Sunday, September 21, 2008
This November 4, three of the five seats at the Goleta Water Board are up for election. It is no exaggeration that the future of the Goleta Valley hangs on the outcome of this election. So much of the arid Southwest history has been tied to water, and the current water controversy in Goleta gives new life to the Old West adage, “Whiskey is for drinking and water is for fighting.”
The Goleta Water District (GWD) encompasses virtually the entire Goleta Valley, serving municipal and agricultural customers from the edge of the City of Santa Barbara all the way to the El Capitan Ranch on the Gaviota Coast. It has more than $100 million in assets and a $25-million budget. Serious concerns exist about management of our water supply, so several concerned residents have opted to run for Goleta Water Board to effect changes in the current direction.
Groundwater is a vital resource because it has always been the reserve we turn to during drought cycles common to western United States. Unfortunately, because groundwater is the least expensive source of clean water, it is a tempting target for pumping.
In Goleta’s early agricultural days, groundwater was plentiful, with perennial flowing streams and artesian wells. However, growth severely impacted the Goleta Valley groundwater basin. Between 1960 and 1970, the Goleta Valley’s population tripled, rising from approximately 19,000 to approximately 60,000.
So, in 1973 farmers and other landowners sued the GWD for allegedly pumping too much Goleta Valley groundwater. Sixteen years later, a court judgment set a limit that the GWD could pump from its wells. Reacting to drought of the early 1990s, Goletans voted to participate in the State Water Project. But to assure that State Water should be used to meet the needs of existing customers ahead of new customers, voters passed the SAFE Water Ordinance in 1991.
In essence, the SAFE Water Ordinance said that the GWD could not resume pumping groundwater until it could be established that the groundwater basin had filled back up to its 1972 levels. The current GWD majority claims that the groundwater basin is back to 1972 levels and that groundwater pumping can resume. Others disagree.
The GWD appears to have concluded that the Goleta Valley has an ample water supply now and for the future — despite 500 new units approved at La Sumida Gardens and Villages at Los Carneros and thousands more units from proposed major developments at Bishop Ranch, Shelby Ranch, Bacara, Haskell’s Landing, and Glen Annie Golf Course. Plus, UCSB’s proposed Long Range Development Plan includes a vast housing program for 5,000 additional students and 600 additional faculty, all of which will want to tap GWD’s water supply.
Meanwhile, many Goleta Valley residents have challenged the board majority’s interpretations of SAFE. There have also been complaints of conflicts of interest, as the GWD’s legal counsel is a member of a law firm that also represents developers. And there have been complaints of insufficient disclosure about the GWD’s budget. Seemingly in response to these complaints, the GWD majority tried to move public comment to the end of the evening session, the only regional public body to do so.
Among people most active in challenging the current GWD majority are Lauren Hanson, Bill Rosen, and Jim Marino. Now these three — in addition to incumbent Harry De Witt and former director Larry Mills, whose wife Lynette Mills is an outgoing incumbent — are running to fill the seats that are up for election in just a few weeks.
Rosen has stated, “I will insure that the SAFE Water Ordinance will be carried out in fact and in accordance with its intent. I will work to insure that agricultural land will be assured an adequate supply of water at a reasonable cost.”
Hanson has emphasized the need for respecting water customers stating, “That means really listening to customer concerns, being open about GWD activities, budgets, and plans, and welcoming customer involvement.”
To learn more about their stance on these issues, one can visit laurenhanson2008.com and billrosenforgwd08.com.
There is a growing consensus that we are experiencing a severe climate change that will result in an unprecedented pattern of widespread drought. The capacity of Lake Cachuma, our primary water source, is diminishing as more ash and sediment from the Zaca Fire flows in. Deliveries from other sources are less predictable and the snow pack in the Sierra Nevada Mountains appears to be declining. Thus the diminished capacity of these water sources may reduce Santa Barbara County’s ability to get through periods of drought.
Altogether, the GWD elections have taken on an acute importance. The election of three new directors on the Goleta Water District will also determine the selection of the new GWD general manager. From a long-range policy standpoint, the election on November 4 will go a long way in determining if the concerns for the future of our valley are as deep as our ground water basin.
Get more juice from the Goleta Grapevine, and add your comments, by going to independent.com/goleta.