With drought-like conditions looming large over the entire state, Santa Barbara County is reporting its lowest 10-year average for rainfall ever. “We’re at an all-time low,” said Tom Fayram, county Water Agency director. Fayram acknowledged the numbers are less dramatic if only the last seven years are counted.
Two weeks ago, statewide managers of the State Water Project put participating water agencies on notice they could count on deliveries of only 5 percent of the water to which they are contractually entitled. For agencies south of the Sacramento Delta, they were told they could not expect even that “until further notice.”
Making matters worse, Fayram added, most groundwater basins throughout the county have not managed to replenish their supplies to pre-drought levels yet. The larger the groundwater basin, it turns out, the bigger the gap.