Water Affordability

Draft Affordability Study Available

Community participation in the Water Affordability Community Workshop in November 2023 and the Water Affordability Survey from late October through December 2023 were integral to the development of this study. The final study is anticipated to be presented at the March 21 Water Commission meeting, agenda will be posted here.

READ THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

We had a thorough presentation and discussion at the January 18, 2024 Water Commission meeting about the draft Water Affordability Study. You can watch the recording below, it’s about an hour and 15 minutes in length for this item. 

WATCH THE RECORDING

Water Affordability & Conservation Study

Water affordability, conservation, and equitable access were identified as important community values in the Water Vision Santa Barbara effort conducted in 2020. Affordability is a growing concern as water and sewer rates rise to account for increasing costs due to aging infrastructure, extreme weather events, climate change, regulations, and inflation, to name a few.

Providing affordable and equitable access to clean water is a primary objective of the City’s Water Resources Division. To meet this objective, the City has partnered with The Alliance for Water Efficiency (AWE) to further explore the topic of water affordability. The Alliance for Water Efficiency is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the efficient and sustainable use of water across North America. AWE is conducting research to better understand challenges and opportunities related to water affordability. They are also exploring how water conservation and efficiency strategies, among other strategies, can help  keep water and sewer bills affordable in vulnerable communities.

For more information, please contact Gabriele Cook at (805) 897-2525 or GCook@SantaBarbaraCA.gov.