City of Santa Barbara water czar Joshua Haggmark estimates City Hall has spent $90 million in response to the drought. Of that, $9 million was for supplemental water purchased from other water agencies and $70 million is for construction of the refurbished desalination plant, slated to begin production sometime mid-March to early April. Another $4 million was spent on groundwater well development, and $2.6 million to build a pumping barge in Lake Cachuma. To date, City Hall has spent $931,000 on landscaping removal and replacement programs.