Featured Story Archive

Myths and Facts About Development Myth:  The District is issuing new water allocations during the drought. Fact:  No. Under the SAFE Water Supplies Ordinance, the District has not issued any new water allocations since October 2014. The District is not obligated to provide new water service once a water shortage emergency has been declared if a proposed project does not have a pre-existing right to… Read more

On June 24, 2016, the Goleta Water District (District) delivered and applied recycled water through its Recycled Water Hauling Program (RWHP) for dust control and clean-up activities associated with the Sherpa Fire.  4,000 gallons of recycled water were applied by the District in cooperation with Santa Barbara County Fire and the U.S. Forest Service, and applications will continue for several days. … Read more

The Sherpa Fire reminds us that with another long dry summer of drought ahead, conservation remains critical.  Please help conserve water for public health and safety by reducing water use. How is the District supporting firefighting efforts? The Goleta Water District is coordinating with Unified Command to ensure awareness of District resources, and has participated in briefings with the Emergency… Read more

Thank you to Goleta Water District customers for all their water saving efforts. We are encouraged by the recent winter rains, but Lake Cachuma is still below 50%. Even with conservation the Goleta Valley remains in severe drought.  Reducing outdoor watering now conserves water for public health and safety. Since as much as half of residential water is used by outdoor irrigation, the easiest way to… Read more

The severe drought continues in the Goleta Valley, and the Stage III Water Shortage Emergency remains in effect.  The lack of rainfall over the last several years means that as we enter the summer months, fire season has already begun.  Please help conserve water for public health and safety. For a full list of current drought restrictions, including mandatory outdoor water restrictions, and assigned… Read more

With winter rains below average for the fifth year in a row, Lake Cachuma is below 15% of capacity and is anticipated to decline further over the summer. Even as green vegetation has sprung up on the hillsides, and plants are flowering, at 72% of average rainfall this year to date countywide there hasn't been enough rain for the Santa Ynez River to run sufficiently to get inflow into the lake. It is… Read more

While everyone is hopeful that El Niño will bring much needed rain, as we enter the remaining few months of the rainy season, the community remains in a severe drought. Read more

The Goleta Water District is excited to announce that customers in the unincorporated Goleta Valley (the area outside the city limits of Goleta and Santa Barbara) can now pipe greywater from their bathroom sinks, showers, and tubs onto their landscaping without having to apply for a building permit, get an inspection or pay fees. This makes them among the first in the state to be able to do so. You… Read more

The District has long been at the forefront of conservation, and we have been actively managing the current drought since it began in 2012.  The Goleta Valley’s long history of drought means Goleta Water District customers understand the value of water and the need to conserve.  Residential per capita water use is among the lowest in the state, and there is high consciousness among customers of the… Read more

As the drought worsens, many customers have significantly reduced outdoor water use. One of the easiest ways to do this is by removing or reducing the size of your lawn. On average as much as half of residential water use is outdoor irrigation, so removing turf is one of the best options to significantly reduce water use. While the District does not currently prohibit lawns, more severe restrictions… Read more