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Letters: March 2026
RE: ‘Flowing Into the Future’
Your article highlights the ways local water districts are connecting together in the name of “resiliency.” On the surface this might make sense, but reading between the lines reveals the harsh reality for the Ventura River watershed, which has historically been securely independent of imported water.
Casitas Municipal Water District’s connection to Carpinteria will theoretically “allow water from the California State Water Project (SWP), constructed in the 1960s and 1970s, to flow from Santa Barbara County to Ventura County for the first time ever.” And on the other side of town, the city of Ventura’s connection to Callegus MWD also provides a connection from Lake Casitas to the State Water Project.
Calleguas MWD is honest when they say, “The Colorado River has been in an epochal drought” due to ever less snowpack in the headwaters. Climate change is also affecting the State Water Project, which relies on the dwindling Sierra snowpack. Not to mention subsidence in the Central Valley and the risk of ground-shifting earthquakes, these mega-systems are highly vulnerable and becoming less reliable.
Who really thinks it’s a good idea to tie into these failing systems? Our neighbors in Los Angeles County have seen the writing on the wall, and are investing heavily on capturing stormwater and enhancing their groundwater storage.
The SWP is heavily over-allocated, so this “paper water” merely provides cover for increased demand and new development, with no regard for the local sustainability of our existing communities.
So when the State Water Project fails to deliver for our neighbors in Thousand Oaks or Carpinteria, who will they turn to? Lake Casitas and all the water diligently saved by our conservation-minded community.
- Paul Jenkin
Background:
The Ventura River Watershed Management Plan – watershed’s first comprehensive management plan – was approved by the Watershed Council on March 5, 2015. At that time, and as a result of many collaborative meetings with all agencies present in the room, the consensus was that the resiliency of the watershed depended upon wise water management and independence from imported water. This became the fundamental goal of the watershed plan:
Update July 2026:
Ventura approved a $44.7 million contract to connect to the state water system despite a protest from a bidder, VC Star 7/15/2026 (paywall)
(Story updated to correct the total estimated cost of the state water interconnection project to approximately $57.8 million)
CalTrans notice 7/24/2026
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY — Travelers on Highway 192 in Carpinteria will encounter a full overnight closure Monday, July 27. This full closure will take place Monday, July 27 from 8 pm to 6 am between Shephard Mesa Road and Highway 150.
Crews will perform installation of a bidirectional potable water transmission main connecting Casitas Municipal Water District in Ventura County and Carpinteria Valley Water District in Santa Barbara County.
References:
Ventura River Watershed Management Plan, Ventura River Watershed Council, March 5, 2015
Ventura-Santa Barbara Counties Intertie, CMWD
"enable each agency to provide water to the other during emergencies"
State Water Interconnection, Ventura Water
"it would give Ventura the ability to deliver water to Calleguas during outages of imported water supplies"
In the news:
Flowing Into the Future: Water districts across Ventura County are planning for long-term use and drought resilience, Ventura County Reporter, Alex Wilson Mar 5, 2026
Letters: March 2026, Ventura County Reporter
‘Snow-eater’ heat wave behind big Sierra melt is a look at our climate future
