Lake Cachuma: Our Largest Water Supply Source

The majority of the District's water supply is from the Cachuma Project, which the Federal Bureau of Reclamation constructed on the Santa Ynez River in the early 1950’s.

Facilities of the Cachuma Project.

The Cachuma Project consists of Bradbury Dam, Tecolote Tunnel, South Coast Conduit, and various water conveyance facilities. The dam impounds water along the Santa Ynez River, approximately 45 miles from its outlet at the ocean.

• Tecolote Tunnel. Water is diverted from Lake Cachuma to the South Coast through the Tecolote Tunnel, which was bored approximately 6.4 miles through the Santa Ynez Mountains to the head works of the South Coast Conduit at Glen Annie Reservoir.
• South Coast Conduit Pipeline and Reservoirs. The South Coast Conduit extends for a distance of approximately 24 miles along the South Coast from Goleta to Carpinteria, and includes four regulating reservoirs. The South Coast Conduit delivers Cachuma Project raw water to the District at the Corona del Mar Treatment Plant.