR)

The USBR owns two local reservoirs: Lake Cachumaand Twitchell Reservoir (see Surface Water sectionin Water Supply Chapter). These reservoirs supplyurban and agricultural water supplies to local con-tracting water purveyors. The SBCWA is the mastercontractor for both projects. All agencies contract-ing for water provided by a USBR facility are re-quired to prepare and implement a water efficiencyplan. For the Cachuma Project contractors, com-prehensive water efficiency plans have been in placesince 1994 when the contract with the USBR wasrenewed. The plans must be updated annually,and incorporate water efficiency measures for bothurban and agricultural water users. For urban agen-cies one of the primary components is implemen-tation of the best management practices (BMPs)contained in the statewide urban water conserva-tion MOU (see above). The regional water effi-ciency program conducted by the SBCWA addressesmany of those BMPs.

Urban WaterManagement Plans

In 1985, statewide legislation (AB 797) was passedrequiring all water purveyors with 3,000 custom-ers, or serving over 3,000 acre-feet of water forurban uses, to prepare an urban water manage-ment plan. These plans must be updated every fiveyears. An urban water management plan is a com-prehensive plan that addresses past, current andfuture water supplies for each affected district. Theseplans must include a water shortage contingencyplan for droughts and other water shortage emer-gencies, a plan for using recycled wastewater if fea-sible, a comprehensive assessment of all water sup-

86

County farmers need to beassured of a reliable

water supply

plies within the district, a plan for meeting futurewater needs, and a water efficiency plan which in-cludes a description of how best management prac-tices (see urban water conservation MOU describedabove) will be implemented. The urban water man-agement plans are submitted to the Department ofWater Resources where they are reviewed and summa-rized in a report to the legislature.

Some local water purveyors are affected by this leg-islation, and are in the process of preparing up-dates to their plans, which are due in December of2000. There is significant overlap in the require-ments for these plans (for USBR, DWR and theUrban Council). Purveyors often submit portionsof one plan for partial satisfaction of the require-ments of other plans, to eliminate duplication ofeffort.

Drought Planning

Periodic droughts, like wet-cycles, occur through-out California and are an expected event in a semi-arid climate. Water managers plan for droughts by

obtaining ample water supplies to meet normal needsand holding a reserve, or “buffer”, aside for peri-ods of shortage. More severe droughts, particu-larly those occurring over multiple years, provide achallenge to water managers. The prolonged droughtof 1986-91 is an example of a sustained shortageresulting from six years of below-average rainfalland corresponding decline in the replenishmentof local water supplies. By the end of that six-yeardrought, water supplies on the south coast of SantaBarbara County were drastically reduced. Resi-dents and businesses were asked to cut back theiruse to essential levels. Water purveyors adoptedpenalties for excessive use (through water rates),implemented rationing programs, prohibited waste-ful use and the City of Santa Barbara actually bannedlawn watering (Aston, 1992).

There are two ways that water purveyors can pre-pare for droughts or other water supply shortages:1) hold enough water supplies in reserve to drawon during shortages; and 2) prepare water demandmanagement contingency plans to reduce demandduring shortages. One water supply solution in-cludes developing additional or supplemental wa-ter sources such as the State Water Project anddesalination. Both of these supplemental supplieswere developed after the last drought and havehelped extend local supplies to meet existing andfuture demand. The water purveyors contractingfor State Water Project water have set aside a reservefor shortages. The City of Santa Barbara’s desalinationplant, which is now decommissioned, will be broughton line when there is a need, such as a drought thataffects both southern and northern California (thesource of State Water Project water).

Most local water purveyors have prepared watershortage contingency plans that identify how theywill reduce demand during a shortage. These plansaddress water savings over and above ongoing wa-ter efficiency practices that are now an integral partof customer demand management. Ongoing (long-term) efficiency measures include the best man-agement practices described above (pricing, edu-cation, efficient landscapes and irrigation, efficient

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For More InformationGoleta Water District: http://www.goletawater.com/



Department of Water Resources; California WaterPage: http://www.dwr.water.ca.gov/

California Urban Water Conservation Council:http://www.cuwcc.org/


plumbing fixtures and appliances). Short-term watershortage contingency measures include steeply tiered(penalty) water rates, prohibitions against certainunnecessary uses of water (i.e., car washing), wa-ter rationing programs, restricted landscape irri-gation (i.e., designated days for watering) and publicinformation campaigns. Typical contingency plansare based on scenarios of shortages, such as 10%,20% and 30% reductions in supply. The demandreduction contingencies are planned according tothe severity of the water supply reduction, with themost severe restrictions being carried out duringthe most severe shortage. In the last local droughtwater demand was actually reduced by over 50%during the peak of the shortage. For more infor-mation regarding water shortage plans, see the ur-ban water management plans prepared by each waterpurveyor.

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Public Demonstration Gardensin Santa Barbara County

The following is a list of the public demonstration gardens in Santa BarbaraCounty that provide living examples of resource efficient landscaping.


4699 Hollister Avenue(corner of Puente Street),

Santa Barbara

(805) 964-6761

Features many native California plants and other non-native low-waterusing plants. Open 8:00 a.m. to sunset every day. Admission is free.

Santa Barbara City College Lifescape Garden/Chumash Point Ethnobotanic Preserve

721 Cliff Drive, Santa Barbara

(805)965-0581

The Lifescape Garden features a variety of low-water using and edible plants, as well as compostingsystems and efficient irrigation. Chumash Point emphasizes native plants from the range of the Chumash

Indians. These plants have medicinal, nutritional and spiritual importance to the Chumash.Open sunrise to sunset every day. Admission is free.

Santa Barbara Botanic Garden

1212 Mission Canyon Road, Santa Barbara

(805) 682-4726

A 65-acre garden of native plants of California, representing a variety ofplant communities and important botanical and horticultural collec-

tions. The Home Demonstration Garden at the Botanic Garden is aworking model of water efficient California native landscaping for

residential settings.

The Garden is open Monday-Friday from9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. and on

weekends from 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.Small admission fee.

Streetside section of the GoletaWater District DemonstrationGarden

Santa Barbara BotanicGarden’s HomeDemonstration Garden

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Alice Keck Park MemorialGarden, Santa Barbara

Firescape, Santa Barbara

Santa Maria Valley SustainableGarden, Santa Maria

Alice Keck Park Memorial Garden

City block bounded by Arrellaga, Santa Barbara,Garden and Micheltorena Streets, Santa Barbara

A 4.6-acre informal park emphasizing exotic flora. The planting areas are separatedaccording to cultural conditions, ranging from boggy to arid, with a special section onlow-water using plants. Plant directory is near center of the park, above the pond, and alist of low-water using plants is available. Open 8:00 a.m. to sunset every day.Admission is free.

Firescape

2411 Stanwood Drive / Route 192 (corner of Mission Ridge Road)Santa Barbara

(805) 564-5703

Located across the street from Fire Station #7, this 1.7-acre labeled gardendemonstrates how risks of wildfire can be reduced through appropriate planting of low-water using plants, irrigation, and management. Open 8:00 a.m. to sunset every day.Admission is free.

Montecito Water District

583 San Ysidro Road (above East Valley Road), Montecito

(805) 969-2271

A labeled, low-water using garden featuringa variety of Mediterranean plants.Open 8:00 a.m. to sunset every day. Admission is free.

Santa Maria Valley Sustainable Garden

Curtis Tunnel Center624 West Foster Road, Santa Maria

This demonstration garden features low-water using plants,efficient irrigation, composting, mulch, lawn alternatives,and use of paved areas. Brochures and plant lists areavailable on-site. Open every day during daylight hours.Admission is free.

City of Lompoc Drought Tolerant Garden

1801 West Central Avenue, Lompoc(805) 736-5083

The 1/4-mile garden path features native California plants, mulch, granite pathways, and is irrigated withreclaimed water. Open sunrise to sunset every day. Call ahead to arrange group tours.Admission is free.

