Despite Drenching, Santa Barbara Still In ‘Extreme’ Drought

The good news is that rainfall year to date is now slightly above average at Lake Cachuma, which typically supplies half the water needs for South Coast residents. The bad news is that Santa Barbara County remains in the throes of what federal meteorologists describe as “extreme drought conditions.” Only two percent of the California land mass now fits that category and Lake Cachuma qualifies as the most distressed reservoir in California.