The Goleta Water District was formed in 1944 by a vote of the people for the purpose of supplying the community with a reliable water supply for domestic and agricultural purposes. In the early days, that water came solely from Lake Cachuma. Today, the district’s water supplies are in robust shape, with supplies in excess of current demand, and include not only Lake Cachuma, but also groundwater, recycled water, and state water.

The Goleta Water District serves some unincorporated areas of the County of Santa Barbara, as well as the City of Goleta and portions of the City of Santa Barbara. Customers include the residences and commercial establishments of the Goleta Valley, UCSB, and many of the agricultural properties in Goleta, the foothills, and on the Gaviota coast. Mindful of its agricultural roots, the water district has worked hard to develop water policies to ensure that farms can thrive and survive in our community. Today, farmers in our area enjoy the lowest rates, and are in fact using more water for crops than ever before.

Being a resource agency, the water district is not charged with the responsibility of community planning. Rather, it coordinates its efforts with the planning agencies, primarily the County of Santa Barbara and the City of Goleta. Procedures are in place to ensure orderly use of our precious water resources.

Every five years, the Goleta Water District updates its Urban Water Management Plan. This public process results in a plan showing current and future water use needs, and current and future supplies that are available to meet those needs. Preparation of these plans by water purveyors throughout the state is governed by a legislative act. The 2005 water plan, which was the subject of a full public hearing, is in full compliance with state guidelines.

The Goleta community has been actively involved in the water district for many decades, participating in the decisionmaking process, often through the ballot box. One of the voter-approved ordinances is the Safe Water Supplies Ordinance, which provided for district access to state water. This ordinance limits water for new developments to one percent of the water supply each year, and sets goals for the maintenance of a groundwater drought buffer. For the last eight years, requests for new water have been far below the one percent limitation, and groundwater is at near-historic levels. While state water deliveries may be cut back for some agencies, the Goleta Water District acquired a large drought buffer to stay ahead in such circumstances.

Lately, our customers have asked about our readiness and the adequacy of our water supplies if we are in an extended drought. Recent major improvements to our water system — such as new storage tanks and treatment plant upgrades — help to further ensure the reliability of the water supply system. Should we find we are in an extended drought cycle, our local water supplies are in excellent condition, with groundwater basins full, and Lake Cachuma at 70 percent of its capacity. Goleta Water District is well poised to provide an adequate supply of water to our present and future customers.

California’s Water Sources

According to the Water Education Program, which is administered by the State Water Resources Control Board, water in California comes from three basic sources.

Many cities use area streams or reservoirs to supply all or some of their water needs. These sources are administered by independent local agencies or water control boards, such as the Goleta Water District.

Groundwater, which is contained in porous under­ground rocks called aquifers, comprises about 30 percent of the state’s annual water use, with higher usage during drought years. Despite the fact that they currently are being run for testing purposes, Goleta’s groundwater wells are normally reserved for emergency use only.

Since 1960, the state has provided supplemental water to areas of Southern California, including Santa Barbara County. Currently, most of Santa Barbara’s water comes from Lake Cachuma.

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