Montecito Water District’s Board of Directors held its regular monthly meeting this week as scheduled. The agenda included updates on the status of a Water Supply Agreement with the City of Santa Barbara and the Rate Study. “These projects remain on schedule to be completed and ready for Board consideration in June,” said General Manager […]
With over a week of wet weather, Montecito debris basins, ring nets, and creek channels held up extremely well, according to Montecito Fire Chief Kevin Taylor, who gave us an update on the weather earlier this week. Crews from County Flood Control and Public Works were in Montecito Tuesday morning, assessing the impact of the […]
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At the end of February, we issued a survey electronically to our membership, and the response rate was pretty strong and super-informative. We did this same thing in 2019, and it informed our work for the year. In 2019, our community identified as their top three priorities: 1. Safety and security: evacuations, emergencies, crime, and […]
This time last year, we were “loving the rain,” but as a dry January stretches into a dry February, Montecito Water District customers are eager for status updates on the Water Supply Agreement with the City of Santa Barbara and the new Rate Study. A draft contract for a Long-Term Water Supply Agreement with the […]
Not many people pay much attention to the Montecito Sanitary District. Neither did I. When solicited by the Water Security Team, I learned how change in the MSD direction was needed for several vital reasons. So, I became a candidate. Woody Barrett and I were voted by you, our community, in as directors, thank you! […]
The Montecito Sanitary District (MSD) was formed in 1947 with the sole purpose of collecting, treating and disposing of the community’s wastewater, but it didn’t actually come online as a completed sewage system and treatment facility until the early 1960s. Today, the MSD serves approximately 3,100 customers in Montecito, with only a scattered number of […]
During the recent severe drought, water restrictions coupled with financial penalties were adopted to encourage water conservation. For single family residence (SFR) the penalties affected consumption of water above 25 hundred cubic feet (hcf) per month. Since the average Montecito SFR uses 5 hcf/month for interior use and 17 hcf/month for exterior use the financial […]
As the current Montecito Water District Board President, it is incumbent upon me to ensure that the public is provided the facts surrounding the long-term (50-year) draft agreement with the City of Santa Barbara in order to provide a complete “desal” picture to the residents of Montecito and Summerland. Historical Background In 2010 and 2015, […]
At last week’s Montecito Water District Board of Directors meeting, the Board adopted Ordinance 96, which eliminates the prohibition on issuance of new water meters and brings water use restrictions up-to-date and consistent with the declared Stage 1 water shortage emergency and current water supply conditions. The water meter moratorium had been in effect since […]
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On Saturday, May 4 at 3 pm, over 750 Rancheros Visitadores from 37 states and six countries will parade in pink on horseback and carriages along Alisal Road through downtown Solvang to Old Mission Santa Inés. For the eighth year in a row, the Rancheros have chosen to partner with Wrangler Jeans and the Tough […]
At this month’s Montecito Association monthly board meeting, SB County Water Resources Deputy Director Tom Fayram reported on Montecito’s debris basins following the strong storms over the last several weeks. “We’ve been going full throttle since January,” Fayram said, adding that hundreds of trucks have been in Montecito clearing debris basins, sometimes 24 hours a […]
Last week many Montecito residents endured evacuations due to a series of several rain storms that hit our area, bringing much needed wet weather to the County. Montecito Water District reports that Thursday’s storm in particular brought significant precipitation over the Santa Ynez River upper watershed, and was seemingly concentrated over Jameson Lake, a key […]
Earlier this month, Montecito Water District’s Strategic Planning Committee met to review the current status of a potential long-term Water Supply Agreement with the City of Santa Barbara. Phase 2 negotiations resumed in late March 2018, spearheaded by Nick Turner, MWD’s General Manager. Turner and MWD staff, along with District consultant David Moore of Clean […]
California’s aging State Water System with its surface canals and pumps was designed to meet the needs of 25 million California farmers and urban users. Today, it struggles to provide sustainable water for 40 million current state residents. Fortunately, technology – at a price – can help solve the problem, especially for coastal communities, if […]