Cloud SeedingCloud SeedingCloud SeedingCloud SeedingCloud SeedingBasics

Since as early as 1948 Santa Barbara County hasparticipated in weather modification activities inorder to augment local water supplies. Weather con-ditions are “modified” by seeding clouds with con-densation nuclei to increase the amount of rainthat falls. There are a number of benefits fromdoing this, which is supported by statistical analy-sis. The most significant benefit is that in someyears up to 15% more rain falls in areas whereclouds have been seeded than in control (unseeded)areas. Other benefits include:

• Infiltration of significant amounts of wa-ter into groundwater basins;

• Runoff into reservoirs;

• Irrigation effects on grasslands andcrops.

To understand how cloud seeding works, it is im-portant to understand clouds. Clouds are composedof droplets of water vapor of varying size and tem-perature. These cloud droplets form on microscopicparticles of atmospheric dust, called condensationnuclei. Toward the top of the cloud formations,“supercooled” water vapor may exist. This meansthat the water vapor is suspended in the cloud attemperatures that are below freezing.

Precipitation forms when this vapor contacts a par-ticle or “nucleus”. The vapor freezes to the par-ticle and forms an ice crystal. The crystal growslarger as more vapor contacts it. When it becomes

large enough to overcome the forces of “uplift” inthe cloud, it falls out as precipitation. This precipi-tation may reach the ground as hail or snow, orduring its descent it may melt and reach the groundas rain. It may evaporate entirely on the way downand rejoin the cloud as vapor. The existence of su-percooled water vapor constitutes the most oppor-tune conditions to seed clouds for rainfall augmen-tation purposes. It is possible, though, to seed cloudswithout supercooled water vapor, under certain me-teorological conditions.

In storms typical to Santa Barbara County, there ismuch more moisture available than there are con-densation nuclei to act as ‘bus’ mechanisms to bringthe cloud droplet from a high elevation in the atmo-sphere down to earth’s surface. For this reason, SantaBarbara County’s weather modification program fo-cuses on adding more condensation nuclei to cloudsto increase rainfall.

A number of substances have been shown to workfor cloud seeding, including dry ice, but the mostcommonly used substance is silver iodide (AgI). Thereare two ways to inject silver iodide into clouds: aerialand land-based methods. In aerial seeding, silveriodide generators are mounted on the wing tips ofan airplane which flies directly into the most pro-ductive part of the cloud. Land-based generatorsare placed at the tops of mountains where updraftscarry the silver iodide into passing clouds. The gen-erators burn a solution of silver iodide and acetonewhich releases the seeding agent in a smoke form.

Local Program

Local aircraft generators are flown on planes leav-ing the Santa Barbara or Santa Maria Airports. Thisis a more precise method of seeding because thepilot can fly directly into precipitation bands, themost productive portions of the storm. These bandscan be detected by radar and pilots can be directedto them by radio. Ground generators are located atthe Refugio Pass and La Cumbre Peak in the SantaYnez Mountains, and are independently activated bya meteorologist from the control center. A com-

Aerial seeding utilizessilver iodide generatorsmounted on airplane wing tips

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puter model is used to predetermine the effects ofseeding. The County cloud seeding program is onlyconducted in the upper Santa Ynez and TwitchellReservoir watersheds. It is kept away from the county’surban areas, partly to avoid inundating populatedareas with rain, and partly because runoff south ofthe mountains goes into the ocean.

The effectiveness of cloud seeding has been evalu-ated to demonstrate its benefits. Recent statisticalstudies suggest that seeding results in a maximumincrease in precipitation of about 15% over onerain season. This translates to thousands of acre-feet (AF) of additional water captured for storage inlocal reservoirs. For example, in a wet year such as1992-93, approximately 20,000 AF of water was gen-erated through cloud seeding, and this figure doesnot include infiltration into groundwater basins.

The local cloud seeding program is operated be-tween December 1 and March 30 of most years.Seeding is only possible during those months ifthere are clouds present that might produce rain.During drought periods, cloud seeding is not aseffective. Conversely, in large storms, seeding op-erations are suspended in order to avoid contrib-uting to flooding problems. The most effective seed-ing occurs during moderately wet years such as 1992and 1993, although some level of cloud seeding isconducted most years.

The current cloud seeding program in Santa Bar-bara County uses state-of-the-art technology to re-duce the associated risks of excessive rainfall orrainfall occurring in areas not intended. Countyhydrologists use a network of rain and stream flowgages together with predictive computer models toprevent potential problems. A set of suspensioncriteria is established every year which specifiesconditions under which seeding may be conducted.For example, all seeding is suspended in the areasrecently burned by wildfires (such as the MarreFire in Santa Ynez Valley) because those areas aresensitive to excessive soil erosion which can leadto landslides and downstream sedimentation. Seed-ing can resume when geologists and others havedetermined that there is no longer any danger of

landslides or other adverse erosion impacts. The pro-gram is under the constant supervision of a certifiedmeteorologist who uses real-time radar and satelliteimagery to monitor storm progression and rainfall.

Costs

The cost of the annual cloud seeding program isshared among the County and the water districtswhich receive a benefit from it. The cost is welljustified when compared to its benefits. The aver-age cost of water produced by cloud seeding is lessthan $100 per AF. By comparison, the cost of StateWater Project water on the South Coast is roughly$1,200 per AF. Desalinated seawater costs approxi-mately $1,100 per AF. Groundwater and water fromLake Cachuma average between $75 and $250 perAF. Thus cloud seeding is one of the least expensivesources of water available to us.

Silver iodide generatorsplaced on mountaintops releasecondensation nuclei intopassing clouds



Weather Modification, Inc.:http://www.wmi.cban.com/

Santa Barbara County Water Agency. 1977.Potentials for Yield Augmentation throughWeather Modification.

McGurty, B.M. 1999. Turning Silver into Gold:Measuring the Benefits of Cloud Seeding. Hydro-Review 18(2), 40, 42, 55-57.

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Recycled water moves fromprimary and secondary

wastewater treatment ponds,to the Flash Mixing Tank, Flocculation Tank,

filters, chlorination and storage

It is then pumped through special purple pipesto prevent mixing with drinking water

Water ReuseWater ReuseWater ReuseWater ReuseWater ReuseRecycled

Wastewater

Wastewater refers to water that has been used andthen released into the sewer. Wastewater can con-tain sewage, urban street runoff or industrial oragricultural waste products. Wastewater enters sewerswhere it is carried to wastewater treatment plants.During the treatment process solids are removedfrom the water. Chemicals are added to disinfectthe water before it is released into the ocean, neigh-boring river, other water body or spreading grounds.If treated to an advanced level, wastewater (or “ef-fluent”) can be reused for such purposes as irriga-tion of pasture grasses, landscaping, and even somecrops.

Properly treated wastewater can provide a cost ef-fective alternative to potable (drinking) water for awide variety of uses. The process of treating waste-

water for reuse is called recycling. Water recyclingis becoming a more important resource as localwater purveyors seek ways to stretch their existingwater supplies. Because recycled water can be safelyand legally substituted for potable water in agri-culture and landscape irrigation, flushing toilets,as well as dust control and compaction on con-struction sites, it replaces potable water and makesit available for other uses. This effectively creates anew water source.

Recycled water must meet rigorous water qualitystandards before it can be reused, with the stan-dards varying depending on the type of use. Theprocess of treating water to a high enough level sothat it may be recycled is complex and somewhatexpensive, so not all wastewater treatment plantscan produce recycled water.

There are several steps to the wastewater treatmentprocess. Water is transported from sewers into thetreatment plant, where it receives “primary treat-ment”. This involves removing solids that settle tothe bottom, as well as floating materials. Next thewater undergoes “secondary treatment”, which re-moves solids that are suspended or dissolved in thewater. Finally, some treatment plants use “tertiarytreatment”, which filters and disinfects the water.Most wastewater in Santa Barbara County is treatedto the secondary level.

Recycled Water Use

Three wastewater treatment plants in the county,the City of Santa Barbara’s El Estero WastewaterTreatment Plant, the Goleta Sanitary District, andthe Lompoc Regional Wastewater Reclamation Plantproduce water that is directly reused in the com-munity. These are discussed in more detail below.

The remaining treatment facilities produce waterthat flows into ponds, which allow the

water to percolate into the groundwa-ter basin, or they release the

treated wastewater into the ocean.

