Goleta Water District Inaugurates New Well

Department of the Interior Grants $2 Million for ‘Hope Well’ Project

At the visit to the new Hope Well, Goleta Water District (GWD) Infrastructure Manager Daniel Brooks gestures toward an older well, flanked by Department of the Interior’s Laura Daniel-Davis (left) and GWD boardmember Lauren Hanson, with board president Farfalla Borah (far left) and general manager David Matson. | Credit: Margaux Lovely

The Goleta Water District unveiled its new “Hope Well” during a tour on Tuesday of the site with Acting Deputy Secretary of the Interior Laura Daniel-Davis, whose agency added $2 million to the $6.5 million project cost. The funding, loudly announced by a sign at the well site, comes from a portion of President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to increase drought and wildfire resilience across the Western United States.

“I get a lot of questions about ‘Where’s the money going; what have you seen?’” Daniel-Davis said. “So it’s so nice for me to be able to get out and see for myself.”

The Hope Well is the district’s first new well in more than 40 years and serves as the primary step in replacing and restoring the district’s 50- to 60-year-old wells. Without new wells, the district faces “endless cycle of droughts and wildfires” that put water resources at risk, said David Matson, the district’s general manager. The $2 million, granted by the Bureau of Reclamation’s WaterSMART program, allows more money to be redirected to other district projects that support its aging water infrastructure.

While Goleta Water District’s primary water source is Lake Cachuma, supplemental groundwater is necessary when surface water is unavailable, specifically in times of drought. Dry conditions are expected continue, especially as Santa Barbara is designated one of the fastest-warming counties in the United States. During times when surface water is plentiful, however, the excess can be stored underground for future use via wells like this one, which can pump as much as 1,100 acre-feet of water per year, or 800 gallons per minute.

Daniel-Davis applauded the district’s quick and quiet work to construct the well in the middle of a residential neighborhood: “In this case, there’s a lot of innovative work across the board.” Engineer and Infrastructure Manager Daniel Brooks said they received only three phone calls and zero complaints from the surrounding community despite periods of 24-hour drilling.

Hope Well is scheduled to produce water beginning in 2026, following the construction of a new pipeline and treatment system.