Member Immediate Release

STATE OF CALIFORNIA’S DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES APPROVES
ASSIGNMENT OF STATE WATER PROJECT CONTRACT

The Central Coast Water Authority (CCWA) is pleased to announce that the State of California’s Department of Water Resources (DWR) has approved the assignment of the State Water Project (SWP) contract (SWP Contract) from Santa Barbara County Flood Control and Water Conservation District (District) to CCWA. Since 1991, CCWA has been financially responsible for the SWP Contract, as well as the conveyance, treatment and delivery of SWP water to Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. CCWA has pursued the full and complete assignment of the SWP Contract for more than a decade.

This transition aligns fiscal responsibility for the SWP Contract with the contractual authority to manage this important supplemental water supply for the region in a manner that maximizes beneficial use of the resource and optimizes water supply reliability. By having CCWA hold the SWP Contract directly, the region benefits from streamlined governance, clearer accountability and a single point of contact for SWP matters in Santa Barbara County. It also modernizes CCWA’s administrative and management of the supply for the benefit of the region’s retail water providers and their customers, the ratepayers.

“The assignment brings contract responsibility and day-to-day operations under a single, locally focused organization,” said CCWA’s Executive Director Ray Stokes. “By consolidating fiscal responsibility and management within CCWA, we can enhance transparency, improve coordination with our member agencies and continue providing reliable, cost-effective water supplies to the people and businesses of Santa Barbara County.”

For residents and businesses, water service will continue without interruption. Local water retailers will continue serving customers, and CCWA will continue its direct coordination with DWR with respect to all SWP matters. This does not change the delivery of SWP water to Santa Barbara County, nor does it alter the roles of local cities and water districts that partner with CCWA.

“Our mission is to deliver affordable, safe and reliable water in a financially responsible manner,” said CCWA Board Chair Eric Friedman. “This assignment strengthens local control and positions our region to meet future water challenges with clarity and accountability.”

CCWA remains committed to fiscal responsibility and public transparency and will continue long-term planning for drought resilience, water quality protection and infrastructure maintenance, while engaging openly with the public and partner agencies.

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The Central Coast Water Authority (CCWA), formed in 1991, is charged with operating the local treatment and conveyance facilities associated with the State Water Project and contracts with the State of California’s Department of Water Resources to deliver State water to San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties.  The facilities consist of the Polonio Pass Water Treatment Plant in San Luis Obispo County and a pipeline from the treatment plant to Lake Cachuma in Santa Barbara County.

Maria Miller
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