The District is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Operations Technician I / II to support the operation, maintenance, and repair of the wastewater collection system and pump stations. This position performs field and operational duties including system maintenance, inspections, street sweeping, emergency response, and related work. Appointment level (I or II) will be determined based on the candidate’s experience, certifications, and qualifications.

Employment in this position is contingent upon final approval by GWSD’s Board of Directors and completion of any applicable labor relations processes.  GWSD reserves the right to modify, delay, or cancel this recruitment based on the outcome of those processes.

  Please submit a completed District application and resume to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..  Call our office at (805) 968-2617 with any questions.

Applications are due no later than Friday, January 30, 2026 by 5:00 PM. The review process will begin the week of February 2, 2026.

Operations Technician I Job Description 101.39 KBNEWHOT

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Operations Technician II Job Description 120.27 KBNEW

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GWSD Employment Application 81.89 KBHOT

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The District is seeking a qualified Engineering Technician to assist with environmental compliance, wastewater operations, and regulatory programs. Under general supervision, this position administers and implements the Industrial Waste Pretreatment Program, Fats, Oils and Grease (FOG) program, and supports compliance with federal, state, and local environmental regulations. The Engineering Technician also reviews development plans, conducts inspections, maintains regulatory records, and responds to wastewater system issues and emergencies.

Employment in this position is contingent upon final approval by GWSD’s Board of Directors and completion of any applicable labor relations processes.  GWSD reserves the right to modify, delay, or cancel this recruitment based on the outcome of those processes.

 Please submit a completed District application and resume to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..  Call our office at (805) 968-2617 with any questions.

Applications are due no later than Friday, January 30, 2026 by 5:00 PM. The review process will begin the week of February 2, 2026.

Engineering Technician Job Description 124.32 KBNEWHOT

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GWSD Employment Application 81.89 KBHOT

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Summary

Details

• February 2024 spill

  A few weeks prior to the spill, the 24" force main and pump station were taken out of service to isolate a different section of force main pipe (located directly outside of pump station 1 to the West of the Goleta Slough), for repair and a bypass operation was used while repairs took place. This repair was a result of a leak causing exfiltration that GWSD voluntarily notified the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board about. The bypass utilized the District’s back-up 18" force main. The 24" force main was left in ready and working state, but not pressurized, while the bypass was in place. Best practices were used to ensure the force main could safely be brought back into service. When repairs were completed on the evening of February 16th, the 24" force main and pump station were put back into service following GWSD's written procedures.

  The District ascertained that the spill began around 8:00 p.m. on the night of February 16th. The spill was discovered at 8:24 a.m. on the morning of Saturday, February 17th when District personnel followed up to check on the pump station and force mains as is standard procedure whenever changes are made to force main operations.

  Upon discovery of the spill, GWSD staff immediately took action to stop the flow to the 24" force main and worked urgently to contain the spill. Additionally, District staff activated mutual aid response with Goleta Sanitary District and the City of Santa Barbara to support the containment and clean-up effort. Response urgency was heightened by the forecasted atmospheric river that would bring 3 inches of rain in the coming days.

  Post-spill investigation and analysis by both the District and 3rd party engineers revealed external damage to a 12 inch long area of the 24” force main. Because the pipe was well within its projected life span, it is theorized that the damage to the exterior coating was sustained during installation decades earlier, facilitating the external corrosion witnessed on the pipe. Internal and external pipe coating materials are intended to guard against normal corrosion, but the soil conditions near the Goleta Slough are highly corrosive and appear to have contributed to the failure in a way that could not have been anticipated without knowledge of the installation damage.

  District staff created improvised containment to prevent the flow of wastewater into a tributary to the Goleta Slough in an effort to minimize impacts to the environment. A sewage vacuum truck collected and disposed of 12 loads of standing wastewater and a dump truck and tractor were deployed to carefully collect and remove solids.

