Water Service

Our History

The Los Alamos Community Services District (Los Alamos CSD) was formed on October 29, 1956, under Division 4 of the Street and Highway Code for the purpose of providing water service to the Community of Los Alamos utilizing the 1915 Act for a special assessment district. Water service to the community began in 1958. The town of Los Alamos is an unincorporated community located in west-central Santa Barbara County. Los Alamos is located off Highway 101 approximately 15 miles south of Santa Maria and 15 miles north of Buellton. U.S. Highway 101 passes through the community in a northwest-to-southeast direction and provides the principal connection between Los Alamos and Santa Maria to the north and the Santa Ynez Valley, Goleta, and Santa Barbara to the south. State Route 135 is the main access corridor through downtown Los Alamos, connecting Los Alamos with agricultural lands, State Route 1, and Vandenberg Air Force Base to the west.

Groundwater  

The San Antonio Groundwater Basin is the only existing source of water supply for Los Alamos CSD. The Los Alamos CSD currently operates three wells, #3A, #4, and #5. The San Antonio Groundwater Basin underlies the entire District and yields water to the District wells. The 110 square mile basin is a narrow wedge-shaped trough (the Los Alamos syncline) that collects runoff from the Solomon-Casmalia Hills to the north, the Purisima Hills to the south, the Burton Mesa Hills to the west, and the westernmost flank of the San Rafael Mountains to the east. Water quality within the basin is very good and requires very little treatment. The average annual rainfall within the basin ranges from 15 to 19 inches. Los Alamos is located in the upper one-third of the basin. The groundwater resource tributary area available to LACSD comprises about 50 sq. miles of the watershed.

Well #3

Well #3 was drilled in August 1978. Over the last few years, Well #3 lacked the desired production levels for the District due to a worn outer casing. The District completed the installation of Well #3A in December 2010, which is approximately 25 feet from Well #3. The close proximity to Well #3 was designed such that Well #3A could tie directly into the distribution lines through the existing building, saving on additional infrastructure. The installation of well #3A also included the addition of SCADA and a VFD. Well #3A is 500’ deep with a 12” diameter PVC casing and currently produces 400 gpm.

Well #4

Well #4 was drilled in July 1988. In July 2008, Well #4 was slip-lined also due to a worn outer casing that was allowing the gravel pack to enter into the well. Improvements to the well included SCADA and a VFD. Well #4 currently produces 220 gpm. The District anticipates replacing Well #4 in the near future as it reaches its expected design life (25 years). Unfortunately, this site does not offer the same ability to install a new well and use the existing infrastructure to tie into the distribution system as Well #3. A new well site will be required.

Well #5

Well #5 was drilled in July 2007. The installation of Well #5 also included the addition of SCADA and a VFD. The well is approximately 1000’ deep with a 12” diameter stainless steel casing and currently produces 750 gpm. Due to the Ph of the water, Sodium Hydroxide for corrosion control is not needed at this site.

200,000-Gallon Steel Tank

The 200,000-gallon welded steel tank was constructed in 1958 and refurbished in 1994 by having the interior recoated. It was placed into service as an emergency backup to provide adequate fire flows. Due to the lower high water elevation of the 200,000-gallon tank compared to the other two reservoirs, this tank can only be used by manually operating the valve. This emergency storage tank is operated once a week to maintain the quality of the water. A bypass system was installed to allow this tank to be independent of the 500,000-gallon reservoir and 1-million-gallon tank in the event they needed to be taken offline for maintenance or repairs while still providing water service to the residents in town.

500,000-Gallon Reservoir

The 500,000-gallon reservoir is an underground concrete reservoir connected to the distribution system by a 12-inch distribution main. The roofing material was replaced in 1995 and eight dormer vents were installed to aid with the ventilation. The District has also repaired the expansion joints in the concrete reservoir in response to leaks. In 2004, the District discussed having the reservoir lining replaced and possible structural replacement of the wood roof. In addition, the rebar is beginning to pop through the concrete on the interior of the reservoir. The District has opted to not repair these items and focus on a replacement tank for the future. It is assumed that the reservoir will likely need replacing between 2016-2020.

1-Million-Gallon Welded Steel Tank

A 1-million-gallon welded steel tank was constructed in 2004 next to the 500,000-gallon reservoir. This tank, as well as, the 500,000-gallon reservoir are tied into the SCADA System allowing the District to monitor tank levels, as well as, high and low-level alarms from our main office. The site for the tank was graded back in 2004 to provide for an additional 1-million-gallon tank in the future.

Water Facilities and Treatment

Water service is provided to all our customers residing within the District Boundary area. The water system consists of production, distribution, and storage facilities. This system includes four wells, three reservoirs, and a distribution system. Treatment of our water is done through point source injection at the well sites. The District uses Sodium Hypochlorite for disinfection of our water and maintains a free chlorine residual of 0.3 ppm (parts per million). We also use Liquid Sodium Hydroxide for corrosion control.

Per the California Department of Public Health's Lead and Copper Rule, the District started using Liquid Sodium Hydroxide in 1999 due to the District's groundwater having a pH of 6.4, which is considered acidic on the pH Scale. The use of Liquid Sodium Hydroxide allows the District to raise our groundwater pH from 6.4 to 7.1, which is considered neutral. As the treated water enters the distribution system it protects against corrosion within your household plumbing and within the District's water distribution system.

The District prides itself on trying to operate as effectively and efficiently as possible and to be good stewards of our groundwater basin. We operate through a SCADA system (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition). One feature of our SCADA system is that it provides continuous information on static and pumping depths within our wells. The District's water wells, tanks, alarm system, and pH monitors are all monitored through the use of our SCADA system. We also have VFDs (Variable Frequency Drives) at all of our sites that allow us to control our pumping rate at the wells and adjust accordingly to the town's water needs.

The Los Alamos CSD is responsible for the operation, maintenance, and repair of all the District's water infrastructure, including wells, water mains, service lines, meters, fire hydrants, and all other related equipment. For more detailed information on our water system, please refer to the Water 5-Year Facilities Planning Study link below.

Water Service

Other related Los Alamos CSD Water Links

For more information about our water system or to arrange a system tour, please contact the Office at (805) 344-4195.