The City of Santa Barbara is getting a $29 million loan to install an ozone water treatment system at the Cater Water Treatment Plant to comply with federal drinking water standards. Because the cities of Montecito and Carpinteria water customers will also benefit from this process, their water agencies will be responsible for approximately 40 percent of the costs.
The system is designed to remove potential carcinogens in the water created when sunlight interacts with natural organic matter such as leaves, twigs, and other vegetation. Ozone is an excellent oxidant for water treatment since it is short lived int eh environment and does not create toxic byproducts as some other oxidizing chemicals, such as chlorine, can do.