  Collaborative corrective actions

  Local, county, and state agencies responsible for ensuring proper handling of wastewater have been closely involved in the spill response efforts. Additionally, since Goleta West Sanitary District conveys wastewater near to sensitive wetland areas, agencies with oversight responsibilities over these areas have been involved in evaluating how to prevent future occurrences. GWSD has dedicated itself to responding appropriately and vigorously to ensure incidents like these do not happen in the future.

  The state Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB) is the primary oversight agency for spill incidents. GWSD followed all protocols and continues to satisfy agency requirements. By March 1, 2024, the District submitted a certified spill report, and a month later, the District followed up with a technical report. These reports have been updated when warranted by further investigation.

  The District arranged for stress testing by certified engineers to verify the integrity of the entire force main pipe repairs before the 24” force main was brought back online on May 1st.

  Prior to the spill in February 2024, GWSD was in the process of assessing the condition of its pipes, including the force mains, as part of its Sewer System Management Plan (SSMP). GWSD engaged an engineering firm for this assessment in November 2022. The engineering firm was finalizing its condition assessment into a report at the time of the February 2024 spill. The District then asked the firm to consider the spill event findings and authorized a more extensive condition assessment utilizing Best Available Technology (BAT). The scope of the assessment utilizing BAT included additional field inspections and detailed data collection to provide comprehensive information that was not in the scope of the original assessment. The District expects to have a final condition assessment report in the Winter of 2025, and will use it to inform future rehabilitation and/or replacement efforts. The District anticipates presenting the final report to the District’s Board of Directors for consideration and approval in Winter 2025.

• October 2024 Spill

  At about 12:13 p.m. on October 30, 2024, District personnel discovered a spill from a manhole cover above the 24” force main near a secure access road at the Santa Barbara Airport, a separate location from that of the February 2024 spill. District personnel acted immediately and stopped flow from the force main by 1:10 p.m. The District contained all of the estimated 8,500 gallons of spilled wastewater in an Airport stormwater drainage outfall retention basin, where the flow pooled and was then recovered and removed for treatment.

  A minimal amount of wastewater may have absorbed into surface soils in the spill area, but it was determined that a more intensive cleanup effort involving soil removal would do more harm than good to native plants in the area. Like the February 2024 spill, the October spill also occurred within the Airport’s restricted access area with little to no risk of public exposure to the spill site.

  The District determined that the October spill was caused by the failure of a gasket where an air release valve was previously removed several decades ago. The cause of the leak appeared to also be attributed to external corrosion of the decommissioned air release valve steel coupling gasket, likely from exposure to the corrosive soils in the area.

  Once it was determined that corrosion of a gasket on the steel coupling caused the leak, the District swiftly and proactively replaced all similar couplings along the force main. Additionally, a recently installed flow meter alarm system showed the spill had started just before it was discovered by District staff. The District has since recalibrated its flow meter to a more sensitive level in order to receive immediate notification of even small deviations in flow. Any leaks or disruption in flow, even very minor changes, will trigger the alarm and immediately alert staff.

  The District’s Board of Directors approved of and commissioned a more extensive assessment of both force mains utilizing Best Available Technology (BAT). The field assessment work was completed during the final months of 2024 and start of 2025. As part of that process, the District installed new pipeline access to facilitate future internal assessments of pipes. The GWSD Force Mains Condition Assessment Report should be ready for Board approval in Winter of 2025.

  Collaboration and Communication

  Collaboration with oversight and interested agencies commenced immediately following both spills and the District has continuously maintained thorough contact in the weeks and months since the event.

  Immediately upon discovery of the spills, the District activated mutual aid by coordinating spill cleanup assistance from Goleta Sanitary District and the City of Santa Barbara.

  The District coordinated site visits with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board.

  GWSD has developed relationships with oversight agencies over the past year and continues to be in regular, meaningful contact with a network of interested parties.

  Additionally, the District maintains regular communications with Airport staff and has provided in-person updates to the Goleta Slough Management Committee.

