Rep. Gallegly’s letter noted that the Corps completed the Santa Paula Creek project several years ago, but, “Unfortunately, before the project could be signed off” by the county for ongoing maintenance, a large rain event deposited a “great deal of material in the project area.” The county is waiting for the Corps to clean out the material before it accepts the project.Rep. Gallegly unsuccessfully sought $4 million in funding for the cleanup, and now, “In light of the extraordinary circumstances” of the Day Fire and its potential for flooding, he requested that the Corps determine if there are other funding sources available to “clean out this project.” Rep. Gallegly also requested that adequate Hazard Mitigation Funds be set aside to address any potential problems in the case of heavy rain incidents that would “certainly result in flooding to nearby communities.”Maldonado told the Council that Rep. Gallegly is also working with the county to “come to a third party solution” to remove rock and debris, and mining the rock for sale.City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz noted that he has met with Jeff Pratt, the Director of the Ventura County Watershed Protection District. “It looks like Rep. Gallegly’s letter put that over,” and the county is fast-tracking the process to garner proposals for the rock and debris removal project.
Rep.Elton Gallegly asks Army Corps to fix SP Creek ASAP
February 07, 2007
Santa Paula City Council
A letter from Rep. Elton Gallegly to the commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers seems to have done the trick for a rapid clean up of the Corps’ Santa Paula Creek Project, the City Council learned at the January 16 meeting.
By Peggy KellySanta Paula TimesA letter from Rep. Elton Gallegly to the commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers seems to have done the trick for a rapid clean up of the Corps’ Santa Paula Creek Project, the City Council learned at the January 16 meeting. Dan Maldonado, the city’s Washington, DC lobbyist, noted that Rep. Gallegly’s response to the problem has “really been excellent, he’s taken a leadership role” with a November letter from the Congressman to LTG Carl Strock.In the letter, Rep. Gallegly noted that the impacts from the Day Fire - the fifth largest blaze in state history - burned 254 square miles primarily in the Los Padres and Angeles National forests. “While the fire has long been contained, Ventura and Los Angeles counties now face potential devastating floods because there are no trees or brush to absorb rainfall from these massive watersheds. Additionally, burned debris could wash downstream, blocking the free flow of water,” wrote Rep. Gallegly. “This whole situation is further exacerbated by the forecast of a wetter than normal El Nino year.”The County of Ventura is preparing for the potential flooding by cleaning debris basins and dealing with potential debris upstream, but relies on the Corps to assist in emergency situations as well as keeping its own project areas clear of debris.
