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Vol. 36 No. 5           A monthly publication of the Los Angeles District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers           Nov/Dec 2006

 Project of the Month

PROJECT OF THE MONTH: RAINY SEASON IS HERE—OR AT LEAST NEAR
By Mike Tharp

The Santa Paula Creek project, designed to reduce flood and coastal storm damage on the tributary of the Santa Clara River some 60 miles northeast of Los Angeles, won a 2003 Environmental Merit Award from the Chief of Engineers.

In the award citation, the project was described as designed to protect a two-mile reach of residential and commercial property, highways and railways in the Santa Paula, Calif., area.  “Deepening and widening the channel enabled designers to meet the goals of flood prevention and increased water capacity and still meet commercial, wildlife and public needs,” the 2003 citation read.

And it pinpointed an innovation:  “a specialized fish passage structure to allow migration of steelhead trout through the project.  This –in-channel fish ladder, built within the grouted stone invert, is a one-of-a-kind design that will withstand heavy sedimentation and still allow fish passage through the site.”

The project was completed in April 2002 but hasn’t been turned over to the sponsor, Ventura County, because the channel and the innovative fish ladder were damaged during several storms between the winter of 2002-03 and 2004-05. 

One fish ladder in the Oaks area looked as if “it was peeled back by a can opener,” the Santa Paula Times reported in February 2005.  Boulders and debris “completely destroyed” the Corps fish ladder downstream from Oaks, the newspaper added.

Cleanout work was completed by a Corps contractor in March 2005 for a total cost of $162,000, and the channel was restored to a limited capacity (five-year flood protection) downstream of Highway 126; the fish ladder was working.

However, in order to restore the channel’s capacity to its design level and to restore the fish ladder to its original condition, the Corps needs about $ 4 million.  The District sent a letter to Corps headquarters through South Pacific Division requesting that amount, as well as emergency funds to be used during any flood emergency.

A letter was sent to Ventura County officials Feb. 16, 2006.  However, the sponsor refused to accept the project because county officials thought that would slow down the process of obtaining federal funding to clean out the channel and repair the fish ladder.

Meanwhile, after the Day Fire—fifth-largest in California history—ravaged parts of Ventura County, the District is exploring funding options and preparing an Emergency Action Plan to clear the Santa Paula Creek Channel should a rainstorm threaten the area.

With the leadership of congressional appropriations committees now in the hands of a new party, it remains unclear when or whether the funds necessary to sustain and complete the project would become available.

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