CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : SANTA BARBARA : Ground Broken for Desalination Plant

Ground was broken for a seawater desalination plant intended to help Santa Barbara cope with the California drought. The $30-million plant is expected to take nine months to build, with initial water production planned for February, 1992, said Lisa Weeks, a spokeswoman for the city water department. Construction costs are being paid by the plant’s builder, Ionics Inc., a Massachusetts-based company which has a five-year contract to sell water from the plant, Weeks said. The facility will use reverse osmosis to turn seawater into usable water to meet 30% of Santa Barbara’s needs. Ionics’ five-year contract reflects the temporary status of the plant, located on the beach side of U.S. 101 about a quarter-mile south of the Santa Barbara Pier, Weeks said. On June 4, voters will cast ballots on an advisory measure asking whether the City Council should consider a permanent desalination plant.