Environment 6-19

While most of Santa Barbara County is awash in water, Montecito faces a more dire situation. Being a strip of land sandwiched between coastal mountains and the ocean, Montecito lacks the groundwater resources of the rest of the county. However, Montecito Water District General Manager Tom Moseby claimed this week that as much as 80 percent of water used in Montecito waters gardens and landscaping and that City of Santa Barbara residents use a third of the water Montecito residents do. (/montecitowater)

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Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has pledged to support Assembly Bill 1960. Introduced by Assemblymember Pedro Nava, the bill aims to give the California Department of Conservation’s Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources better ability to plug malfunctioning wells, clean up spills, and ensure that California oil companies meet minimum operating requirements. Nava has said problems with the North County-based Greka Oil & Energy and its many spills prompted the bill. (/nava620)

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Santa Barbara County firefighters doused a grass blaze near Tuckers Grove in Goleta on 6/12 that began around 1:40 p.m. when a mower struck a rock, creating sparks. Nearly three-fourths of an acre burned. Firefighters fully controlled the fire about 40 minutes after arriving at the scene. (/fire619)