After several years of planning and public review, on December 13, 2001 the City of Santa Barbara Planning Commission approved the Sheffield Reservoir Water Quality Project, which entails demolition of the existing open reservoir, installation of buried reservoirs, and conversion of the 23-acre site to a passive public open space. The Planning Commission, while approving the general design of the water quality project, left some details of the open space design to be refined by an Ad Hoc Committee. The Committee's recommendations were presented to the Planning Commission on July 11, 2002. On July 30, 2002 the City Council directed that the Sheffield filtration building be retained and will now become a City historical landmark. The filtration building will be incorporated into the open space design. The project's original goals remain: address vital water quality issues while benefiting the community and the environment.

Your questions and concerns are important to us. For more information, please contact the Sheffield Water Quality Project Neighborhood Construction Liaison at (805) 680-2488 or email Sheffield@SantaBarbaraCA.gov