Lawmakers in Santa Barbara on Tuesday unanimously approved spending $55 million to reactivate a mothballed desalination plant that could provide the Central Coast city with nearly a third of its drinking water.
The Charles E. Meyer Desalination Facility was built during a drought in the 1990s but closed in 1992 when desperation for water subsided. The plant was never utilized beyond a testing period, but the city maintained it in the event that a severe water shortage might once again threaten the city.
“Desalination has been a last resort,” Mayor Helene Schneider told The Times Tuesday night after the vote.