Featured Story Archive

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

On May 12, 2015 the Goleta Water District Board of Directors declared a Stage III Water Shortage Emergency, with mandatory water use restrictions and changes to watering times. The Goleta Valley remains in drought conditions and water conservation is still critical to ensure adequate supplies for drinking, health and public safety.  The declaration is consistent with the requirements of the District’s… Read more

No End in Sight as the Goleta Valley Enters into another Summer of Drought Here in the Goleta Valley we know the importance of water conservation, but we can’t control the weather. In our fourth year of drought we have received only half of our normal rainfall.  Our community faces the worst water shortage emergency in our history— now even more severe that than the 1990s drought so many of us remember. Doing… Read more

On March 17, 2015, the State Water Resources Control Board adopted emergency regulations to encourage water conservation statewide in response to the historic drought.  On April 1, 2015, Governor Brown issued an Executive Order on actions necessary to address California's severe drought conditions.  The Executive… Read more

Goleta has received only 67% of normal rainfall to date this season, putting the area on track for a fourth year of below average rainfall. Lake Cachuma water levels continue to drop, with the lake now only at 28% of capacity at the… Read more

While the recent rains have moistened the ground considerably, the drought conditions persist. Lake Cachuma remains at historic lows, and the Stage II Water Shortage Emergency and mandatory water use restrictions are still in effect. Saving water over the next few months is critical to delaying a Stage III Water Shortage Emergency. Looking… Read more

The last several years have been abnormally dry, so it’s exciting to see some of the first winter rainfall move into the region.  However, even with the recent rains Lake Cachuma is still at historic lows, and the Stage II Water Shortage Emergency and mandatory water use restrictions are still in effect.  Outdoor watering with fixed… Read more

Since the Stage II Water Shortage Emergency was declared on September 9, 2014 customers have responded by reducing water use system-wide by 10%, and achieved a residential per capita water use of 64 gallons per day! The Stage II restrictions primarily target outdoor water use. Properties using fixed (i.e. installed sprinkler systems) may now water only before 7 a.m. or after 7 p.m. on Wednesdays and… Read more