Fiesta Week Wastewater Preparedness and Emergency Response Notice

Fiesta Week Wastewater Preparedness and Emergency Response Notice

As Santa Barbara Fiesta week is almost upon us, the City of Santa Barbara's Water Resources Department wanted to provide a quick reminder regarding emergency wastewater response coordination within event areas.

Wastewater Collection staff are currently coordinating preventative maintenance efforts throughout the Fiesta zones: Mission, Downtown, Courthouse, Cabrillo Blvd., Santa Barbara Bowl, Guadalupe Church, etc. Our goal is to have all scheduled sewer main cleaning completed by the end of July to help minimize the risk of sewer-related issues during the festivities.

Although preventative maintenance helps reduce the likelihood of sewer-related issues during Fiesta, unforeseen emergencies can still occur. If a sewer spill, blockage, or other wastewater emergency occurs during Fiesta activities, Wastewater Collection crews may require immediate access to impacted areas-including busy event locations-to assess conditions, contain impacts, recover any discharge, and perform the necessary corrective actions. This may result in temporary traffic control, restricted access, or the presence of City response vehicles while crews work to safely resolve the issue.

Should an emergency situation occur, City crews may need quick access to certain locations to respond appropriately and protect public health and the environment.

Event organizers and the public may expect to see City response vehicles, traffic control measures, vacuum trucks, jetting operations, CCTV inspection equipment, or temporary restricted access to certain areas while crews work to safely address the issue.

Questions? Please reach out to Luis Soriano, Wastewater Collection Supervisor, (805) 568-1026.