Vic Trace Reservoir Replacement Project

This multi-year Project will design and construct two new buried reservoirs to meet modern standards and to improve serviceability, enhance resiliency, and strengthen the City’s ability to deliver water to the community. Once the Project is complete, the site will have enhanced security, new fire and drought-resistant landscaping, as well as improved site drainage and stormwater capture. Beyond the property, aging pipelines and valves will be also replaced along La Coronilla, Dolores Drive, and Ricardo Drive.
 

•    Seismic Updates – The 70-year-old reservoir will be replaced to meet modern standards, helping ensure water is available during future earthquake events or other emergencies.
•    Safety and Security – The City is committed to the safety and security of its water supply and co-located public safety communication facilities. The Project will address updated federal regulations that require more robust security for water infrastructure including secure gates, fencing, and cameras.
•    Resilience – The new reservoir’s modern, split-tank design will allow the City to keep one tank fully operational during planned and unplanned repairs, adding resiliency to the City’s water system. 
•    Fire Safety – In partnership with the City’s Fire Department, the site will have improved fire personnel access and fire-fighting capabilities, as well as fire-resistant landscaping. 
•    Landscaping – When the project is complete, neighbors will benefit from site drainage enhancements to address erosion issues as well as new landscaping and fencing.
 

Street Tree Advisory Committee – December 4, 2025

LINK to Street Tree Advisory Website: santabarbaraca.gov/street-tree-advisory-committee

• City staff will be presenting to the Committee the proposed trees on the site to be removed and replaced as part of the Project. Presentation materials are provided in the Proposed Tree Removal section below. The meeting will be held at 8:30 a.m. on December 4, 2025, at the Parks Office at 402 E. Ortega Street. 

Parks and Recreation Commission – December 17, 2025

LINK to Parks & Recreation Commission Website: santabarbaraca.gov/parks-recreation-commission

• After presenting to the Street Tree Advisory Committee on December 4, 2025, City staff will give the same presentation to the Parks and Recreation Commission for their feedback on the proposed tree removals and replacements as part of the Project. The meeting will be held at 4:00 p.m. at City Hall at 735 Anacapa Street. 

Join us at two upcoming public meetings for the Vic Trace Project where the team will present a status update and proposed environmental impacts to be studied for the Project in the EIR. These meetings provide an opportunity for the public to participate and provide comments on the Project’s CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) process and documentation.

• December 3, 2025 – Vic Trace CEQA Public Scoping Meeting 
  Where? Louise Lowry Davis Center, 111 W. Victoria Street
  When? 5:30-7:00 PM
                  5:45 PM – Presentation
                  6:15 PM – Open House
                  7:00 PM – End of Meeting
   
• December 4, 2025 – Virtual Vic Trace CEQA Public Scoping Meeting 
  Register for the meeting here
  When? 5:30 - 6:00 PM
  *Recording will be available on Project website after meeting 

CEQA Vic Trace Meeting Flyer

Past Public Meetings:
May 18, 2023 – Water Commission Presentation
April 18, 2024 – Water Commission Presentation
March 20, 2025 – Water Commission Presentation
May 1, 2025 – Community Engagement Workshop
May 7, 2025 – Community Engagement Webinar
June 9, 2025 – Architectural Board of Review
August 19, 2025- City Council Presentation
October 16, 2025- Water Commission Presentation 

CEQA Initial Study Comment Period  
The public is invited to provide comments on the Project’s CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) Initial Study. The Project’s describes the Project’s possible environmental and other resources impacts, such as construction noise and traffic. City staff are seeking public comments and feedback to ensure the City has considered all the environmental issues that should be studied in the EIR. 

Formal comments on the Project may be submitted in one of the three methods listed below.  

• By email to VicTrace@SantaBarbaraCA.gov    
• By mail to:  City of Santa Barbara Public Works Department  
  Attn: Vic Trace Reservoir Replacement Project  
  PO BOX 1990 Santa Barbara, CA 93102
• Submitting a written commend card by attending the in-person meeting on December 3 (note attendance at the meeting is not required to submit comments via email or by mail).  

The public scoping period ends on December 18, 2025. Scoping comments must be postmarked or submitted electronically no later than 5:00 p.m. on December 18, 2025.  

Proposed tree removals will be presented to the Street Tree Advisory Committee and the Parks and Recreation Commission in December. More information will be provided soon. 

Vic Trace Community Workshop Posters

•    Victor “Vic” Trace was a pivotal figure in the early development of Santa Barbara’s municipal water system in the early 20th century. Trace was born in Springfield, Missouri in 1872 and came to Santa Barbara as a young boy in 1883. 
•    Trace was appointed Water Superintendent in 1900 by Mayor Charles A. Storke and one of the City's first Water Commissioners, Eugene Sheffield. 
•    Under Trace’s leadership, Santa Barbara advanced major projects including the construction of Mission Tunnel through the Santa Ynez Mountains (1904-1911) and oversight of the Gibraltar Dam (1920) building the foundation for the City to develop and thrive for generations. To this day, it serves as the most reliable and affordable source of water for the City. 
•    His policy as superintendent was quoted in the Santa Barbara News Press in 1937 as, “to furnish the city and its residents with a plentiful supply of pure, clear water at a low cost.” 
•    Although Trace’s long tenure as an employee ended in 1935, Trace went on to serve as an advisor/consultant to the City until his death in 1937.  His legacy lives on in the City’s Vic Trace Reservoir, built in his honor in the 1950s.
•    Trace’s career marked the transformation of Santa Barbara from a small coastal town with limited water resources into a municipality with engineered water storage, tunnel and dam systems capable of supporting modern growth. 
•    Other interesting facts about Victor Trace:
            -The City Mayor in the 1930s attempted to arrest him and the police chief refused
            -From 1900-1930 City water revenue increased from $6,000/year to $250,000/year
            -He lived on East Islay Street
 

Victor Trace

Victor Trace and his brothers, sisters, and parents.