Water Resources Laboratory

As a coastal community with local water sources, the City’s water is naturally hard. Santa Barbara and the Santa Ynez watershed was once an ancient seabed, which left behind high concentrations of limestone that causes groundwater and water from local reservoirs to be high in minerals – resulting in hard water.  

Hard water is safe to use and drink and does not pose a health risk. Some customers choose to use a water softener for their hot water to reduce the build up of minerals on plumbing fixtures.  

The hardness of the City’s water ranges from 2 - 45 grains/gallon, depending on what water sources the City is currently utilizing, and where you are in the City. Provided below are water hardness ranges based on water supply source. When determining the grains per gallon to set a water softener, you divide the water’s hardness concentration by 17.1. Try setting your softener lower to start. If you feel the water needs to be softer, try turning it up slowly, one grain/gallon at a time. We recommend testing and adjusting your softeners every six months. Read more about water softeners. 

Groundwater: 18-45 grains/gallon 
Surface Water: 22-29 grains/gallon 
Desalinated Water: 2-3 grains/gallon. Map of distribution area of desalinated water. 

No, there are no lead pipes in the City’s distribution system (the pipes and infrastructure that deliver water from the water treatment facility to your property’s water meter). 

The City conducted field verifications of approximately 1,750 randomly selected customer water service lines in 2024. No lead customer service lines were found during the inventory - pipe materials were all non-lead. Because the City found no evidence of lead in the field verified customer-owned lines, the rest are assumed to be non-lead by statistical analysis. The results of that inventory can be found at the interactive map linked below. Users can search the map by address or zoom in to the map for further details. 

Service Line Inventory Map 

You cannot see, smell or taste lead, and boiling water will not remove lead. Here are steps you can take to reduce your potential exposure if lead exists in your home plumbing: 

• Flush your taps after it sits for long periods. The longer the water sits in your home’s plumbing, the more lead it might contain. If the water in your faucet has gone unused for more than six hours, flush the tap with cold water for 30 seconds to two minutes before drinking or using it to cook. To conserve water, catch the running water and use it to water your plants. 

• Use cold water for drinking and cooking. Hot water has the potential to contain more lead than cold water. If hot water is needed for cooking, heat cold water on the stove or in the microwave. 

• Routinely remove and clean all faucet aerators. Sediment and metals can collect in the faucet aerator screen located at the spout end of your faucets. Replace aerators that are in poor condition.  

• Look for the “Lead Free” label when replacing or installing plumbing fixtures. 

• Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for replacing water filters in household appliances, such as refrigerators and ice makers, as well as home water treatment units and pitchers. Look for NSF 53 certified filters. Customers can also look for NSF 42 certified filters which will help with turbidity concerns. 

• Flush your taps after plumbing changes. Changes to your private service line or interior plumbing may result in sediment, possibly containing lead, in your water supply. Flush cold water with the bathtub spigot until it runs clear. If no bathtub spigot is present, remove the aerators from each faucet and run the cold water until it runs clear.  

Information on lead in drinking water, testing methods, and steps you can take to minimize exposure is available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791, or EPA.gov/SafeWater/Lead.