Santa Barbara staff roll out draft wastewater and water systems climate adaptation plan, urge phased action on pressurization and shoreline protections

Santa Barbara City staff presented a draft wastewater and water systems climate adaptation plan to the Planning Commission on Jan. 15, 2026, saying the document prioritizes risks to the city’s wastewater system and lays out near-, mid- and long-term measures to protect treatment operations and public health.

Melissa Hetrick, adaptation and resilience manager in the city’s Sustainability and Resilience Department, told the commission that the plan — released for public comment Dec. 9 — was developed by an interdepartmental team and consultants and that the city will accept comments through Feb. 10. “I am here because we released publicly in December, for public comment, a draft wastewater and water systems climate adaptation plan,” Hetrick said.

The plan’s risk assessment singled out the wastewater system as the highest near-term priority because flooding and salty intrusion can overwhelm collection systems and, at higher salinity levels, kill the biological treatment processes at the El Estero Water Resource Center. Hetrick described updated federal and state projections (base year 2000) showing about 0.8 feet of sea level rise by 2050, 2.5 feet by 2075 and roughly 5 feet by 2100, and said the city has observed about 3–4 inches of sea level rise so far.

Why it matters: staff described two failure modes that pose operational and public‑health risks — stormwater entering the sewer network during intense storms (inflow and infiltration), and seawater or saline groundwater entering collection pipes and killing treatment bacteria, which can take weeks to reestablish. “When enough salinity is put into the system, it will actually kill all the bacteria,” Hetrick said; staff warned that could force plant shutdowns and extended recovery periods.

Key recommendations and timelines

- Near term (now to ~5 years): intensify inflow and infiltration (I&I) reduction in low‑lying areas (sealed manholes, pipe rehabilitation, smoke testing and smart monitoring covers), increase storage capacity where practical, and complete planning and feasibility work. Hetrick said the city has built roughly $1 million per year into water/wastewater rates for studies and design and estimated $2–3 million in near‑term study/design needs citywide.

- Midterm (next ~20 years): phased pressurization of the lowest collection‑system sections — a transition from a gravity system to a sealed, pumped system in vulnerable neighborhoods. Staff said pressurization limits external inflow because grinder‑pump-equipped customer connections pump into a sealed main instead of relying on open manholes. Hetrick recommended returning in about five years with an ordinance, a plan and incentives for new connections to be designed for pressurization; full conversion of existing connections would be phased over decades.

- Long term (mid‑century to 2100): flood walls, raising or relocating critical infrastructure, major road/access improvements to ensure personnel and equipment can reach treatment facilities, and, if needed, consideration of relocation options. The plan identified a need for roughly 13 acres for a replacement site and noted the municipal golf course as one possible city‑owned parcel, but staff emphasized relocation is not decided and would require regional coordination.

Costs and funding

Staff provided preliminary cost ranges: an estimated $2–3 million for near‑term studies/design and a broad $50–130 million range for potential infrastructure modifications depending on selected options. Hetrick said the $50–130 million estimate covers city infrastructure; separate customer costs (homeowner lateral retrofits or grinder pumps) were not included in that figure. She said staff will pursue federal, state and FEMA funding opportunities where eligible, but the city is likely to need local matching funds or other locally sourced revenue for major construction.

On customer costs, Thomas Welch, wastewater system manager, said sewer laterals from a home to the public connection are private assets and that any public funding or reimbursement approaches would be subject to policy decisions. Staff discussed possible incentive or district‑style approaches but gave no definitive per‑household price.

Operations and specific site actions

Staff said the plan calls for sealing the West Beach sewer main (which currently carries about 40% of the city’s sewage), protecting desalination intake infrastructure and potable lines at Chase Palm Park, and planning for a flood wall and electrical upgrades at El Estero. For the desalination intake and other shoreline utilities, staff described short‑ to medium‑term hardening and mitigation work that is already in the capital program.

Public comment and next steps

There were no public speakers or written comments submitted for this item at the Planning Commission meeting. Hetrick said staff will bring the draft to the Water Commission for a recommendation and then forward to City Council for approval; she reiterated the Feb. 10 close of the public comment period. The commission asked multiple technical and equity questions, including how vulnerable populations are defined (the 2021 plan used census‑based metrics such as low income, limited English proficiency and elderly residents) and how the city will design incentives to reduce burdens on residents.

A quoted exchange: Hetrick summarized the challenge and approach: “This plan presents a phased approach to planning for sea level rise, based on monitoring and identifying triggers.” Thomas Welch, the wastewater system manager, described the tradeoffs for biological recovery and bypassing flows: “You would the challenge is do you treat all the flow and then not be able to treat for a month, or do we bypass potentially and have an upset for a short period of time, but we recover quicker?”

What comes next: staff said they will complete further technical analyses (including the Laguna Watershed stormwater model), prepare a draft ordinance and implementation package for pressurization incentives and standards, pursue grant opportunities, and present final recommendations to the Water Commission and City Council. The public comment period for the draft plan remains open through Feb. 10, 2026.

Ending: The Planning Commission closed the item without action and moved on to administrative agenda items.