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Santa Barbara water department lays out multi-year capital plan, including $50 million Cater upgrade and Gibraltar repairs
Summary
City staff presented an annual water-systems report that prioritized a large capital push: a $50 million upgrade at the Cater treatment site, transmission-main renewals, Sheffield pump-station work and major Gibraltar spillway assessments tied to new DSOD requirements. Projects will require multiple transmission shutdowns and significant sequencing to preserve supply.
City water staff presented an annual report to the Water Commission outlining a multi-year capital program that officials said is intended to stabilize aging pipelines, upgrade treatment and bolster dam infrastructure.
The presentation identified the Cater project — adding 2.5 million gallons of storage, improving chlorine contact time and seismic performance at the treatment site — with an estimated cost of $50,000,000. Staff said transmission-main renewal phase 2 is budgeted at roughly $5,000,000 and that other major work will include replacement of the Vic Trace reservoir (replace one 10-million-gallon above-ground tank with two buried 5-million-gallon prestressed concrete tanks) and electrical/mechanical upgrades at Sheffield Pump Station.
Why it matters: commissioners were told the projects are interdependent and must be sequenced to keep the system operational. Staff said the transmission-main work will require about 24 planned shutdowns and that the Cadre treatment plant will likely be taken offline for short outages two to three times during construction. "This is going to be a really busy time," staff said, emphasizing the need for coordinated shutdowns and contingency planning to protect supply to Montecito and Carpinteria.
System context and priorities: staff framed the capital push around risk-based replacement of old mains and valves, noting the system has roughly 26,000 service connections and about 330 miles of water mains. The distribution team reported 49 water-main breaks and 69 service-line leaks in fiscal year 25; staff said those data points justify accelerated main-replacement work in older neighborhoods with post–World War II cast-iron pipe.
Procurement and schedule: presenters described recent contracting difficulties — a low-bid protest delayed about 3.7 miles of main replacement — and said the city is experimenting with alternative contracting methods, including best-value and design-build approaches, to reduce delays. Staff said meeting an aspirational 6-mile-per-year replacement goal will be challenging because of contracting constraints and sequencing with other city projects.
Gibraltar dam and spillway work: staff flagged additional capital needs at Gibraltar Dam after regulatory scrutiny stemming from the Oroville spill. Consultants are assessing the spillway; staff said the current layered concrete construction will likely be replaced by a single tied structure anchored into bedrock. Staff also noted caretaker-house repairs and annual backcountry-road maintenance of roughly $250,000 to preserve access.
What commissioners asked: Commissioners pressed staff on sequencing, neighborhood impacts and how projects will coordinate with other city work. Staff highlighted public outreach plans, announcing an on-site neighborhood meeting for the Vic Trace project scheduled for Jan. 28 (4 to 5:30 p.m.).
Next steps: staff said they will return with more detailed scopes, designs and funding strategies as projects advance; several projects require council approval or formal bid awards before construction can proceed.
