Santa Barbara Desalination Plant Permit Approved

A permit dating back to 1991 to operate Santa Barbara’s desalination plant was approved Friday by the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board. The Board will require a different type of screen be used on the intake of the pipe, located underwater offshore.

The board’s action modified a permit from the original plant’s 1991 approval, clarifying the plant meets state requirements for taking in water directly from the open ocean.

Environmental groups were concerned about potential damage to marine life from the pipe’s intake. The Water Board’s modification requires the City of Santa Barbara to use “updated screen technology” for the intake valve.

The City also agreed to:

-Launch a study by 2017 to determine the feasiblity of switching to under-the-seabed intake valves.

– Contribute $500,000 to a coastal restoration project approved by the Board before re-starting the desal plant.

“The Board recognizes the importance and urgency of modifying the desalination facility’s permit, which will allow the city to get the plant up and running to help the City deal with the historic drought,” said Dr. Jean-Pierre Wolff, Chairman of the Regional Water Board.