| Over
the last decade, Montecito Water District addressed years of water shortages by developing
new sources of water and enhancing existing sources. The District is now responding to new
water supply challenges. Possible
Water Supply Cuts
Users of Lake Cachuma water face State hearings in two years
that will evaluate whether water should be taken from current users and used to improve
the Santa Ynez River environment.
Your Water District, along with its partner agencies, have been developing strategies to
benefit both water customers and the environment. |
Required
Environmental Studies
Years of effort have been needed to prepare for the
State hearings on Lake Cachuma water supplies. Included in the preparations are required
studies of the impact of Lake Cachuma's Bradbury Dam on river vegetation and fish, as well
as on water quality downstream of the dam. Water For Fish
The largest environmental effort underway is aimed at
protecting endangered steelhead trout. Since 1993, local water agencies have invested more
than $350,000 per year on mandated studies and rescue efforts, and provided hundreds of
millions of gallons of water to improve fish habitat. |
Increase Lake Storage
Local water agencies are promoting a plan in which the Federal
Bureau of Reclamation would build splashboards _steel walls that would extend the height
of Bradbury Dam. Splashboards would allow the level of Lake Cachuma to be raised several
feet. The extra water, gathered during flood years, would be released to meet the needs of
fish in the dry years without further decreasing the supply available to existing water
customers. Since 1993, local water agencies have
been required to release about half a billion gallons of water from Lake Cachuma each year
to benefit fish. |
Costly Creek Challenges
For over 60 years, Montecito Water District has relied on
water from Fox and Alder Creeks from the upper Santa Ynez River area. In recent years, the
U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have identified these creeks as
home to the red-legged frog, an endangered species. The
District is currently contributing $35,000 to a study that will track the frogs with radio
transmitters. The goal is to determine exactly where the frogs live and how much
water can be safely used from the creeks without harming the frogs. |
