The long-standing rule against swimming in Lake Cachuma has come under renewed focus.
Santa Barbara County is exploring how to change the rule that prevents visitors from swimming in the local reservoir while still maintaining its status as a water source for the region.
The initial idea to start looking into it was suggested a few weeks ago by Fifth District Supervisor Steve Lavagnino during a meeting of the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors.
Lavagnino said that one of the reasons he wants to change the rule is because of the Cachuma Lake Recreational Area, located right next to the lake.
“It’s very difficult, especially if you have kids or grandkids and you go to (the) lake,” Lavagnino said. “No matter how great the amenities are, if you can’t swim in the lake, it really kind of limits a lot of the fun you can have.”
Even though the county park does have a pool, it is open only during the summer months and is currently closed for construction.
The rule against swimming in the lake goes back to its creation in 1953, when the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation created Lake Cachuma through the construction of the Bradbury Dam.
Even though the county manages the park, the lake itself is still owned by the Bureau of Reclamation.
Brian Soares, the operations and maintenance manager for Lake Cachuma, said the reason swimming has not been allowed at the lake is that the water is used to supply Santa Barbara County areas with drinking water.
“Cachuma Lake is a domestic water supply,” Soares said. “Water actually leaves the lake and makes its way to a couple purveyors of water. So, there is state legislature that restricts body contacting the lake due to it being a domestic water supply.”
Soares said that if the county were to pursue changing the rule to allow body contact in the lake, one of the first steps would be to ensure that the recipients downstream of the lake have the proper treatment systems to clean the water.
Additionally, he said, Lake Cachuma would have to be added to the health and safety code by the state legislature.
Lavagnino said he has wanted to explore changing the rule and brought it up in the past, but droughts and other issues have pushed back the issue. However, now he believes it is a good time to explore it.
He also said the county may be able to help with the cost of any changes to treatment systems needed to ensure the quality of the water.
Lavagnino and Third District Supervisor Joan Hartmann formed an ad hoc committee to explore making the lake open to swimmers.
There is no timeline for when the rule could change, but Lavagnino said he is traveling to Washington, D.C., in May to meet with the Bureau of Reclamation to discuss funding for the Highway 101 widening project. He hopes to bring the issue up during those meetings to see how the county can proceed.