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Wastewater Treatment Plants in Santa Barbara County

There are twelve wastewater treatment (also called “sanitation”) plants in the county. This tablecontains a list of each of the sanitation plants and describes the level of treatment and thewastewater flow capacity of each plant. Most sanitation plants are operated by public entities suchas cities or the County. Several are special districts not affiliated with city or county operations.

TREATMENT TOTAL PLANT LEVEL OF RECYCLEDPLANT CAPACITY TREATMENT WATER USES

(acre-feet per year)

Buellton Wastewater 728 secondary groundwater rechargeTreatment Plant

Carpinteria Sanitary District 2,240 secondary treatment plant landscapeirrigation

Goleta Sanitary District and 14,562 blended landscape irrigation,Goleta West Sanitary District secondary/ toilet flushing

tertiary

Guadalupe Wastewater 1,344 secondary pasture irrigationTreatment Plant

Laguna County Sanitation District 3,584 secondary pasture irrigation

La Purisima Wastewater 448 primary groundwater recharge;Treatment Plant pasture/crop irrigation

Lompoc Regional Wastewater 5,600 advanced sewer line cleaning;Reclamation Plant secondary dust control and compaction;

city street tree irrigation

Montecito Sanitary District 1,680 secondary none

El Estero Wastewater Treatment Plant 12,321 secondary/ landscape irrigation;(City of Santa Barbara) tertiary toilet flushing

City of Santa Maria 8,737 secondary groundwater recharge;Wastewater Treatment Plant pasture irrigation

Solvang Wastewater Treatment Plant 1,120 secondary groundwater recharge

Summerland Sanitary District 336 tertiary none

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City of Santa Barbara

The City of Santa Barbara’s water recycling projectwas implemented in two phases. Phase I, completedin 1989, included upgrading the El Estero Waste-water Treatment Plant to treat the water to the ter-tiary level. This recycled water is then distributedto user sites through a completely separate distri-bution system to ensure that there is no cross con-nection into the potable system. Phase I providesrecycled water for landscape irrigation. Sites thatuse water from this phase include Montecito CountryClub, the Red Lion Inn, Santa Barbara ZoologicalGardens, Santa Barbara City College, and severalschools and city parks.

Phase II, which extended the reach of the recycledwater project, was completed in 1991. Sites irri-gated by Phase II water include landscaping alongHighway 101, Arroyo Burro Beach Park, the Mu-nicipal Golf Course and additional schools and parks.Since 1991, new development along the recycledwater distribution system has been added includ-ing Chase Palm Park Extension and the Garden Streetmedian.

Some irrigation sites receive recycled water from a600,000 gallon storage tank at the wastewater treat-ment plant. For the remaining sites, recycled wateris pumped to the new 1.5 million gallon storagereservoir at the Municipal Golf Course, and thendistributed at night to irrigate those sites.

In 1995, the City began using recycled water toflush toilets and now many of the sites irrigatedwith recycled water have also converted their pub-lic restrooms to flush with recycled water.

Although the total capacity of the recycled waterproject is 1,200 acre-feet per year (AFY), currenttotal project use is 850 AFY.

Goleta Valley

The water recycling project in Goleta is a joint ef-fort between the Goleta Water District and the GoletaSanitary District. The Goleta Sanitary District Plantfeatures a blended secondary process, in whichprimary treated water is mixed with secondary treatedwater to safely meet all discharge requirements.This effluent is discharged into the ocean. Excesssecondary water is then treated to the tertiary levelto create usable recycled water.

This recycled water is used to irrigate landscapingat the University of California, local parks, golfcourses, school grounds, and business parks. Theproject has the capacity to produce 1,500 AFY ofrecycled water, replacing potable water which thenbecomes available to the community. Several loca-tions in Goleta now use recycled wastewater fortoilet flushing.

In this cooperative project, Goleta Sanitary Districtadded the tertiary stage of water treatment to theplant, and continuously monitors the quality of thewater produced. The Goleta Water District constructeda separate pipeline to distribute the recycled waterto customers. Special sprinkler systems were alsodesigned to use the recycled water. The Goleta WaterDistrict also developed a user’s manual containingstrict guidelines for usage of the water.




Boyle Engineering Corporation. 1971. County ofSanta Barbara Water and Sewage Facilities Plan.Santa Barbara County, Cities Area Planning Council.

WateReuse Association:http://www.watereuse.org/

RegulatoryRegulatoryRegulatoryRegulatoryRegulatoryFrameworkFrameworkFrameworkFrameworkFramework

LegislationRegulatory Agencies

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The regulatory framework for water is extremelycomplex. Regulations governing water in SantaBarbara County in particular, and California in gen-eral, cannot be found in any one source. A varietyof state, local and federal laws and regulations controland guide water management in the county. Thissection contains a brief overview of pertinent regu-lations and legislation, and a list of references wheremore information can be obtained.

Federal

The Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act(SDWA) are both enforced by the EnvironmentalProtection Agency (EPA) Office of Water.

Safe Drinking Water Act (1975)

The Safe Drinking Water Act of 1975 gave the EPAthe authority to establish and enforce guidelinesfor the achievement of minimum national waterquality standards for every public water supply sys-tem serving 25 people or more. The State’s pri-mary drinking water standards are based upon theNational Interim Primary Drinking Water Regula-tions (40 CFR Part 141). These standards specifythe maximum allowable concentrations or contami-nant levels of substances present in drinking water.The substances regulated by the National PrimaryDrinking Water Act Regulations are those knownto cause illness, death or adverse physical effects tohumans. These contaminants are referred to as“primary contaminants.” The State’s secondarydrinking water standards are based on the NationalSecondary Drinking Water Regulations (40 CFR Part143). The secondary standards regulate “second-ary contaminants”. These contaminants tend tomake the water undesirable. Objectionable odor,

taste, particulate matter, hardness and corrosive-ness are secondary contaminants. In 1988 and1989, the Safe Drinking Water Act was amended.The amendments and the regulations for their imple-mentation may be found in Title 22, Chapter 15,Domestic Water Quality and Monitoring. Theseamendments require water purveyors to test for newtypes of organic and chemical contaminants. Inaddition, the testing procedures and techniquesthat are required have also been revised.

The Clean Water Act

The Clean Water Act (CWA) controls the dischargeof toxic materials into surface water bodies. TheCWA was the result of the 1899 Rivers and HarborsAct, which prohibited discharges that could inter-fere with interstate transportation. In 1948, an-other water control act was passed to protect waterbodies by imposing effluent limitations at the sourceof pollution discharge. In 1972, the CWA wasamended with the primary purpose identified as“restoring and maintaining the chemical, physicaland biological integrity of the nation’s waters” and“to achieve a level of water quality by July 1983that provides for recreation in and on the water,and for the propagation of fish and wildlife.” Theamendments provided for federal primacy (previ-ously there was more state discretion), expandedthe coverage of the legislation, changed pollutioncontrol methodology and modified prior enforce-ment provisions.

The CWA can be broken down into six basic areasas follows:

1. Research projects and grants designed toclean up pollution and prevent further pol-lution;

LegislationLegislationLegislationLegislationLegislation

(Portions of this section were adapted from Volume II of the Ventura County Water Management Planpublished by the County of Ventura Resource Management Agency and Public Works Agency, 1994)

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2. Grant programs for construction of treat-ment works, wastewater treatment planningand water quality management plans;

3. Effluent limitations on discharges into navi-gable waters, continuing revisions of waterquality standards;

4. A National Pollutant Discharge EliminationSystem (NPDES) permitting discharge of pointsource pollutants;

5. Limitations on dredge and fill material (Sec-tion 404);

6. Miscellaneous administrative provisions,definitions, EPA powers, provisions for ju-dicial review.

Section 208 of the CWA

Under Section 208 of the 1972 amendments, thegovernor of each state was mandated to identifythose areas in the state that had “substantial waterquality control problems”. Once identified, thegovernor was required to select “a single represen-tative organization, including elected officials fromlocal government” to operate “a continuing area-wide waste treatment management planning pro-cess”. Following state certification, plans preparedunder the process were to be approved by the EPA.

