About the Project

In 2014, the Santa Barbara City Council directed staff to report on a plan to evaluate the feasibility of subsurface desalination intake and potable reuse. Feasibility studies were developed to satisfy the requirements of the City’s amended Waste Discharge Requirements for the El Estero Wastewater Treatment Plant.  The alternatives that were evaluated in the study will provide useful information for a future update to the City’s Long Term Water Supply Plan.

The work products for the Feasibility Studies will:

• Satisfy the requirements of the City’s amended Waste Discharge Requirements for the El Estero Wastewater Treatment Plant.

• Support a future update to the City's Long Term Water Supply Plan to include alternatives considered in this study.

About the Technical Advisory Panel

In 2015, NWRI formed a Technical Advisory Panel (TAP) on behalf of the City of Santa Barbara to provide expert peer review of the technical, scientific, and regulatory aspects of both the Subsurface Desalination Intake Feasibility Study and Potable Reuse Feasibility Study.

The first public meeting of the TAP was on August 5, 2015, at Santa Barbara City Hall. At this meeting, the City and its consultant, Carollo Engineers, presented the draft Work Plans on Subsurface Desalination Intake and Potable Reuse. Members of the public were invited to submit oral and written comments on the plans. The final versions of the plans, the comments received from the public, and documents distributed at the meeting are available for download from this website, under Archives.

Technical Advisory Panel Charge

The Panel is charged with:

• Providing expert peer review of the technical, scientific, and regulatory aspects of both the Subsurface Desalination Intake Feasibility Study and Potable Reuse Feasibility Study.

• Reviewing the works products associated with each of these studies and collecting and considering public comments on these efforts. 

• Considering findings from other similar projects to develop the most informed recommendations.

As part of this review, the TAP is expected to provide:

• Objective Review.  The TAP will provide independent, third-party review and evaluation of the Feasibility Studies.

• Expert Advice.  The TAP will provide scientific and technical advice by experts in the field.

• Direct Support.  The TAP will help address challenging questions and requirements that pertain to the Feasibility Studies.

• Timely Guidance.  The role of the TAP is to provide observations and recommendations about the Feasibility Studies and its progress in a timely manner.

• Public Input.  The TAP will collect and consider public input on the Feasibility Studies.

At the conclusion of each meeting, the TAP will report on their findings and recommendations for the various technical, scientific, and regulatory aspects of the work products associated with the Feasibility Studies.