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Water Worries Waning After Wet Winter, According To Santa Barbara City Council

Santa Barbara County photo

After years at a critical level, the water crisis in Santa Barbara is not the issue it used to be.

At one point, the main drinking water supply, Cachuma Lake, was down to 7% capacity.

The wet winter has now pushed the lake to 80% capacity, the highest it's been in years.

The state water delivery is set at 70% this year, with a recently reopened desalination plant in operation at up to a third of the city's water supply.

Water conservation also remains strong, with reclaimed water in use for many areas, and about 30% water savings from where the city was at 5 years ago.

With all these factors in effect, the stage 3 drought restrictions are about to be dropped to stage 1 by the City Council.

Impacts to water costs and consumer rates will be decided in budget cycles in the months to come.

Andy worked at KCLU from 2016 until 2022.
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