In February 1987 Congress amended the Clean WaterAct with amendments known as the Water QualityAct of 1987. Under these amendments and theEPA regulations, states were required to identify,by February 1989, water segments impaired by pol-lutants (including toxic pollutants) even wheretechnology-based limits are met. Several lists arerequired. For each list there must be a controlstrategy/management plan developed to reducepollution. The law requires that water quality stan-dards be met within three years.

State

Since water usage affects many areas of State con-cern, regulations are organized accordingly. Regu-lations can be found in the California Water Code,Health and Safety Code, Government Code as wellas in other codes. The State Department of HealthServices regulates drinking water standards, thePublic Utilities Commission (PUC) regulates enti-ties that serve water to the public in relation torates and accounting procedures, the CorporationsCommissioner regulates water service provided bywater companies that do not fall under the juris-diction of the PUC, and the Water Resources Con-trol Board and its regional offices regulate dis-charges of pollutants into navigable waters and waterquality in general.

The Dickey Act of 1949 provided the organizationfor the State of California’s administration of water.The act created nine geographical regions, each tobe regulated by a Regional Water Quality ControlBoard. Santa Barbara County falls within Region3. These nine boards were granted the authority toestablish and enforce water quality standards withinwatersheds under the direction of a main adminis-trative body, the California Water Quality ControlBoard. In 1969, the Porter-Cologne Act expandedthe supervisory and appellate powers of these boardsand required the formulation of specific water qualityobjectives and plans for their achievement. (Seefollowing page for more information.) These ob-jectives are contained in Water Quality Control Plans,referred to as Basin Plans.

The EPA oversees the State Water Resources Con-trol Board’s administration and compliance withfederal regulations promulgated by the Clean Wa-ter Act.

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The Porter-Cologne WaterQuality Control Act,1987 Amendments

The Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act(1987) provides the authority and method for theState of California to implement its water manage-ment program. The State’s program is a compre-hensive water quality control program that includessurface and groundwater. The Porter-Cologne Actestablishes waste discharge requirements for bothpoint and nonpoint source discharges, affectingsurface water and groundwater.

The State of California’s Water Quality Assessment(305B) Report was prepared by the State WaterResources Control Board in September of 1988 inresponse to the federal amendments. Within thisassessment were three lists required by the federalgovernment:

a. A list of water segments having quality prob-lems due to point source discharges of anyof the 126 priority toxic pollutants (Section304(1) B);

b. A list that identified freshwater and marinewater areas affected by toxics, regardless ofthe source (point or nonpoint) (Section311.11); and,

c. A list that identifies nonpoint source relatedsurface water problems (Section 319).

To satisfy the requirements of Section 319 of theClean Water Act, the State prepared a NonpointSources Assessment Report that identifies surfacewater bodies affected, describes the process by whichbest management practices to control nonpointsources are developed and describes existing con-trol programs.

Safe Drinking Water and ToxicEnforcement Act (1986)

The Safe Drinking Water and Toxic EnforcementAct of 1986 prohibits the discharge or release ofany significant amount of a chemical known to causecancer or reproductive toxicity into the drinkingwater supply, by any person in the course of doingbusiness. Each year the Governor of the State mustrequire the publication of a list of chemicals knownto cause cancer or reproductive toxicity. Violationof the discharge provisions under this act is sub-ject to civil prosecution.

This act also requires that if a government em-ployee obtains information about an illegal dis-charge of hazardous waste within the geographicarea of his/her jurisdiction, he/she must report theincident within 72 hours to the Public Health Of-ficer of the county or the Board of Supervisors.Violation of this requirement will subject the gov-ernment employee to felony prosecution.

AB 3030 – The GroundwaterManagement Act, 1992

The Groundwater Management Act, commonly re-ferred to as AB 3030, became effective in January1993. The legislation is designed to provide localpublic agencies with increased management au-thority over groundwater resources in addition toexisting groundwater management capabilities. Thelegislation is permissive and provides encourage-ment for local agencies to work cooperatively andvoluntarily towards groundwater management.

A key element of this law is the adoption or imple-mentation of groundwater management plans. Asprovided in AB 3030, any local agency that pro-vides water service to all or a portion of its servicearea and whose area includes all or a portion of agroundwater basin may adopt and implement byordinance or resolution a groundwater manage-ment plan. The statutory definition of “local agency”

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is expressly limited to “public” agencies, and thiswould exclude mutual water companies and inves-tor-owned utilities.


California State Water Resources Control Board.1987. Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Actand related code sections, 1987 amendments.

Camia, C. 1994. Congress Bracing to Renew 1972Clean Water Law. Congressional Quarter Weekly.

Camia, C. 1994. Debate on Clean Water Act echoesstates’ fears. Congressional Quarter Weekly.

Environmental and Public Works Committee. 1994.REPORT: Water Pollution Prevention and Con-trol Act of 1994. U.S Government Printing Office.

Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water.1986. Safe Drinking Water Act, 1986.

Practicing Law Institute. 1987. Clean Water Act,As Amended by the Water Quality Act of 1987.

Federal Water Pollution Control Act (Clean WaterAct) 1972.

California Department of Health Services: http://www.dhs.cahwnet.gov/index.htm/

Department of Water Resources; California WaterPage: http://www.dwr.water.ca.gov/

United States Environmental Protection Agency:http://www.epa.gov/

Environmental Protection Agency; Water Quality -Surf Your Watershed:http://www.epa.gov/surf/surf_search.html/

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A number of county, state and federal agencies playa role in the management and protection of waterresources in California. They are listed below witha brief description of their responsibilities. (In-formation contained in this section was obtainedfrom the California State Water Project Atlas,published in 1999 by the California Department ofWater Resources).

CountyGovernment

Water Management Structureand Responsibilities

The County plays an important role in the oversightof local water use and strives to assure the ongoingprotection of local water resources. However, sincethe County does not develop water supplies or de-liver water to customers, its role in local watermanagement is indirect. The primary responsibili-ties of the County are to study water resources, helpassess future needs, contract with state and federalagencies that operate local water projects, assurethat new development does not exceed availablesupply, monitor groundwater quality and quantity,conduct public education programs, promote effi-cient use of water, coordinate with local water pur-veyors and protect water sources from contamina-tion. The responsibilities of various County de-partments are discussed below.

Board of Supervisors/County Water Agency Board

The Board of Supervisors also serves as the Boardof Directors of the County Water Agency (see be-low). The Board of Supervisors and County WaterAgency Board review and set land use policy as itrelates to water, consider regional water manage-ment in conjunction with local water purveyors andcities, and make pertinent decisions regarding wa-ter quality and water supply enhancement (such ascloudseeding) for the unincorporated areas of thecounty.

Local Agency FormationCommission

LAFCO has oversight over the boundaries of localwater purveyors and of annexations among and withinwater purveyors and other local governmental enti-ties, and the creation of new water districts withinthe county.

County Administrative Office

Among its many other duties, the County Adminis-trative Office monitors federal and state water-re-lated legislation. Budget analysts coordinate withSanta Barbara County Water Agency (SBCWA) staffregarding programs and performance measures re-lated to the SBCWA’s roles and responsibilities.

Public Works Department

County Water Agency

The Santa Barbara County Water Agency (SBCWA)is part of the Water Resources Division of the Pub-lic Works Department. The SBCWA was establishedby the state legislature in 1945 to control and con-serve storm, flood and other surface waters for ben-eficial use and to enter into contracts for watersupply. The SBCWA prepares investigations and re-ports on cloudseeding and conservation augmen-tation, the county’s water requirements, the water needsof projected development and the efficient use of wa-ter. It provides technical assistance to other Countydepartments, water districts, and the public concern-ing water availability and water well locations and de-sign. The SBCWA also administers the Cachuma Projectand the Twitchell Dam Project contracts with the U.S.Bureau of Reclamation. More recently, the SBCWA hasbecome the lead agency for Project Clean Water, amultiagency partnership with the mission of improv-ing water quality in the county’s creeks and beaches.

