County efforts triumphant in abating
winter rains
With
the passing of the first round of winter rains, the county’s efforts to relieve
the Santa Maria Levee and various watersheds burned by the Zaca
Fire have proven successful.
“The
credit goes to all the people in public works who worked long hours,” said Tom Fayram, deputy director for water resources.
Just
two months ago the county was facing a crisis, with natural watersheds burned
during the Zaca Fire and the Santa Maria Levee on the
verge of failure, the prospect of winter storms was distressing for county
officials and residents.
In
an attempt to alleviate their concerns, the county’s Public Works Department,
in conjunction with local agencies and the California Office of Emergency
Services, reinforced the Santa Maria Levee as well as the Sisquoc,
Cuyama and Cachuma
watersheds. The work included rock stockpiling, the creation of new Santa Maria
River pilot channels, placement of debris booms in Cachuma
Lake and an increase in levee patrol.
Despite
a lack of federal funding, the county completed the projects and hoped for the
best.
The
county reported that the various projects were successful. The pilot channels
did their job of redirecting storm runoff away from the levee. The debris booms
stopped the flow of ash and branches into Cachuma
Lake, and water from the Gibraltar Reservoir rose 22 feet and spilled into Cachuma Lake, raising it by two feet.
The
channels and all the projects worked very well, and county staff members are
pleased with that, Fayram said.
The
Board of Supervisors expressed its appreciation for, and admiration of, the
work done by the various agencies.
“We
have some exceptional staff that do [great] work in the face of disaster,” 1st
District Supervisor Salud Carbajal
said. 4th District Supervisor Joni Gray concurred.
“I
don’t know if people understand the impact that [these improvements] have
made,” she said. “I truly thank the Public Works Department for its work.”