 In the early 1980s the city of Santa Barbara once again expressed interest in raising the dam.However, the California Department of Water Resources and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation determined that further enlargement of Gibraltar Dam would have an adverse effect on water flowing downstream into the Lake Cachuma reservoir.In 1989 the Upper Santa Ynez River Operations Agreement or "Pass Through Agreement" was developed in which some water spilled from Gibraltar Dam can be legally stored in Lake Cachuma for the city's use, thus eliminating the need to raise Gibraltar.