Edhat Staff
By the edhat staff
Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors approved an $8 million emergency restoration project for the lower Santa Maria River near the City of Guadalupe.
The construction work is expected to divert the river’s water flow and is aimed to address the significant flooding problems experienced by the region.
In the past year, heavy rains caused the river to overflow, resulting in flooding of homes, farm fields, and even the closure of the Guadalupe Dunes County Park.
The short-term emergency work in the riverbed is set to begin as soon as possible, before the expected El Nino rains arrive later in the year. While the emergency project is expected to take several months to complete, long-term solutions for the river flooding issue remain unresolved.
The county intends to seek reimbursement for the funding used in the project from federal government agencies and the California Office of Emergency Services (CAL-OES).
