In a historic move, the Montecito Water District board voted unanimously on Thursday to “drought-proof” the wealthy enclave by importing a large supply of Santa Barbara water every year for the next 50 years, rain or no rain. The initial annual cost will be $4.6 million.

The vote comes on the heels of the severe drought of 2012 to 2018, in which Montecito, a community of one-acre lots, big estates, and luxury hotels and golf courses, faced heavy fines for over-watering.

Montecitans cut their water use by as much as 50 percent, but between 5 and 10 percent of property owners, including the San Ysidro Ranch and the Biltmore, chose to pay the fines instead.

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