Local Team
UC Santa Barbara's local team participates in community outreach and volunteering as well as ongoing engineering projects. The Local Team is not affiliated with the work of EWB-USA.
Volunteering
The work of EWB UCSB does not stop at international communities. As residents and leaders in the local Santa Barbara community, we host a variety of volunteer events. This past fall we volunteered with the Environmental Defense Center of Santa Barbara, and helped clean up over 5,000 pounds of trash from creeks in the Goleta area. In addition to creek clean ups, the local team regularly participates in Isla Vista street cleanups, and community garden restoration days.
Swine Farm Carbon Offset Project
The local team meets weekly to design and build a small-scale biogas digester at Pork Palace, a local swine farm. The aim of the project is to reduce methane emissions by harnessing the gas produced from pig manure and food waste to generate energy for the farm. The team has been testing a series of prototypes to measure the energy production potential of the digester. They have also been adding food waste to the digester to increase the amount of usable gas generated. This project not only reduces greenhouse gas emissions but also diverts food waste from the landfill, producing high-purity biogas that can be used as an energy source. Through this project and others like it, team members are able to acquire valuable skills in engineering and sustainable energy production, while empowering positive change in the local community and beyond.
Isla Vista Water Quality Testing Project: A Collaboration Between IVTU and EWB
During the Spring and Summer quarters of 2025, the Isla Vista Tenants Union (IVTU) partnered with Engineers Without Borders (EWB) at UC Santa Barbara to investigate concerns about local water quality in Isla Vista. Several tenants had reached out to IVTU reporting issues with their tap water; describing it as ‘hard’ or unusually mineral-heavy. In response, our two organizations collaborated to conduct a community-centered study to better understand the quality of water in Isla Vista.
Over the course of July 2025, EWB members collected twenty water samples from residences across Isla Vista. Samples were tested for a range of potential contaminants – including metals, bacteria and dissolved solids – and the results were compared against California Title 22 drinking water standards.
The findings were reassuring:
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No health-based standards were exceeded. Tests showed no presence of E. coli, total coliform, or harmful metals like lead or arsenic.
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Some aesthetic indicators, such as total dissolved solids (TDS) and sulfate, were slightly above the state’s recommended (but not hazardous) levels in a few samples, potentially explaining reports of ‘hard’ or mineral-tasting water.
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A handful of sites also showed low or undetectable chlorine residuals, which can contribute to taste or odor differences but are not safety concerns.
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Overall, the results indicate that Isla Vista’s water is safe to drink, with only minor variations in taste and mineral content across locations. IVTU and EWB hope these findings bring peace of mind to local residents and demonstrate the value of proactive community science.
If community members have questions about the results or suggestions for future testing, both the IVTU and EWB welcomes feedback and continued dialogue about water quality in Isla Vista.