• Lessons & Opportunities

  GWSD is responsible for handling 2.2 million gallons of wastewater each day under normal dry-weather conditions and maintains just over 70 miles of pipeline and services 6,200 connections to homes and businesses. Because our community borders important natural resources and ecosystems, the district views protecting the environment as an integral aspect of our operations. As a result, February and October 2024 failures have led to thorough introspection into our systems, operations, and infrastructure with a sincere willingness to learn and improve. Spills are unacceptable to the District, and the only way to prevent them in the future is to work intentionally and intensively to detect and correct any potential flaws in the system.

  The District regularly reviews its Sewer System Management Plan (SSMP) to ensure effectiveness of its implementation. Additionally, in response to the spill, the District has committed additional funding resources and installed deployment and retrieval infrastructure to increase the frequency of its force main condition assessments more easily to once every 5-years with best available technology.

  While extremely disappointing, these failures have provided lessons that have led to updates to our Standard Operating Procedures and methods of testing our collections systems to ensure pipe integrity, including lessons with respect to pipeline corrosion in coastal wetland conditions. Additionally, our experience in responding to these spill events have allowed us to identify improvements to communication and mutual aid activation efforts.

  These lessons, and the changes implemented, will serve to minimize the potential for future spills and will benefit not only our customers, but also our natural resources and our community as a whole.

Frequently Asked Questions

FEBRUARY 17, 2024 SPILL

• What happened in February 2024?

  Between February 16 and 17, 2024, wastewater was released from an approximately 12” rupture in a pressurized 24” ductile iron force main pipe that delivers wastewater from the district’s collection system to the regional treatment plant. The spill, caused by the corroded segment of underground pipe, was discovered on the morning of February 17th and personnel immediately began a clean-up effort to contain and remove wastewater. The inspection of the force mains on the morning of the 17th, which is standard operating procedure whenever changes are made to the force mains, was coordinated the evening before as it was unsafe to enter the airport secure access area in the dark when recommissioning of the pump station and 24” force main was completed

• What caused the February 2024 spill?

  Investigation revealed that the underground pipe, despite being well within its projected lifespan, had external damage and corrosion that caused it to fail. Highly corrosive soil conditions near the Goleta Slough contributed to the pipe’s deterioration. Inspections later revealed that the approximately 12” rupture occurred on an isolated location on the pipe, suggesting this segment’s outer protective coating was damaged during installation decades earlier in 1978. Other than the failure point, the interior and exterior of the rest of the 24” pipe appeared to be in good condition when excavated for the repair.

• Before the spill, what work was Goleta West performing on the collections system?

  The main pump station, about half a mile from the February 2024 spill location, had been taken offline and bypassed for repairs. During this work, the 24” pipe that would later fail was temporarily taken out of service and a parallel backup 18” pipeline was utilized during the bypass operation to convey wastewater to the treatment plant. Once the repairs were completed at the pump station and in anticipation of an atmospheric river and up to 3 inches of rain in the coming days, the District restored normal operations on the evening of February 16th, reactivating the pump station and repressurizing the larger-capacity 24” pipeline. Hours later, the 24” pipeline conveying wastewater from the pump station ruptured, resulting in the spill.

• How was the spill detected?

  District staff discovered the spill at about 8:24 a.m. on Saturday February 17th when District personnel followed up to check on the pump station and force mains as is standard procedure whenever changes are made to force main operations.

• What immediate actions were taken after the February 2024 spill?

  District personnel immediately responded by stopping flow to the failed pipe and working rapidly to contain the spill. District staff carefully create a temporary containment area and prevent the flow of wastewater into a nearby tributary to the Goleta Slough. The District deployed a sewer vacuum truck to collect and dispose of 12 loads of standing wastewater and a dump truck removed debris. As soon as the emergency spill response and containment efforts were under control in the SB Airport secure access area, the District reported the spill event to the appropriate agencies.

• What collaborative actions have been taken since the February 2024 spill?

