Heal the Ocean: The Future of Water in Santa Barbara

James Hawkins for Heal the Ocean, Noozhawk

“On July 21, 2015, the Santa Barbara City Council gave final approval to a redesigned desalination plant as a last-resort water supply for the city, in the throes of one of the worst droughts in California history.

While some have questioned whether more could have been done to stave off this decision, the reality is that the Charles E. Meyer Desalination Plant has long been designated within the city’s water portfolio as an emergency supply, and the severity of the current drought has prompted such an emergency, with no other water available to fill the immediate shortfall. . .”