(Left to right) Tom Fayram, Deputy Public Works Director for the Water Resources Division for Santa Barbara County, Congresswoman Lois Capps and Lt. Col Glen Reed, chief of the synchronization group for the USACE L.A. District, discuss work the county has accomplished in the Santa Maria River near the levee. The Corps is currently studying ways to repair the levee in order to provide improved flood protection for the local community.

Lt. Col. Glen Reed, the chief of the synchronization group for the L.A. District, and Capps both took the time to highlight the fact $280,000 was secured for the levee in the most recent Water Resources Development Act.

Reed and Capps both said the money would be used to study ways to improve the level of protection the levee provides to the surrounding community. Esahn Eshraghi, the project manager for the levee project had a simple response when asked by media attending the announcement when work would begin on the study.

“We began yesterday,” he told them.

Currently, the district is studying possible plans for repairing the levee. Several plans are under consideration so the Corps could not provide a timeline for completion of the project.