Description
The Goleta Water District provides water to approximately 87,000 customers in Goleta and parts of Santa Barbara. There are more than 16,600 active municipal and industrial customer accounts and 165 agricultural accounts within the District. The District uses approximately 270 miles of pipeline to provide water to its customers.
District Borders
The District spans 29,000 acres and extends from the Santa Barbara County South Coast area west to Santa Barbara’s city limits at El Capitan. It is bound on the south by the ocean and on the north by the foothills of the Santa Ynez Mountains.
Water Supply
Since 1956, the majority of Goleta’s water supply has come from the Cachuma Project, located in the mountains just north and west of the District. Water from Lake Cachuma is divided among five water purveyors, including GWD. The District is entitled to 36.25 percent of the Lake’s available supply — the equivalent of 9,322 acre-feet per year.
In July 1997, Goleta and its surrounding communities along the South Coast were connected to the State Water Project by a 143-mile pipeline, treatment plant and other facilities. State water will ensure an adequate water supply to the Goleta community for reliability during dry periods and for future needs. The District plans to be able to receive approximately 3,800 acre-feet per year from the State Water Project during normal conditions.
Goleta Water District’s nine wells can produce about 5,000 acre-feet of groundwater per year, when certain conditions are met. The District’s groundwater entitlement pursuant to the Wright Judgement is 2,350 acre-feet per year. In addition, during wet years when there is surplus water in Lake Cachuma, the District uses special injection wells to refill the Goleta groundwater basin.
