Barge Off East Beach Assisting with Desalination Equipment
Source: City of Santa Barbara
Currently, there is a barge offshore, near Stearn’s Wharf, supporting maintenance, repair, and inspection work being performed on the City’s two desalination plant intake pumps and related infrastructure.
The barge is equipped with a crane to pull the desal equipment and is supporting the divers who are performing the underwater work at depths of 40 feet.
For the divers’ safety, the desalination plant has been idled for this mandatory work. Water customers in the downtown and Funk Zone areas might notice a difference in the taste of their tap water while the Desal Plant is out of service for an anticipated couple of weeks.
There are many factors associated with bringing the desal plant back into service including ocean conditions, reconditioning the filters, and having the drinking water pass all required state drinking water tests before it can be put into the distribution system.
The City, fortunately, has a robust and diverse water portfolio that includes Lake Cachuma, Gibraltar Reservoir, State Water, groundwater, desalinated water, recycled water, and a vigorous water conservation program. The diversity of the City’s water supplies enables the City to rely on other supplies when one is impacted, while ensuring safe and continuous water service for the community.
The barge is scheduled to be here for the next few weeks.
For more information please contact Gaylen Fair, Water Quality Superintendent at [email protected]
8 Comments
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Mar 04, 2021 10:12 AMThe city has a robust and diverse water portfolio only in wet times. In a severe drought we have only desal. Lakes, ground water and state water will not be available.
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Mar 04, 2021 02:30 PMI bet it's spraying everyone with 5G.
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Mar 04, 2021 02:38 PMMy cousin said on Facebook that it's the ground control for Jewish space lasers.
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Mar 04, 2021 03:31 PMHow much are we paying these City staffers to develop these public notices to ensure us that they are doing a great job? I guess the days of just assuming they are doing a great job are long gone, so they have to convince us using our tax money. Good work if you can get it.
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Mar 04, 2021 03:58 PMI’m interested in knowing if any readers who live in the Funk Zone can taste a difference. My uncultured opinion is that the desal water improves the taste of downtown water. But I am unsure how much of it is being mixed into my pipes. I live on the lower west side
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Mar 04, 2021 08:08 PMCan't imagine why desal would improve the taste when city admits they have to add more disinfecting chemicals to desal than our regular supply. Desal is considered inferior water by most of those knowledgeable on the topic.
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Mar 04, 2021 06:45 PMAnother of the not disclosed costs of the desal boondoggle. Why is this not a cost to the contractors that the city is paying huge money to?
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Mar 05, 2021 07:56 AMDesal another great idea for a drought stricken community.., PS don’t drink it, the east beach water source is contaminated, you might as well drink treated sewage water...