San Luis Obispo County is in the early days of planning a regional desalination facility, and Santa Barbara County has decided to participate in the development study and be evaluated as a potential partner in the project.

SLO’s first phase is gathering information and seeing what other water agencies might want to purchase the potable water produced by the seawater desalination facility, said Matt Young, Santa Barbara County’s water agency manager.

There’s no financial commitment for participating in this preliminary phase of the project, Young added.

The San Luis Obispo County Flood Control and Water Conservation District’s Desalination Executable Solutions and Logistics Plan (apparently named this way so it can use DESAL as an acronym) has five phases as explained below.

There are “multiple off-ramps” if the county decides it’s not a good idea as well as ways to participate in the project if it decides to, Young said.

SLO plans to look at potential partners and the scope of the facility first, then look at potential sites, he said.

The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved participation.

The resolution specifically states, “The Santa Barbara County Water Agency wishes to be included in the development of the DESAL Plan and to be evaluated as a potential partner in such a regional desalination project in the future.”

Seawater desalination facilities produce potable water, and the nearest one is in Santa Barbara. The city’s plant produces 3 million gallons of drinking water daily, and it sells excess supplies to the Montecito Water District.