Press Releases

Oceano, CA – Today, Rep. Salud Carbajal (CA-24) announced that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has awarded $3 million to the San Luis Obispo County Flood Control and Water Conservation District. The grant funds flood mitigation for the community of Oceano, located within the Arroyo Grande Creek floodplain, which has recently faced severe flooding due to intense rains.

“This federal investment will help SLO County agencies substantially reduce flood risk and prepare the Arroyo Grande Valley community for the next rainy season,” said Carbajal. “I’m grateful that FEMA has taken the risks posed to residents and agricultural businesses in the area seriously, and committed this significant funding to mitigate the impacts of flooding near Oceano.”

"We thank Congressman Carbajal and FEMA for recognizing the need to keep the people of the Arroyo Grande Valley safe from floods in the future," said Colt Esenwein, County of San Luis Obispo Director of Public Works. "This grant will allow us to reduce future flood damages and losses in the lower Arroyo Grande Valley, which has a long history of flooding and severe damage to agricultural and residential lands.”

The flood mitigation project includes three elements to substantially reduce future flood damages and losses:

• Remove dense vegetation to increase flood conveyance capacity and reduce the probability of debris dams during flood events.
• Remove accumulated sediment, create secondary overflow channels and establish a well-defined primary low-flow channel to improve flood conveyance and sediment transport.
• Construct a flow control structure to direct overflows to the south to protect the critical facilities and developed areas on the north and minimize the potential of uncontrolled levee breaches.

Additionally, the mitigation project will improve sediment transport conditions throughout the flood control reach, which will reduce the need for future maintenance or dredging and provide continued flood protection.

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