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February 17th Sewer Spill Information

On Saturday, February 17th at approximately 8am, a sewer spill (Spill) was discovered coming from Goleta West Sanitary District's (GWSD) Force Main pipeline that flows from our Headquarters, under the Airport and to the Regional Waste Water Treatment Plant located on the Goleta Sanitary District property. GWSD staff immediately mobilized, and the pump to the pipeline was stopped by 8:30 a.m. the same day.

We are still investigating details, but our best estimate is that the Spill began sometime between 8:00 p.m. on Friday, February 16, 2024, and 8:00 a.m. on Saturday morning, February 17, 2024. It is important to note that the Spill did not continue over a period of several days, as has been reported by some outlets. 

Current estimates are that approximately one million gallons were released. A portion of this volume was recovered and disposed of at the Treatment Plant, but unfortunately, the majority of the Spill did end up in the Goleta Slough.

We take this incident very seriously and are committed to providing accurate and timely updates to the public as additional information becomes available.  At this time, GWSD staff is focused on monitoring water quality and continuing to cooperate with applicable local, state, and federal agencies.

Most importantly, we are continuing to investigate what led to the Spill to ensure that such an incident does not occur in the future. Our first incident report was submitted to the Regional Water Quality Control Board last Friday, March 1st and a follow-up Technical report will be submitted by April 2nd.

We will be updating this page with pertinent links as well as answers to Frequently Asked Questions in the next week, and will continue to add information as it becomes available. 

To be placed on an email list to receive future updates, agendas and press releases, please send a blank email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with Spill Updates in the subject.

Last Updated 3/8/24