In May 2020, Noozhawk reported on a forecast presented to the Santa Barbara Water Commission: supply would last until autumn 2022. Analyst Dakota Corey said water from Gibraltar Reservoir, desalination at the city plant and water saving had built up reserves in Lake Cachuma; the city had not pumped groundwater since early 2017. The Charles E. Meyer plant had supplied drinking water since summer 2017. From January 2022, a draft agreement provided 1,430 acre-feet (about 1.76 million m³) per year for the Montecito Water District, for about USD 4 million.
The report showed how a Californian coastal city's reactivated desalination plant helped spare groundwater after eight years of drought and was set to become the basis of a regional supply agreement.
Source: Noozhawk (Kopie im Webarchiv)