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Santa Barbara Water Commission approves business-case study, awards SLIP contract to GHD
Summary
The Water Commission approved staff’s recommendation to hire GHD to perform a business-case analysis of the Sewer Lateral Inspection Program (SLIP). Commissioners discussed program performance, next steps, and possible enforcement tools; the motion passed unanimously on a roll-call vote.
The Santa Barbara Water Commission voted to award a professional-services contract to consultant GHD to prepare a business-case analysis for the city’s Sewer Lateral Inspection Program (SLIP), commissioners confirmed after a presentation on program performance and next steps.
The business case award will fund a consultant review of alternative program approaches — including legal authority, financing options such as liens, and enforcement pathways — to reduce private-side sewer lateral defects that cause public wastewater spills, staff said.
City staff described SLIP as a continuing challenge because it asks private property owners to make repairs on infrastructure that affects public wastewater collection. Dakota Corey, water supply and services manager (filling in), told commissioners: “SLIP is a challenging program in that we're asking private property owners to make improvements on their private property that benefit both their property and the public wastewater collection system.”
Mariana Cruz, SLIP program administrator, and Galen Fair, water quality superintendent, presented the program’s recent metrics: since adopting a condition-rating scale modeled on NASCO’s LACP guidance, the city reduced SLIP case counts by roughly 35% — from about 2,440 cases to about 1,530. Cruz said staff reviewed about 1,315 inspection videos, issued 571 repair notices, coordinated 448 repairs and recorded more than 2,300 property-owner communications in the past 24 months.
Fair described remaining challenges: an estimated 1,500 laterals still require repair, rising construction costs (often $15,000–$20,000 per repair), and the limits of current incentives. “We don't have enforcement right now, so that may be something that we want to move towards in the future,” Fair said, noting the commission had asked staff to evaluate enforcement and financing tools.
Staff solicited proposals for a consultant to evaluate alternate program options and selected GHD based on relevant experience, including personnel who previously managed similar utility programs. The recommended contract amount is approximately $115,000 with additional funds for possible records services. Staff indicated the contract will go to City Council on Jan. 28, with a likely notice to proceed in March and an anticipated six-month delivery schedule.
Commissioners asked that GHD’s review include a thorough survey of other Central Coast and regional utilities; staff said they participate in SAMA (Santa Barbara County Sanitation Agency Manager Association), Clean Water SoCal and CASA and will direct the consultant to coordinate with those partners.
Acting Chair Keller called for a vote after no public comment was received. The commission’s roll call recorded Commissioner Davis: yes; Commissioner Young: yes; Commissioner Cooney: yes; Acting Chair Keller: yes. The motion passed.
Commissioners and staff stressed that the business-case analysis is intended to identify feasible legal and financial tools — for example, potential liens or code-enforcement pathways — and that any enforcement option would require separate legal review and possible future Council action.
Minutes: staff will take the consultant’s recommendations back to the commission and to Council as needed; the consultant’s scope includes benchmarking other agencies’ programs, assessing legal authority, cost/benefit analysis of financing options, and implementation considerations.
