Santa Barbara County Public Works Department

FLOOD CONTROL
and
WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT

Main Office:
123 East Anapamu Street (2nd Floor), Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Tel (805) 568-3440 Fax (805) 568-3434
Office hours: 8:00am - 12:00pm and 1:00pm - 5:00pm Monday - Friday

Gap Fire Emergency Watershed Response Plan. Click Here

Gap Fire Protective Measures Map. Click Here

NEW! Digital topography now available online. Click Here

We provide and promote Flood Protection, Water Conservation and Adequate Water Supplies for the residents and visitors of Santa Barbara County

The Water Resources Division is comprised of administrative and technical staff as well as three field maintenance offices and personnel located in Santa Barbara, Lompoc, and Santa Maria. Various tasks include flood abatement through flood potential reconigtion, flood protection design and construction projects, regular maintenance of completed projects and natural waterways, and water conservation and pollutant elimination efforts. Our division maintains hundreds of miles of creeks, channels, rivers, as well as 26 miles of levees in the Santa Maria Valley.

Our staff performs engineering, environmental, hydrological, and administrative services.

Site Information

This site includes information on a variety of topics such as daily rainfall and reservoir information (updated after each rainfall event), flood insurance, creek clearing activities, new capital projects, property owner tips for flood prevention and response, sources of water in Santa Barbara County, water conservation tips, updates on El Niño and more. Visiting our site should save you time by providing you with helpful information immediately and saving you a trip to our office. We have now added a section with current bid openings for projects in the Division.

Click here for a downloadable copy of the Homeowners Guide for Flood Prevention and Response Homeowners Guide

Click here for a downloadable version of the new County of Santa Barbara Standard Conditions of Project Plan Approval for Water Quality BMPs. These conditions apply to new and redevelopment projects county-wide that require measures to treat runoff.

Division Overview

Water Resources Deputy Director's Page
Tom Fayram, Deputy Director for the Water Resources Division, provides regular updates regarding Division activities and other timely topics related to the goals of the Flood Control District and the Water Agency.

General Information Section
In this section you will find general information about who we are (mission, goals, programs); how to contact us (phone numbers, e-mail, address, fax number); frequently asked questions about topics such as flood hazard areas and flood insurance; El-Nino information (including links to other helpful sites) and; current rainfall data and reservoir storage data for the county's three major reservoirs.

Flood Control District
The Flood Control and Water Conservation District's programs and projects are designed to provide protection for the public and to private property against flood risks and hazards. This section highlights the capital improvement and ongoing maintenance projects designed to reduce flood risks, the environmental compliance efforts designed to protect and enhance the environment while providing protection for property and minimizing flood hazards. Capital improvement projects are listed as part of a 5-Year Capital Improvement Plan schedule. Maintenance activities are described as part of the District's Annual Maintenance Plan, which is approved by the Board of Supervisors each year. The environmental compliance and enhancement projects are described in the District's environmental newsletter, which is excerpted in this section.

Water Agency
The County Water Agency is a special district which conducts water resources studies, provides public information about local water resources, and conducts a countywide water efficiency program. This section contains an overview of the County's water resources and includes groundwater hydrology data, information about local reservoirs, a description of the cloudseeding program, and information about water use efficiency.

Articles
Timely articles, presentations and other contributions by Water Resources staff members.

Links
From this page you can link to a variety of related sites of local, state and national agencies and organizations.

Downloads
This section is a download area for large documents or reports that have been compressed.

Rainfall Info
This section is an area for viewing rainfall information and reports from current and past storms.

Last updated: August 14, 2008