Featured Story Archive

The United States Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) built the Bradbury Dam and associated facilities along the Santa Ynez River in the 1950s creating what we know now as Lake Cachuma. Today, the Federal Project provides approximately 85% of the water supplies for more than 250,000 residents and 12,000 acres of agriculture along the South Coast of Santa Barbara County. Since 1993 the five Cachuma Member… Read more

Droughts occur with unpredictable frequency, intensity, and duration. Developing and maintaining a safe and reliable water supply portfolio to serve its customers is a Goleta Water District (GWD or District) priority, including preparing for drought and water shortages. During a drought or other water shortage, the Goleta Water District Board of Directors will consider drought severity indicators and… Read more

Lake Cachuma, which serves as the primary water supply for over 200,000 people in southern Santa Barbara County, is currently at less than 36% of capacity due to three consecutive years of drought.  Projections speculate water levels could drop below the current intake level within this year.  The Emergency Pumping System Project at Lake Cachuma is necessary to maintain flow to South Coast and will… Read more

The District received a Goleta Valley Beautiful (GVB) Award in the category of Neighborhood Enhancement for the San Ricardo Well Site. The 40th Annual Awards and Benefit event was held on Sunday, May 4th, 2014 at the Rancho La Patera Stow House. Goleta Valley Beautiful is a nonprofit environmental, educational and community service organization with an emphasis on urban forestry for public areas. It… Read more

On January 17, 2014 California Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency caused by drought, and asked all Californians to reduce their water use by 20%.  The County of Santa Barbara joined the State, declaring a drought emergency the following week, echoing the Governor’s call for a 20% reduction in water use. Here at the Goleta Water District, we are taking the current drought conditions… Read more

California is known for its cycles of drought and Santa Barbara County is no exception.  Lake Cachuma, the primary source of water in the region, spilled as recently as 2011 while, just two years later, 2013 was one of the driest years on record across the state.  Accordingly, on Friday, January 17, 2014 California Governor Brown issued a state Drought Declaration followed shortly after the County… Read more

The Edible Garden is the newest section of the District Demonstration Gardens. It features a variety of innovative attributes including water-wise edible plants and trees, sustainable drainage and rain catchment systems, a Hugelkultur (pronounced “hoogal-culture”) bed, and other permaculture principles. The goal of the garden is to model water-efficient edible landscaping ideas that can be implemented… Read more