Carpinteria council authorizes city manager to sign permit application for advanced water project

The Carpinteria City Council on a unanimous vote authorized the city manager to sign the city’s portion of the development permit application for the Carpinteria Advanced Purification (CAP) Project, which would use treated wastewater to augment the local groundwater basin.

The CAP project is a joint initiative among the Carpinteria Sanitary District, Carpinteria Valley Water District and the City of Carpinteria to treat and inject advanced purified water into the local groundwater basin to increase supply reliability and reduce drought vulnerability.

City staff described the permit request as an application that covers site and right-of-way work spanning multiple properties and city streets. “What we’re asking tonight is that you authorize the city manager to sign on behalf of the city,” said Robert McDonald, General Manager of the Carpinteria Valley Water District, summarizing the immediate action before the council.

The project footprint includes two proposed injection sites and pipeline alignments through city rights-of-way including Carpinteria Avenue, Linden Avenue, Meadowview Lane and others. City staff explained the application package includes letters of support or site-approval from the other property owners involved and that the city’s signature would allow the district to proceed with formal permitting steps.

Council members asked detailed questions about construction impacts, including temporary noise mitigation. McDonald and city staff said temporary 24-foot sound walls were planned during drilling to reduce neighborhood impacts; the walls would be in place only during drilling activity.

Council members also asked about the basin’s regulatory status. City staff and McDonald explained the Carpinteria groundwater basin is designated a high‑priority basin under the state’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, a designation that drives local groundwater planning obligations and the GSA’s interest in reuse projects to improve long‑term supply reliability.

Motion and vote: A motion to authorize the city manager to sign the permit application on the city’s behalf passed unanimously. The council recorded an affirmative roll call vote on the motion.

The authorization allows the water district and project partners to continue permitting and design steps; separate future actions (construction, final agreements, environmental clearances and construction approvals) will require additional city and partner approvals.

Provenance: The project presentation and staff discussion appear in the council transcript beginning with the project introduction and presentation and conclude with the council motion and roll call vote recorded in the meeting minutes.