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Water Commission endorses city response to Santa Barbara County Grand Jury report, clarifies desal expansion is not in progress
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Summary
The commission recommended the mayor send a letter to the presiding judge accepting the grand jury's largely positive findings and noted that desalination expansion is not currently underway and would require demand triggers and further council direction.
The Water Commission voted July 17 to recommend the City Council adopt the city’s formal response to the Santa Barbara County Grand Jury report titled "Water Management in Santa Barbara County: Keep Up the Good Work," and to authorize the mayor to sign the response letter to the presiding judge.
Jasmine Showers, water resources analyst, summarized the grand jury’s findings. The report, released June 13, 2025, found that county water providers had made proactive plans to fortify supplies against drought and that coordination among agencies has improved since prior grand jury findings. The report included three findings and no recommendations; the City is required by law to respond to findings affecting the city.
Showers read the proposed city responses. For the finding that the city has invested in a diverse water-supply portfolio, staff proposed agreement and emphasized the need to "keep up the good work," noting continued priorities including conservation, capital investment and recruiting and retaining staff to implement projects. For the finding praising improved county coordination, staff proposed agreement and a continuing commitment to interagency cooperation. For the city-specific finding recognizing innovative use of desalination to expand local water availability, staff proposed agreement but clarified that desalination expansion is not in progress: the 2020 Enhanced Urban Water Management Plan contains demand triggers for desalination and those triggers have not been met, and the commission or council has not directed an expansion.
Showers also noted the city currently stores a substantial supply in Lake Cachuma (staff cited more than 14,000 acre-feet including allocation and carryover) and that the city’s planning documents guide when desalination would be initiated.
The commission moved to recommend that City Council adopt the response letter and authorize the mayor to sign. The motion passed on a roll call with recorded affirmative votes from Commissioner Davis, Commissioner Cooney, Vice Chair Keller and Chair Snyder.
Commissioners congratulated staff and noted the report’s unusually positive tone compared with prior grand jury critiques; one commissioner suggested adding an explicit line in the official response emphasizing the importance of recruiting and retaining staff. There was no public comment.
