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District Works to Develop Cost Effective Wastewater Solution for Community

July 16, 2020

Read the PDF version of this District Update here.

Your Board continues to work to develop a cost effective wastewater solution for our community with a focus on the Phase 1 Wastewater Collection and Treatment System (downtown core), the development of Residential Onsite Wastewater Treatment System guidelines, and identifying a variety of potential funding sources to help pay for building and operating a collection and treatment system. See our Community Wastewater Program Project Description for more detail.

Phase 1 Wastewater Collection and Treatment Project Update

The District Board has been diligently working to site and design a Phase 1 system, including working with County Environmental Health Services to successfully secure $180,000 in funding for:

  • Preliminary design services, including a Wastewater Load Study, estimating anticipated volumes and wastewater strength.
  • Development of a Groundwater Monitoring Plan and Preliminary Soils/Geotechnical Report.
  • Preliminary environmental services to determine potential impacts and mitigations required.

These three efforts are in the consultant selection and contract award process. We expect work for all three efforts to begin in July, August and September, respectively.

The District has also been working on the following:

  • Exploring and narrowing Wastewater Treatment Plant siting options.
  • Hiring expert consultants to assist in preparing a Draft Assessment Engineer’s Report to estimate project costs and recommend a financial plan including assessments. This is the foundation document for an equitable calculation of fair share assessments and will be subject to public hearings and a districtwide vote. This Report will be completed when design, construction and siting assumptions are solidly defined.
  • Continued coordination with the County, the Regional Water Quality Control Board, and community partners including the Santa Ynez River Water Conservation District – ID1 and Mattei’s Tavern representatives.
  • Development of clear guidelines for on-going operation and maintenance of residential Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems while the Phase 1 downtown core project is being evaluated, developed, and implemented.

Grant & Funding Source Identification Update

The District has initiated a Grant Funding Application with the State Water Board and is evaluating and pursuing various funding programs and grant sources such as Proposition 68 with a desire to maximize our use of grant funds to pay for studies, design and construction costs.

Three Board seats open in 2022! Residents who live within district boundaries and are interested in running should read the County of Santa Barbara School and Special District Offices Candidate Filing Guide. 

Upcoming Director Elections - November 2020

In October 2019, the board took the required action of staggering director terms of office, with two board seats (Directors Tom Fayram and Julie Kennedy) now up for election in November 2020 and the remaining three seats in 2022. Residents who live within district boundaries and are interested in running should read the County of Santa Barbara School and Special District Offices Candidate Filing Guide. The deadline to file is August 7, 2020. For more information, please visit https://countyofsb.org/care/elections/candidate/filing.sbc, call Santa Barbara County Elections at (800) SBC-VOTE or email candidatefiling@co.santa-barbara.ca.us