The City of Santa  Barbara has been awarded a $10 million grant by the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) to offset the $72 million cost of reactivating the Charles E. Meyer Desalination Plant.

The plant came back online to supply water to city customers in May 2017. It provides an important source of drought-proof water that is available despite annual rainfall conditions. While recent storms have put California in a good position for this year’s water supply, all Californians know that is not always the case, and any consistent source of water is a benefit in times of drought.

The plant currently produces 3 million gallons of drinking water per day, equivalent to about 30% of the city’s demand. “This grant will go a long way in helping to minimize the need for a large rate increase in the near future while providing much needed funding for water infrastructure,” said Joshua Haggmark, the city’s water resources manager.

DWR’s desalination grant program is funded by Prop 1, which was passed in 2014 as part of the Water Quality, Supply, and Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2014. Prop 1 provided $7.5 billion in funding to improve California’s water reliability, and of the funding, $100 million in grants were set aside for brackish or seawater desalination plants. For more information on Santa Barbara’s desal plant, visit www.SantaBarbaraCA.gov/Desal.

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