The SBCWA was originally empowered under StateWater Code Section 3000 et seq. to cooperate andcontract with the United States and State of Califor-nia on behalf of municipalities and districts within

Regulatory AgenciesRegulatory AgenciesRegulatory AgenciesRegulatory AgenciesRegulatory Agencies

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the Agency’s boundaries. It has since been em-powered to also acquire property, condemn forthe purpose of right-of-way, and assume indebt-edness either as principle, guarantor, or under-writer.

Water Agency Program Overview

The SBCWA operates under a nontraditional orga-nizational structure. Instead of sections, it utilizesa matrix management structure to manage threeregional programs. They are: (1) implementationand partial funding of operational programs suchas the cloudseeding program, (2) implementationof the regional water conservation program and(3) development of county-wide hydrologic dataand hydrologic models. Included in these programsare compilation and publication of an annual re-port on groundwater conditions, sediment man-agement studies, technical support to other publicagencies, and public information. Major waterprojects involving the SBCWA include the State Wa-ter Project (Coastal Branch Extension), CachumaProject, and the Twitchell Project. These projectsand programs are described in greater detail else-where in this report.

County Flood Control District

The Flood Control District is also a part of the WaterResources Division of the Public Works Depart-ment. The District was created in 1955 by the statelegislature in response to severe flooding and dam-age suffered from storms in the early 1950s; itsprimary charge was to implement a program ofchannel maintenance and capital improvements tomitigate the threat to life and property from flood-ing. Today, the Flood Control District’s major pro-grams involve channel maintenance, design andconstruction of capital improvements, review of newdevelopment, and operation of a hydrological datacollection/flood warning system. The Flood Con-trol District is divided into ten active Flood ControlZones covering most of the unincorporated areaand the seven cities in the county, exclusive of fed-eral lands such as Los Padres National Forest andVandenberg AFB.

Flood Control Program Overview

The District constructs regional flood control projectsthroughout the county and collects hydrologic datathat serves as a basis for design criteria, mainte-nance activities, and mapping floodplains. The highestpriority program for the Flood Control District in-volves operation and maintenance of the District’sbasins, channels, and other flood protection fa-cilities and the emergency maintenance and repairof these facilities. In addition, District staff pro-vides advance warning of impending floods and isinvolved in emergency response flood-fighting andsupport activities. Post-storm rehabilitation of floodcontrol facilities is provided by the District throughthe removal of debris from debris basins and chan-nels, and the reconstruction and repair of thesefacilities. The District is also responsible for re-viewing proposed development to ensure conform-ance with applicable flood plain ordinances andprudent drainage practices.

Public Health Department

Environmental Health Services

Responsibilities

Environmental Health Services is a division of thePublic Health Department, and is the implement-ing agency for portions of state water quality lawsrelated to protecting public health and safety. Amongother health protection legislation the Departmentis responsible for enforcing portions of the federalClean Water Act and amendments, the Safe Drink-ing Water Act, and the State legal requirements ofthe Porter-Cologne Act and the Safe Drinking Wa-ter and Toxics Enforcement Act (commonly knownas Proposition 65). Water management withinEnvironmental Health consists of the following pro-grams: Drinking Water (for small public systems),Liquid Waste, Solid Waste and Recreational Health.

a. Drinking Water - Drinking water programs in-clude those programs that oversee water re-sources which have not been used by humansprior to their extraction from groundwater basins

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or surface water sources. These drinking wa-ter programs include the inspection, monitor-ing and permitting of small public water pur-veyors with fewer than 200 connections, andapproval of individual water supply systems forproposed projects. Small public water purvey-ors are required to maintain a cross-connec-tion control program to ensure that drinkingwater quality is protected from irrigation wa-ters, agricultural fertilizers, and industrial pro-cess waters. In addition, public informationmust be disseminated as required by Proposi-tion 65.

b. Liquid Waste - As a guardian of public health,Environmental Health Services has a vested in-terest in the containment of communicable dis-eases and the prevention of surface water pol-lution. The Liquid Waste program protects thepublic from direct exposure to contaminatedwastewater and promotes the proper treatmentand disposal of all sewage. Environmental HealthServices reviews the testing, plans, installationand repair of all on-site sewage disposal sys-tems. This helps to ensure the adequate andsafe construction of new and remodeled sys-tems.

c. Solid Waste Program - The Solid Waste Pro-gram provides regulatory oversight to solid wastefacility operators. Environmental Health Ser-vices protects the public’s health by ensuringproper placement, design, operation and clo-sure of solid waste facilities and by enforcingregulations that require proper solid waste han-dling and disposal to help protect ground wa-ter supplies near landfill operations.

d. Recreational Health Program - The purpose ofthe recreational health program is to ensurethe safe and sanitary operation of public swim-ming facilities, as well as preventing the pos-sible transmission of diseases and illnesses atall recreational facilities including publicbeaches. By monitoring the quality of our rec-reational waters, Environmental Health Services

can keep the public informed if these waterspose a threat to public health.

Planning and Development Department

The Planning and Development Department hasseveral roles with respect to water resource protec-tion and management. These roles fall primarilyunder either long-range planning functions (Com-prehensive Plan, community plans), or short-termplanning such as occurs during development re-view and permitting. The Department has the au-thority to recommend long-range policies to re-strict land development in any given unincorpo-rated area of the county to the level supported byavailable water supplies. The Department also hasthe authority to place conditions of approval onprojects (the permit review or environmental re-view process) to minimize the amount of water usedby new development. These conditions can in-clude limiting high-water use landscapes and plumb-ing devices, requiring new commercial and indus-trial developments to use recycled wastewater orwater-efficient processing technologies, and pre-paring water budgets that limit the overall con-sumption of water in new development.

Several tools the Department uses to evaluate newdevelopments with respect to water availability andto limit the amount of water demand in new de-velopment include: the Santa Barbara County En-vironmental Thresholds and Guidelines Manual,1995; the Comprehensive Plan, Conservation Ele-ment, Groundwater Resources Section, 1994; theStandard Conditions and Mitigation MeasuresManual and Land Use Development Policy #4/4CCP Policy 2-6 (Adequate Services and Re-sources).

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StateGovernment

The Resources Agency

This is the parent agency that oversees the opera-tions of all state departments dealing with naturalresources. The Department of Water Resources,the State Water Resources Control Board, Fish andGame, and Parks and Recreation are included amongthem. Also included are departments responsiblefor forestry, air, energy and navigation and ocean.

State Water ResourcesControl Board (SWRCB)

This regulatory agency has the authority over theallocation of water rights and water quality to pro-tect the beneficial uses of California’s water. It hasthe ability to enforce regulations dealing with wa-ter issues. SWRCB also oversees the work of re-gional water quality control boards that rule onlocal water rights and quality issues within theirgeographic jurisdictions. The Board consists offive full-time, salaried members who fill specificspecialty positions such as water quality, water rights,engineering, legal, and the public. Within SantaBarbara County, the SWRCB is responsible for sur-face water rights decisions and reservoir operations.

http://www.swrcb.ca.gov/

California Water Commission(CWC)

The CWC is a policy advisory board to the Directorof the Department of Water Resources and the Gov-ernor on development, control and use of the State’swater resources. CWC conducts public hearingsand investigations statewide for the Department;provides a forum to California residents for exam-ining water resources issues; acts as a liaison be-tween the legislative and executive branches of State

government; coordinates planning, funding, andconstruction of federal water development and floodcontrol projects with state and local projects andconducts an annual review of the progress of StateWater Project construction and operation and re-ports its findings to the DWR and the CaliforniaLegislature. The Commission consists of nine mem-bers appointed by the Governor.

California Department of WaterResources (DWR)

The mission of DWR is “to manage the water re-sources of California, in cooperation with otheragencies to benefit the state’s people and protect,restore and enhance the natural and human envi-ronments.” DWR planned, designed, and oversawthe construction of the State Water Project (SWP).The Department operates and maintains the SWPfacilities, as well as planning, designing, and over-seeing any repairs, modifications, or new construc-tion. DWR also provides technical and financialassistance to local urban and agricultural water agen-cies for water supply management, reclamation orrecycling, and conservation projects; works withother state and federal agencies on environmentalcompliance, mitigation, and protection programs;and studies, plans and develops water managementstrategies, reports, and programs to addressCalifornia’s growing water demands, as well asprojects and programs to enhance and protect theestuary of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. OtherDWR responsibilities include providing for publicsafety through dam safety and flood control pro-grams, and educat ing the public about theDepartment’s role and the significance of water intheir lives. The State Water Project now extendsinto San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties.The Central Coast Water Authority is responsiblefor local operations.