  Local, county, and state agencies, including the state Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB), have been closely involved in analyzing spill impacts and response efforts. GWSD submitted a certified spill report and a technical report, and stress testing was conducted on the repaired pipe before it was recommissioned. The District secured a third-party engineering firm, which it had already brought on to evaluate pipe integrity, and expanded upon a comprehensive condition assessment of the District’s approximately 1.75 miles of 24” and 18” pipelines as part of its spill corrective action. The District has been in close communication with the Santa Barbara Airport, Goleta Sanitary District Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant, and the Goleta Slough Management Committee and its member agencies with updates.

OCTOBER 2024 SPILL

• What happened in October 2024?

  On October 30, 2024, a spill occurred from a manhole cover above the District’s 24” force main pipeline within the Santa Barbara Airport secure access area the wastewater spill was contained within as airport stormwater retention basin, and then was recovered and removed for treatment.

• What caused the October 2024 spill?

  The October spill was caused by the failure of a gasket where an air release valve was previously removed decades ago. The cause of the leak appeared to also be attributed to external corrosion.

• What proactive measures were taken after the October 2024 spill?

  The District proactively replaced all similar couplings along its pipelines. A recently installed flow meter alarm system was recalibrated to a more sensitive level to provide immediate notification of even small deviations in flow. The District also increased the frequency of its ongoing pipe condition assessments to once every five years utilizing Best Available Technology (BAT).

SPILL RESPONSE & PROACTIVE MEASURES

• How has Goleta West Sanitary District collaborated and communicated with other entities?

  The District has prioritized collaboration with oversight and interested agencies after both spills. Mutual aid was activated with the Goleta Sanitary District and the City of Santa Barbara. Site visits were coordinated with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board. The District maintains regular contact with each of these agencies in addition to Santa Barbara Airport staff, and has provided several periodic updates to the Goleta Slough Management Committee and other interested parties.

• What lessons have been learned from these spills?

  These incidents, while deeply disappointing, have led to more thorough introspection into the District's systems, operations, and infrastructure. Lessons learned have been incorporated into updates to District’s Standard Operating Procedures and Emergency Contacts. Improvements in communication, mutual aid activation, and available emergency resources have also been prioritized. The District is committed to ensuring the existing force mains are tested and assessed utilizing the industry standard Best Available Technology (BAT) regularly. These assessments will help to further inform the District as it moves forward with long-term planning for potential rehabilitation or replacement of pipes subjected to corrosive coastal wetland soil conditions.

• What is the District's commitment moving forward?

  The District views protecting the environment as integral to its operations. Spills are unacceptable, and GWSD is committed to working intentionally and intensively to detect and correct any potential flaws in the system to prevent future incidents. These changes will benefit not just natural resources, but also customers and the broader community.

  Further, the Central Coast Water Board Assistant Executive Officer and the District have agreed to settle theStatewide General Waste Discharge Requirements for Sanitary Sewer Systems, Order 2022-0103-DWQ(Statewide General Order), California Water Code section 13376, and Federal Clean Water Act section 301 that occurred on February 16, 2024 for $1,551,145 in administrative civil liability. Theproposed Settlement Agreement and Stipulation for Entry of Administrative Civil Liability Order R3-2025-0074(proposed Order) is linked here.

  The proposed settlement includes the District paying $1,551,145 of the total liability towards the completion of a supplemental environmental project (SEP) which provides:

  1. well sampling for local and state small water systems and domestic drinking water wells in Santa Barbara County;
  2. for wells exceeding safe drinking water standards, provides replacement drinking water for households and/or the construction and maintenance of Point of Entry (POE) or Point of Use (POU) treatment systems, with a priority focus on providing access to safe drinking water for Underrepresented Communities; and,
  3. a lessons learned report to document the pilot project with a goal of making it scalable and replicable by other agencies throughout the State.

  The proposed Order was published by the Central Coast Water Board on October 16, 2025, and they will be taking public comments on the proposed Order through November 17, 2025. The public may submit written comments to: Central Coast Water Board, Attn: Tamara Anderson, 895 Aerovista Place, Suite 101, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401. Comments may be emailed toThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..