Tag archives: flood control

Montecito Prepares for Winter: Agencies and Residents Come Together
By Houghton Hyatt   |   September 22, 2026

With winter approaching and a strong El Niño developing, Montecito residents packed Montecito Union School on September 14th for a community-wide conversation about creek conditions, flood protection, and storm preparedness. The meeting, organized in coordination with First District Supervisor Roy Lee, the Montecito Association, and local agencies, grew out of concerns raised by residents about […]

Flood Concerns Bring La Vuelta Residents, County Together
By Zach Rosen   |   August 4, 2026

As forecasters continue warning of a potentially strong El Niño pattern this fall and winter, residents along La Vuelta Road are pressing Santa Barbara County to take additional steps to reduce flood risks before the rainy season begins. Roughly two dozen neighbors met July 24 with 1st District Supervisor Roy Lee and representatives from the […]

Second Meeting for Montecito Flood Control Master Plan
By Joanne A Calitri   |   December 12, 2023

In its second of three scheduled meetings with the residents and business owners in Montecito, the Santa Barbara County Flood Control (SBCFC) Project Team for the Montecito Flood Control Master Plan laid out their various plans to control debris and for flood management at Cold Spring School auditorium on Wednesday, November 29 from 5:30 – […]

Randall Road Debris Basin Moves Forward
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   March 22, 2022

This Saturday, March 19, Santa Barbara County Flood Control will take acquisition of 630 Randall Road, the final one-acre property to be acquired in which to build the Randall Road Debris Basin. After a lengthy delay, a recent ruling by the Ventura County Superior Court has given Flood Control the green light to continue building […]

Storm Impact Map Updated
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   December 21, 2021

Last Thursday officials held a public meeting at Montecito Union School to discuss emergency information prior to the winter storm season. Closing in on the fourth anniversary of the catastrophic debris flow of January 9, 2018, First District Supervisor Das Williams says the community’s level of resiliency, awareness, and communication is better than ever before, […]

Rain in Montecito
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   March 19, 2020

With over a week of wet weather, Montecito debris basins, ring nets, and creek channels held up extremely well, according to Montecito Fire Chief Kevin Taylor, who gave us an update on the weather earlier this week. Crews from County Flood Control and Public Works were in Montecito Tuesday morning, assessing the impact of the […]

Latest on Randall Road Debris Basin
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   November 7, 2019

On Monday, November 4, the County of Santa Barbara hosted a design workshop to present preliminary sketches of the debris basin slated for Randall Road, as well as give an update on the progress of the quick-moving project.  The debris basin project, which includes the acquisition of seven parcels on Randall Road and one on […]

Debris Basins Post Storm
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   December 20, 2018

Santa Barbara County Flood Control reps report that Montecito debris basins performed nicely during the most recent winter storms in late November. Flood Control cleaned approximately 3,100 cubic yards of material from the Cold Springs debris basin, and about the same amount from the San Ysidro Creek debris basin, resulting from the late November rainfall […]

New Rain Gauges
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   February 22, 2018

In the aftermath of the Thomas Fire and 1/9 debris flow, the Santa Barbara County Flood Control District installed six additional real-time rain gauges to provide enhanced rainfall monitoring for the impacted areas. In cooperation with the National Parks Service, three new high-tech gauges were installed at weather monitoring stations on the Channel Islands, located […]