106

California Department of Fishand Game (DFG)

This is the department that directs the state’s fishand wildlife programs and administers the regula-tions, such as the Endangered Species Act, that pro-tect and enhance their populations. DFG workswith the Department of Water Resources to ensurethat all projects comply with these environmentalregulations. The department conducts fish andwildlife studies, develops and safeguards wildlifehabitat, responds to off-highway oil and hazardousmaterial spills and oversees cleanup operations,manages the state’s fishing and hunting programs,regulates development in streambeds and water-ways, and offers interpretive programs to educatethe public.

http://www.dfg.ca.gov/dfghome.html/

California Department ofHealth Services (DHS)

This department administers public drinking wa-ter programs and ensures that health and safetystandards are met by water agencies that distributewater to residences and businesses. DHS is alsoresponsible for monitoring the effects of stormwaterrunoff and many other health-related programs.

http://www.dhs.cahwnet.gov/

State-FederalAgencies

CALFED Bay-Delta Program

This is an interagency entity that represents the signersof the State-Federal Framework Agreement, whichcalled for a cooperative, coordinated process tosolve long-term water quality and ecosystem prob-lems in the San Francisco Bay-Sacramento RiverDelta Estuary. With assistance from urban, agricul-

tural, and environmental interests, and other stake-holders concerned with Bay-Delta issues, the sign-ers of the Agreement developed the Bay-Delta Ac-cord, which set forth major issues of concern inthe Delta and fostered a cooperative effort to ad-dress these issues. The CALFED Bay-Delta Programwas established to investigate potential solutionsand propose the long-term solution to the prob-lems in the Delta. The long-term solution selectedby CALFED participants will ultimately affect SantaBarbara County water purveyors due to their par-ticipation in the State Water Project.

FederalGovernment

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service(USFWS)

This bureau within the Department of the Interiorworks with others to “conserve, protect and en-hance fish and wildlife and their habitats for thecontinuing benefit of the American people”. Amongits responsibilities is the administration of the fed-eral Endangered Species Act to provide protectionfor terrestrial and aquatic plants and animals ex-cept anadromous fish. Within California, USFWS isresponsible for biological opinions and criticalhabitat and recovery plans for listed species. TheService also works with federal, state, and localagencies and interests on wetland protection is-sues.

http://www.fws.gov/

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation(USBR)

This is a bureau within the Department of the Inte-rior. The USBR operates and maintains the CentralValley Project and the Colorado River system. InSanta Barbara County, the USBR owns and operatesLake Cachuma and owns the Twitchell Reservoir.

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The USBR’s mission is “to manage, develop andprotect water and related resources in an environ-mentally and economically sound manner in theinterest of the American public.” The USBR andthe DWR signed a 1986 Coordinated OperationAgreement to meet Sacramento-San Joaquin Deltawater quality standards and allow exchange of wa-ter supply and use of facilities.

http://www.usbr.gov/

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)

The USGS provides reliable, impartial informationto describe and understand the Earth. In additionto other purposes, the information is used to man-age water, biological, energy, and mineral resources.The USGS, working with other agencies, uses moni-toring and recording equipment to gather infor-mation from and about California’s waterways, pre-cipitation, and geology. Santa Barbara County workswith the USGS on several cooperative programsmonitoring streamflow, water quality and ground-water levels.

http://www.usgs.gov/

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers(COE)

As the primary federal flood control agency, COEdevelops guidelines for flood control storage infederally funded reservoirs and monitors the op-eration of these reservoirs to assure compliance.It also constructs some Congressionally authorizedflood control projects and operates multiple-pur-pose projects. The federal government, throughthe Corps, contributes funds to local flood controlprojects. In Santa Barbara County the COE man-ages flood operations at Twitchell Reservoir.

http://www.usace.army.mil/

AppendixAppendixAppendixAppendixAppendix

110

A

ACRE-FOOT - The quantity of water requiredto cover one acre to a depth of one foot; equalto 43,560 cubic feet, or approximately 325,851gallons.

ALLUVIAL - Sediment deposited by flowingwater, such as in a riverbed.

APPLIED WATER DEMAND - The quantityof water that would be delivered for urban oragricultural applications if no conservationmeasures were in place.

AQUIFER - An underground layer of rock,sediment or soil that is filled or saturated withwater.

ARTIFICIAL RECHARGE - The addition ofwater to a ground water reservoir by humanactivity, such as irrigation or induced infiltra-tion form streams, wells, or recharge basins.See also GROUNDWATER RECHARGE, RE-CHARGE BASIN.

B

BRACKISH WATER - Water containing dis-solved minerals in amounts that exceed nor-mally acceptable standards for municipal, do-mestic, and irrigation uses. Considerably lesssaline than sea water.

C

CONJUNCTIVE USE - The operation of aground water basin in coordination with asurface water storage and conveyance system.The purpose is to recharge to the basin dur-ing years of above-average water supply toprovide storage that can be withdrawn dur-ing drier years when surface water suppliesare below normal.

GlossaryGlossaryGlossaryGlossaryGlossaryCONSERVATION - As used in this report,urban water conservation includes reduc-tions realized from voluntary, more efficient,water use practices promoted through publiceducation and from state-mandated require-ments to install water-conserving fixtures innewly constructed and renovated buildings. Ag-ricultural water conservation, as used in thisreport, means reducing the amount of waterapplied in irrigation through measures thatincrease irrigation efficiency. See NET WATERCONSERVATION.

CRITICAL DRY PERIOD - A series of wa-ter-deficient years, usually an historical pe-riod, in which a full reservoir storage systemat the beginning is drawn down (without anyspill) to minimum storage at the end.

CRITICAL DRY YEAR - A dry year in whichthe full commitments for a dependable watersupply cannot be met and deficiencies areimposed on water deliveries.

CUBIC FEET PER SECOND - A unit of mea-surement describing the flow of water. A cu-bic foot is the amount of water needed to fill acube that is one foot on all sides, about 7.5gallons.

D

DESALTING - A process that converts seawater or brackish water to fresh water or anotherwise more usable condition through re-moval of dissolved solids. Also called “desali-nation.”

DWR - California Department of Water Re-sources (or successor agency).

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F

FIRM YIELD - The maximum annual supplyof a given water development that is expectedto be available on demand, with the under-standing that lower yields will occur in accor-dance with a predetermined schedule or prob-ability.

G

GROUNDWATER - Water that occurs beneaththe land surface and completely fills all porespaces of the alluvium or rock formation inwhich it is located.

GROUNDWATER BASIN - A groundwaterreservoir, together with all the overlying landsurface and underlying aquifers that contrib-ute water to the reservoir.

GROUNDWATER MINING - The withdrawalof water from an aquifer greatly in excess ofreplenishment; if continued, the undergroundsupply will eventually be exhausted or the watertable will drop below economically feasiblepumping lifts.

GROUNDWATER OVERDRAFT - The con-dition of a groundwater basin in which theamount of water withdrawn by pumping ex-ceeds the amount of water that replenishes thebasin over a period of years.

GROUNDWATER RECHARGE - Increases ingroundwater by natural conditions or by hu-man activity. See also ARTIFICIAL RECHARGE.

GROUNDWATER STORAGE CAPACITY - The space contained in a given volume of de-posits. Under optimum use conditions, theusable groundwater storage capacity is the

volume of water that can, within specified eco-nomic limitations, be alternately extracted andreplaced in the reservoir.

GROUNDWATER TABLE - The upper sur-face of the zone of saturation (all pores ofsubsoil filled with water), except where thesurface is formed by an impermeable body.

M

M&I - Municipal and Industrial (water use);generally urban uses for human activities.

mg/L - Abbreviation for “milligrams per Li-ter,” the mass (milligrams) of any substancedissolved in a standard volume (liter) of wa-ter. Nearly the same as parts per million (ppm).

