Carpinteria Breaks Ground on Santa Barbara County’s First Drinking Water Reuse Project

CARPINTERIA, Calif. — Local leaders and water officials gathered Thursday to celebrate a major milestone for water sustainability on the South Coast.

The Carpinteria Sanitary District held a groundbreaking ceremony for its Advanced Purification Project, which will become the first potable water reuse project in Santa Barbara County.

Officials say the project will take highly treated recycled water and further purify it to meet drinking water standards before using it to replenish local groundwater supplies.

Supporters of the project say it will help provide a more reliable source of water during future droughts and reduce dependence on imported water supplies.

"This is a big deal because it means reliability for Carpinteria's water future," said Kelley Dyer of the Carpinteria Valley Water District. "We've had shortages in the last drought when Lake Cachuma levels declined to historic lows, and it put a lot of stress on our groundwater basin. So this project is designed to replenish our groundwater basin and provide a reliable water supply for the future."

Water officials say the project is an important investment in long-term water resilience as California communities continue to face the impacts of drought and climate change.

Once completed, the facility will convert recycled wastewater into purified water that can safely be used to recharge the Carpinteria Groundwater Basin, helping secure local water supplies for decades to come.

Leaders from the Carpinteria Sanitary District and regional water agencies called the groundbreaking a significant step toward creating a more sustainable and drought-resistant water system for the community.

Construction on the Advanced Purification Project is expected to take approximately three years to complete.

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