El Estero wastewater treatment plant serves the Santa Barbara area and has done so since 1951. Due to the 1972 Federal Water Pollution Control Act, and the City continues to upgrade the facility accordingly. The data presented is a representative of the amount water being used and coming into the plant (influent), the amount of water being treated and released from the plant (effluent), and the amount of water being treated and recycled back into the community on golf courses, in parks, etc (reclaimed). The wastewater that is being dispersed is treated and released into the ocean 8,720 feet from the shoreline. The data displayed spans from 1989 to 2000.

Wastewater comes from a variety of sources, including local businesses and industries, but most of the water is from households. Monitoring the treatment of this waste is essential to maintaining the health and quality of the community, from business, to residential, and to purely natural settings. Aside from understanding our wastewater patterns, it is important to recognize and understand our water use habits; the water that is brought to this region is precious and limited. Finally, waster water treatment centers are essential components to urban centers. Without sewers and treatment facilities, our used water would go into our oceans and soils, prominently affecting wildlife, and destroying the health and the quality of Santa Barbara's coastlines and unique natural settings.

Since the beginning of El Estero in 1951 it has grown and upgraded to a more sustainable wastewater facility. El Estero simply meets the needs of the growing Santa Barbara region and this is evident in the examination of influent, effluent, and reclaimed water over the past twelve years. Prior to the Water Pollution Control Act, El Estero treated the wastewater by merely separating the water from the debris. Now, vigorous efforts are made to secondarily treat the water, a process that involves organically filtering microbes and viruses and pollutants before sending it 9,000 feet offshore. The consumption of water is remaining steady, as the past three years have shown. In 1989, the amount of influent water was at a peak at 3156.753 million gallons, and then dropped as a result of the drought, but has since increased to about 3200 million gallons, holding at 3191.38 million gallons in 2000. Aside from the improvements in treatment, the plant is also improving in its reclamation capabilities. This is a sufficient way to counteract the amount of water being used by the community (the influent). The amount of reclaimed water has increased since 1995. There was a sufficient drop in El Estero's production of reclaimed water in '95 because Goleta Sanitary District began running a reclamation plant as well. But since 1995 production of 221.002 million gallons of reclaimed water, El Estero has increased it production to 388.83 million gallons in 2000. This efficient method of recycling water is a sustainable way of handling our precious water resources.