N

NET WATER CONSERVATION - The differ-ence between the amount of applied waterconserved and the amount by which this con-servation reduces usable return flows.

NET WATER DEMAND - The applied waterdemand less water saved through conserva-tion efforts (= net applied water = actual wa-ter used).

NONPOINT SOURCE - A contributing factorto water pollution that cannot be traced to aspecific spot.

O

OVERDRAFT - Withdrawal of groundwaterin excess of a basin’s perennial yield. See alsoPROLONGED OVERDRAFT.

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P

P&D - Santa Barbara County Planning andDevelopment Department (or successor agency);prior to February 1994, named the ResourceManagement Department (RMD).

PERCOLATION - The downward movementof water through the soil or alluvium to thegroundwater table.

PERENNIAL YIELD - ”The rate at whichwater can be withdrawn perennially under speci-fied operating conditions without producingan undesired result” (Todd, 1980). An un-desired result is an adverse situation such as:(1) a reduction of the yield of a water source;(2) development of uneconomic pumping lifts;(3) degradation of water quality; (4) interfer-ence with prior water rights; or (5) subsid-ence. Perennial yield is an estimate of the long-term average annual amount of water that canbe withdrawn without inducing a long-termprogressive drop in water level. The term “safeyield” is sometimes used in place of perennialyield, although the concepts behind the termsare not identical: the older concept of “safeyield” generally implies a fixed quantity equiva-lent to a basin’s average annual natural recharge,while the “perennial yield” of a basin or systemcan vary over time with different operational fac-tors and management goals.

PROLONGED OVERDRAFT - Net extractionsin excess of a basin’s perennial yield, aver-aged over a period of ten or more years.

ppm - Abbreviation for “parts per million,”a measure of a substance’s concentration in asolution or other mixture. Nearly the same asmilligrams per liter (mg/l).

R

RECHARGE BASIN - A surface facility, of-ten a large pond, used to increase the infil-tration of water into a groundwater basin.

RECYCLED WATER - Urban wastewater thatbecomes suitable for a specific beneficial useas a result of treatment.

RETURN FLOW - The portion of withdrawnwater that is not consumed by evapotranspira-tion and returns instead to its source or toanother body of water.

REUSE - The additional use of once-usedwater.

RMD - Santa Barbara County Resource Man-agement Department; reorganized and renamedas the Planning and Development Department(P&D) in February 1994.

RWQCB - California Regional Water QualityControl Board (or successor agency).

S

SAFE YIELD (GROUNDWATER) - The maxi-mum quantity of water that can be withdrawnfrom a groundwater basin over a long periodof time without developing a condition of over-draft. Sometimes referred to as sustained yield.

SALINITY - Generally, the concentration ofmineral salts dissolved in water. Salinity maybe measured by weight (total dissolved sol-ids), electrical conductivity, or osmotic pres-sure. Where seawater is the major source of salt,salinity is often used to refer to the concentra-tion of chlorides in the water. See also TDS.

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SBCFCWCD - Santa Barbara County FloodControl and Water Conservation District (orsuccessor agency).

SBCWA - Santa Barbara County Water Agency(or successor agency).

SERIOUS OVERDRAFT - Prolonged over-draft that results, or would result, within tenyears, in measurable, unmitigated adverse en-vironmental or economic impacts, either long-term or permanent. Such impacts include butare not limited to seawater intrusion, othersubstantial quality degradation, land surfacesubsidence, substantial effects on riparian orother environmentally sensitive habitats, orunreasonable interference with the beneficialuse of a basin’s resources. (Also see Policy 3.5et seq. in main text.)

SWP - State Water Project.

SWRCB - California State Water ResourcesControl Board (or successor agency).

T

TDS - Total Dissolved Solids, a quantitativemeasure of the residual minerals dissolved inwater that remain after evaporation of a solu-tion. Usually expressed in milligrams per li-ter (mg/l) or in parts per million (ppm). Seealso Salinity.

TURBIDITY - A measure of cloudiness andsuspended sediments in water. Water high inturbidity appears murky and contains sedi-ments in suspension. Turbid water may alsoresult in higher concentrations of contami-nants and pathogens, that bond to the par-ticles in the water.

W

WATER QUALITY - A term used to describethe chemical, physical, and biologic charac-teristics of water with respect to its suitabilityfor a particular use.

WATER RIGHT - A legally protected right,granted by law, to take possession of wateroccurring in a water supply and to divert thewater and put it to beneficial uses.

WATERSHED - The area or region drained bya reservoir, river, stream, etc.; drainage basin.

WATER TABLE - The surface of underground,gravity-controlled water.

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ReferencesReferencesReferencesReferencesReferencesGroundwater Section

Ahlroth, J. 1998. Lompoc Groundwater Ba-sin: Update of Long-term StorageCharges and Overdraft Status. Santa Bar-bara County Water Agency Memorandum.

Ahlroth, J. 1992. Santa Maria Ground WaterBudget Status. Santa Barbara County WaterAgency Memorandum.

Almy, R.; Ahlroth, J.; and Holland, P. 1995.Revisions to the Buellton UplandsGroundwater Basin Report. Santa Bar-bara County Water Agency Memorandum.

Baca, B.R. 1991. Carpinteria GroundwaterBasin Supply/Demand: Alternatives tobe Presented to the Santa Barbara CountyPlanning Commission. Santa BarbaraCounty Resource Management Department.

Baca, B.R. 1992. Groundwater ThresholdsManual for Environmental Review ofWater Resources in Santa BarbaraCounty. Santa Barbara County ResourceManagement Department.

Baca, B.R. 1993. More Ranch GroundwaterBasin. Santa Barbara County ResourcesManagement Department Memorandum.

Baca, B.R. 1994. Geology and Safe Yield ofthe Buellton Uplands GroundwaterBasin. Santa Barbara County ResourcesManagement Department Memorandum.

Baca, B.R. and Ahlroth, J. 1992a. Ground-water Basin Status for the City of SantaBarbara and Goleta Areas. Santa Bar-bara County Resources Management De-partment Memorandum.

Baca, B.R. and Ahlroth, J. 1992b. Ground-water Basin Status for the CuyamaValley. Santa Barbara County ResourcesManagement Department Memorandum.

Baca, B.R. and Ahlroth, J. 1999. San Anto-nio Basin: Update of Supply/Demand Sta-tus. Santa Barbara County Memorandum.

Boyle Engineering Corporation. 1994. City ofSanta Maria State Water Master Plan:Final Report. City of Santa Maria.

Bright, D.J.; Stamos, C.L.; Martin, P. and Nash,D.B. 1992. Ground-water Hydrology andQuality in the Lompoc Area, Santa Bar-bara County, California, 1987-88. U.S.Geological Survey, Water Resources In-vestigation Report 91-4172 in coopera-tion with Santa Ynez River Water Conser-vation District.

City of Santa Barbara Water Department. 1994.City of Santa Barbara Long Term Wa-ter Supply.

Freckleton, J.R. 1989. Geohydrology of theFoothill Ground-Water Basin Near SantaBarbara, California. U.S. GeologicalSurvey, Water Resources InvestigationReport 89-4017.

Gibbs, D. 1999. Santa Barbara County 1999Groundwater Report. Santa BarbaraCounty Water Agency.

Hutchinson, C.B. 1980. Appraisal of Ground-Water Resources in the San AntonioCreek Valley, Santa Barbara County,California. U.S. Geological Survey, Wa-ter Resources Investigation 80-750.

115


Lovejoy, T.R.; and Sheahan, N.T. 1978. FinalReport: Water Supply Management.Montecito County Water District and Brownand Caldwell Consulting Engineers.

Miller, G.A. and Rapp, J.R. 1968. Reconnais-sance of the Ground-Water Resourcesof the Ellwood-Gaviota Area, SantaBarbara County, California. U.S. Geo-logical Survey, Open File Report.

Naftaly, M.E. 1994. Santa Maria Valley WaterResources Report. Santa Barbara CountyWater Agency.

Page, O.S. 2000. Eighteenth Annual Engi-neering and Survey Report on WaterSupply Conditions of the Santa YnezRiver Water Conservation District 1996.Santa Ynez Water Conservation District andStetson Engineers, Inc.

