WATER PROBLEMS OF SANTA 



BARBARA 



A REPORT called "Water Prob- 

 ** lems of Santa Barbara, Cali- 

 fornia," by Mr. J. B. Lippin- 

 cott, which the United States Geolog- 

 ical Survey has recently published, 

 will be interesting to the many people 

 who have found that the city and sub- 

 urbs of Santa Barbara constitute one 

 of the most attractive and most pro- 

 ductive districts of that favored State. 

 The locality is disappointing only in 

 not possessing an adequate \vater sup- 

 ply. 



In response to a request from the 

 city and county of Santa Barbara, the 

 United States Geological Survey has 

 recently made topographic surveys 

 that cover the entire district, and has 

 investigated the water problems of 

 the area. Maps of the Goleta, Santa 

 Barbara, Santa Ynez, and Mount 

 Pinos quadrangles have been pub- 

 lished. The Santa Maria quadrangle 

 has also been surveyed, and a map of 

 it is now in the engravers' hands. In 

 the hydrographic investigations the 

 city of Santa Barbara has cooperated, 

 paying one-half of the expense con- 

 nected with the maintenance of gag- 

 ing stations on Santa Ynez River and 

 Mono Creek. On these streams daily 

 observations have been made for silt, 

 volume of flow, and mineral impurities 

 of the water. 



The district under investigation 

 extends from Ventura River, in Ven- 

 tura County, along the coast as far as 

 Goleta, in Santa Barbara county, and 

 more particularly into the high, moun- 

 tainous districts of Ventura and Santa 

 Barbara counties lying on the north 

 side of the Santa Ynez Range and 

 including the drainage basin of Santa 

 Ynez River and its tribvttaries. The 

 coastal plain fronting the ocean con- 

 sists of a series of old marine beaches 

 and undulating foothills facing Santa 

 Barbara Channel. The Santa Ynez 



Mountains run parallel to the coast, 

 rising to elevations ranging from 3,000 

 to 4,000 feet and presenting a bold and 

 attractive background to the foothill 

 districts. A second range of moun- 

 tains, consisting of the crest of the 

 Coast Range and culminating in 

 Mount Pinos, the elevation of which 

 is 8,826 feet, lies farther north and 

 trends parallel to the Santa Ynez 

 Mountains, extending westward, par- 

 allel to the coast. It has a total length 

 of about 70 miles, with flat grades, 

 and offers frequent opportunities for 

 impounding water in storage reser- 

 voirs. 



Mr. Lippincott reviews the reports 

 made by various distinguished engi- 

 neers who have investigated the 

 hydrography of the Santa Barbara 

 and finds that all of them agree 

 on the following vital points: 

 ( i ) That the present supply of water 

 for the city of Santa Barbara is inad- 

 equate and that unless it is increased 

 the material development of the town 

 will be seriously impeded; (2) That 

 there is no adequate water supply 

 within a reasonable limit of the city 

 of Santa Barbara on the south side 

 of the range, and even if the water of 

 such small streams as are there could 

 be obtained it would be at a sacrifice 

 of existing development: (3) That it 

 is feasible and desirable to obtain an 

 adequate supply of water from the 

 drainage basin of Santa Ynez River, 

 and that this can be done at a profit. 



Mr. Uippencott carries the inves- 

 tigation farther and concludes: (i) 

 That the only extensive addition that 

 can be made to the water supply of 

 the Santa Barbara coastal plain -is by 

 the construction . of- . a ' tunnel " from 

 Santa Ynez River to the coast side 

 of the mountains and the erection of 

 an impounding reservoir for holding 

 the winter flood waters of Santa Ynez 

 River ; (2) That by far the most desir- 



