What could have been a do-or-die showdown between feuding water agencies over the last few gulps of water in Lake Cachuma was averted Monday afternoon, meaning South Coast agencies will soon be allowed to move an emergency pump and barge to a deeper part of the reservoir.
The practical effect of the unanimous vote by the Cachuma Operation and Maintenance Board (COMB) is that South Coast managers — who rely on Cachuma for 50 percent of their total supplies — will be able to continue pumping from the lake for at least a year longer than if the barge wasn’t moved. Had the Santa Ynez water agencies serving customers living downstream blocked the move — as had been threatened — some South Coast departments warned they would not be physically able to deliver water to customers living on upland terrain.
A few Santa Ynez managers had objected that by moving the barge, the South Coast would be effectively stealing water that belonged to downstream agencies. They demanded guaranteed safeguards that South Coast purveyors would not poach their water. Given that a unanimous vote appeared to be required for COMB to approve moving the barge, the Santa Ynez water interests appeared to hold veto power. (The word “appear” is used because legal opinions on those questions appear to shift from day to day.)