Velkommen til Solvang!

Welcome to Solvang, California
A Preserve America Community

Solvang (Danish for 'sunny field') is a beautiful little city nestled in the Santa Ynez Valley of California. Founded in 1911 by a small group of Danish teachers, Solvang now is a diverse, modern city, with fine restaurants, lovely shops and outstanding activities to enchant young and old alike.There are Danish festivals, quiet tree lined streets, horse drawn wagons, Hans Christian Andersen Park, windmills, Danish pastries and dozens of quaint shops to explore. Solvang was incorporated as a city on May 1, 1985 and now has a population of approximately 5,283.

The City of Solvang is in the process of converting to a new utility billing system. The utility billing system will be going live in March 2014. In preparation for the conversion, the February utility bill will be mailed to Solvang customers slightly later than usual. Solvang customers should expect their bill approximately March 8th, instead of approximately March 1st. As with all utility bills, payment is due upon receipt, and no later than March 25th for the February bill.

Please note the account numbers are changing as part of the conversion process. If you utilize online banking to pay your utility bill, please update with your new account number which will appear on your new bill.

The new bill will provide more information to our water and sewer customers, including a one year history of consumption. In addition, as part of our conversion, we will be offering online bill payment starting in the early summer.

Here is a link to a  sample bill in the new format and an explanation of how to read the new bill. If you have any questions, please contact Gigi Hollister at (805) 688-5575, or through the web form.

CERT Training classes will begin March 31

click here to see sign up information  

Solvang Parks and Recreation Winter/Spring Activity Calendars are out!  Click here for fun!

California's Mandatory Commercial Recycling Measure adopted by CalRecycle on January 17, 2012 focuses on increased commercial waste diversion as a method to reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. It is designed to achieve a reduction in GHG emissions of 5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalents. To achieve the measure’s objective, an additional 2 to 3 million tons of materials annually will need to be recycled from the commercial sector by the year 2020 and beyond.

On and after July 1, 2012, a business that generates four cubic yards or more of commercial solid waste per week or a multifamily residential dwelling of five units or more shall recycle.

To learn more about this new law, visit CalRecycle's website section on the Mandatory Commercial Recycling Measure.

The Green Gardener Program for Santa Barbara County educates local gardeners in resource efficient and pollution prevention landscape maintenance practices. The Green Gardener Program is a regional program designed to offer education, training, and promotion of participating gardeners and landscape maintenance contractors.

Here's an updated list of the Certified Green Gardeners in Santa Barbara County.

The City of Solvang has published an introduction to the Solvang Storm Water Management Program for homeowners and business owners.

Most people believe that the largest source of water pollution in urban areas comes from specific sources such as factories and sewage treatment plants. In fact, the largest sources of water pollution comes from city streets, neighborhoods, construction sites and parking lots.

This type of pollution is sometimes called “non-point  source” pollution. This pollution is spread to our water bodies and natural habitats as a result of run-off, either as a result of rainfall (storm water) or excessive water use (urban).

Please see the following documents for further information:

The Homeowner’s Guide to Best Management Practices

The Business Owner’s Guide to Best Management Practices

La Guía de Mejores Prácticas de Administración para Propietarios de las Casas

La Guía de Mejores Prácticas de Administración para Propietarios de las Empresas

SOLVANG STORMWATER PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENTS:

SWMP Annual Report for year 2 is complete!