On August 1, 2016, the Central Coast Water Authority (CCWA), the agency responsible for importing water from the State Water Project to the various cities, water districts, and other entities in Santa Barbara County, celebrated its 25th anniversary. It’s a good time to reflect on the value of the State Water Project to Santa Barbara County.
Twenty-five years ago, the county experienced a major drought. At the time, we were isolated and had no plumbing connecting our region to the rest of California. As a result, we had no facilities to bring water here from places that had water to spare. Lake Cachuma was going dry, and the cities and water districts were running out of options. Were it not for the heavy rains dubbed the “March Miracle” in 1991, there was a real possibility of completely running out of water.
In June 1991, the voters spoke loudly and clearly: They wanted a diversified water supply that would avoid future hardships. Residents of a number of communities voted to authorize the issuance of bonds to construct the facilities needed to bring State Water into the county and thus connect the county to the vast State Water Project. Construction began in 1992 on the 144-mile buried pipeline and water treatment facilities to bring State Water from the California Aqueduct in Kern County to Lake Cachuma.