Supply Success and “WaterSmart” Customers
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Montecito Water District’s 3-year water supply outlook indicates adequate water to meet projected customer water demand through Water Year 2027 without shortages and without the need for State Water Project or supplemental supplies, according to General Manager Nick Turner’s Quarterly Water Supply Update presented to the Board of Directors at their regular August meeting. With confidence in full reservoirs, improved local supply, and robust storage, the District has negotiated a contract for sale of State Water Project supplies which are considered surplus to the District’s needs through Water Year 2027 and perhaps beyond. Revenue generated by such a sale would help offset the District’s other expenses as considered in the most recent rate structure, adopted in June, 2024.
“As a coastal community, participating in desalination and offsetting those costs by selling surplus State Water to inland communities with fewer water supply options makes perfect sense,” said Turner. “Successful implementation of these key strategies aligns the District with achieving its goals—shifting to drought resilient sources that are close-to-home while minimizing the costs and uncertainty associated with the State Water Project.”
Numerous actions to increase local, reliable supplies in recent years have helped strengthen the District’s water portfolio and reduce dependence on the increasingly scant and costly State Water Project. Examples include:
• Participation in desalination which has secured monthly water deliveries from the City of Santa Barbara since 2022, in accordance with the 50 Year Water Supply Agreement.
• Groundwater banking, since 2017 the District has taken advantage of State Water Project allocations in recent rainy years to store more than a year’s worth of water until needed for future drought conditions.
• Completion of a Water Efficiency Plan identifying important customer-facing initiatives to drive long-term efficient water use behaviors. Plan projects implemented to date include a rebate program, and WaterSmart – a customer portal that provides access to the numerous benefits of smart meters such as real-time usage data and customizable leak notifications.
While the past two wet winters have helped, the water supply outlook has been largely improved through the District’s pro-active longer term management of supply and demand—annual customer use has remained consistently reduced by about 45% since 2015.