Integrated Regional Water Management Public Workshop

The Santa Barbara County IRWM Plan was first drafted in 2007 and is required to be updated in order to qualify for future state grant funding. The existing plan has facilitated the award of over $28 million dollars to the Region to either wholly or partially fund 21 water supply, water conservation, reclaimed water, wastewater treatment, flood control, and ecosystem restoration projects.

The public workshop will be hosted by the Santa Barbara County Water Agency, the lead agency in the plan development. The meeting will be held concurrently in both a north and south county location and will be served with teleconference communication between the two locations. The north county location is at the Board of Supervisors Hearing Room, 511 E. Lakeside Parkway, Santa Maria, CA 93455 and the south county

location is the Board of Supervisors Hearing Room, 105 E. Anapamu, 4th Floor, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. The hearing is sponsored by the IRWM Cooperating Partners, a group of over 25 water agencies, jurisdictions, water and sanitary districts, and nonprofit organizations from throughout the county.

The intent of the Integrated Regional Water Management Program in Santa Barbara County is to promote and practice integrated regional water management strategies to ensure sustainable water uses, reliable water supplies, improved water quality, environmental stewardship, efficient urban development, protection of agricultural and watershed awareness. The IRWM Plan and the IRWM process are the basis upon which funds were awarded through competitive grant processes initiated by the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) with Proposition 50 monies and the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) with Proposition 84 monies.

For more information on the IRWMP and on Proposition 50 and 84 grants which fund the projects, please consult the County’s wesbsite or DWR’s IRWMP site or contact Matt Naftaly, Water Agency Manager, at (805) 568-3542.