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Santa Barbara water staff update sewer system management plan; commission backs forwarding to council
Summary
The Water Commission voted to recommend that City Council approve an updated Sewer System Management Plan that reflects a 2023 state general order, new audit schedules and operational changes intended to reduce sanitary sewer overflows.
The Santa Barbara City Water Commission voted July 17 to recommend the City Council approve an updated Sewer System Management Plan that the city must submit to the Central Coast Water Board to meet a new state general order.
The recommendation comes after a staff presentation explaining that the State Water Resources Control Board’s updated Waste Discharge Requirements (WDR) for sanitary sewer systems — issued in December 2022 and effective June 2023 — requires more documentation, enhanced capacity planning and new audit and update schedules. Thomas Welch, the city’s wastewater system manager, told the commission the city’s internal audit was due in February 2025 and the revised plan must be submitted to the state by Aug. 2, 2025. Welch said staff will present the plan to City Council on July 29.
The plan update incorporates consultant recommendations, new documentation, and operational changes designed to…
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