Santa Barbara County Planning and Develop-ment. 1994. Santa Barbara County Com-prehensive Plan, Conservation Element,Groundwater Resources Section.

Santa Barbara County Planning and Develop-ment Department. 1995. Environmen-tal Thresholds and Guidelines Manual.

Santa Barbara County Resource ManagementDepartment. 1995. Orcutt CommunityPlan Update: Final Environmental Im-pact Report (95 EIR-01).

Santa Barbara County Water Agency. 1977.Adequacy of the Groundwater Basinsof Santa Barbara County.

Santa Barbara County Water Agency. 1996.Santa Barbara County 1996 Ground-water Resources Report.

State of California, Water Resources ControlBoard, Regional Water Quality ControlBoard, Central Coast Region. 1995. Wa-ter Quality Control Plan, Central CoastRegion - Region 3.

State of California, The Resources Agency, De-partment of Water Resources, Division ofLocal Assistance. 1995. Quality Assur-ance Technical Document 3: Compila-tion of Federal and State Drinking WaterStandards and Criteria.

Todd, D.K. 1980. Groundwater Hydrology,Second Edition. John Wiley and Sons,New York.

Turner, K.M. 1992. Reliability of StorageSchemes, Tree Rings and Hurst Phenom-ena. California Department of Water Re-sources.

Upson, J.E. 1951. Geology and Ground-Wa-ter Resources of the South-Coast Ba-sins of Santa Barbara County, Cali-fornia. U.S. Geological Survey, WaterSupply Paper 1108.

Worts, G.F. 1951. Geology and GroundwaterResources of the Santa Maria Valley Area,California. U.S. Geological Survey, Wa-ter Supply Paper 1000.

Surface Water Section

Jones & Stokes Associates, Inc. and Leeds, Hill& Jewett, Inc. 1979. Final Environmen-tal & Water Resources ReconnaissanceStudy for State Water Project and Al-ternatives. Santa Barbara County WaterAgency.

Santa Barbara County Water Agency and URS

116

Greiner Woodward Clyde Consultants.2000. Twitchell Reservoir SedimentManagement Plan. Santa Maria ValleyWater Conservation District.

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. 1951. SantaMaria Project, South Pacific Basin, Cali-fornia.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service.1951. Report of Survey - Santa MariaRiver Watershed, California: For Run-off and Waterflow Retardation and SoilErosion Prevention.

Water Quality Section

Agajanian, J., Rockwell, G.L., Hayes, P.D. andAnderson, S.W. 1998. Water ResourcesData, California, Water Year 1998. Vol-ume 1. Southern Great Basin from Mexi-can Border to Mono Lake Basin, andPacific Slope Basins from Tijuana Riverto Santa Maria River. U.S. GeologicalSurvey.

Bright, D.J.; Stamos, C.L.; Martin, P. and Nash,D.B. 1992. Ground-water Hydrology andQuality in the Lompoc Area, Santa Bar-bara County, California, 1987-88. U.S.Geological Survey, Water Resources In-vestigation Report 91-4172 in coopera-tion with Santa Ynez River Water Conser-vation District.

City of Santa Barbara. 1998. The City of SantaBarbara Water and Wastewater SystemsInventory.

City of Lompoc. 1995. The City of LompocUrban Water Management Plan 1995 -2000.

Water Efficiency Section

Aston, D. 1992. Santa Barbara County SouthCoast Water Agencies Drought ResponseReport: Goleta Water District ,Montecito Water District, City of SantaBarbara. Santa Barbara County WaterAgency.

On-line ReferencesAmerican Desalting Association: http://www.webcom.com/ada/

CASEC (California Aquatic ScienceEducation Consortium): http://www.rain.org/casec/index.html/

California Department of Fish and Game:http://www.dfg.ca.gov/dfghome.html/

California Department of Health Services:http://www.dhs.cahwnet.gov/index.htm/

California Environmental ResourcesEvaluation System: http://www.ceres.ca.gov/education/

California State Water Resources ControlBoard: http://www.swrcb.ca.gov/

California Urban Water ConservationCouncil: http://www.cuwcc.org/

California Water Commission:http://wwwdwr.water.ca.gov/dir-organiza-tions/ORG-CA_Water_CommR2.html/

Central Coast Water Authority: http://www.ccwa.com/

City of Santa Barbara:http://www.ci.santa-barbara.ca.us/depart-ments/public_works/water_resources/

Department of Water Resources; CaliforniaWater Page: http://www.dwr.water.ca.gov/

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EE Link, Environmental Education on theInternet: http://www.nceet.snre.umich.edu/index.html/

Environmental Protection Agency; WaterQuality - Surf Your Watershed:http://www.epa.gov/surf/surf_search.html/


Groundwater Education:http://gwrp.cciw.ca/education/index.html/

Groundwater Resources Association: http://www.grac.org/

Montecito Water District:http://www.montecitowater.com/

Project Clean Water: http://www.co.santa-barbara.ca.us/project_cleanwater/

Santa Barbara County AgriculturalCommissioner’s Officehttp://www.co.santa-barbara.ca.us/agcomm/

Santa Barbara County Association ofGovernments: http://www.sbcag.org/


Santa Barbara County Water Education:http://www.sbwater.org/

United States Army Corps of Engineers:http://www.usace.army.mil/

United States Bureau of Reclamation:http://www.usbr.gov/

United States Environmental ProtectionAgency: http://www.epa.gov/

United States Fish and Wildlife Service:http://www.fws.gov/

United States Geological Survey; WaterResources of California:http://water.wr.usgs.gov/

University of California Cooperative Exten-sion: http://www.sbceo.k12.ca.us/~uccesbl/

University of Wisconsin CooperativeExtension; Educating Young People AboutWater: http://www.uwex.edu/erc/ywc/

Vandenberg Village Community ServicesDistricthttp://www.impulse.net/~vvcsd

Water Education for Teachers Network;WETNET, Project WET:http://www.montana.edu.wwwwet/

Water Education Foundation: http://www.water-ed.org/

WateReuse Association:http://www.watereuse.org/

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Acronyms and Abbreviations Used in This ReportAcronyms and Abbreviations Used in This ReportAcronyms and Abbreviations Used in This ReportAcronyms and Abbreviations Used in This ReportAcronyms and Abbreviations Used in This Report

ACWA Association of California WaterAgencies

AF Acre-Feet

AFY Acre-Feet per Year

AWWA American Water WorksAssociation

BLM U. S. Bureau of Land Manage-ment

BMPs Best Management Practices

CCWA Central Coast Water Authority

CIMIS California Irrigation Manage-ment Information System

COE U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

COMB Cachuma Operations andMaintenance Board

CRCD Cachuma Resource Conserva-tion District

CSAC California State Association ofCounties

CSD Community Services District

CUWCC California Urban WaterConservation Council

CWA Clean Water Act

DFG Department of Fish and Game(State)

DHS Department of Health Services(State)

DWR Department of Water Resources

EPA U.S. Environmental ProtectionAgency

GAC Granular Activated Carbon

GWD Goleta Water District

LAFCO Local Agency FormationCommission

LCMWC La Cumbre Mutual Water Co.

MAF Million Acre-Feet

MOU Memorandum of Understand-ing

MWD Montectio Water District orMetropolitan Water District ofSouthern California

NOAA National Oceanic and Atmo-spheric Administration

NPDES National Pollutant DischargeElimination System

PUC Public Utilities Commission

RWQCB Regional Water Quality ControlBoard

SBCWA Santa Barbara County WaterAgency

SBWPA Santa Barbara Water PurveyorsAgency

SDWA Safe Drinking Water Act

SMVWCD Santa Maria Valley WaterConservation District

SWRCB State Water Resources ControlBoard

SYRWCD Santa Ynez River WaterConservation District

SYRWCDID#1 - Santa Ynez River WaterConservation District, Improve-ment District #1

TDS Total Dissolved Solids

ULF Ultra Low Flow (Toilets, etc.)

USBR U.S. Bureau of Reclamation

USFWS U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

USGS U.S. Geological Survey

VAFB Vandenberg Air Force Base

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