Goleta Homeowner Blames Ranch Runoff For Flooded Home

A Goleta woman dreads the rain because every time there is a downpour her home floods.

Cori Beveridge moved into her home on Camino Venturoso in Goleta in 1997.

Since then, her home and backyard got flooded four times.

The single mom of four has spent tens of thousands of dollars to repair the damage.

Beveridge’s fiance Mike Van Slyke said, “No matter how many sandbags you put up you can’t stop it.

The couple says when it rains, runoff flows down from La Patera Ranch, floods Cathedral Oaks Road, then the water and debris flow onto her property.

“Trees, mud, rocks, branches, lemons, avocado and whatever is being grown there comes down,” Van Slyke said.

Neighborhoods below the ranch are also littered with mud and debris.

A few years ago, the ranch built a culvert that appears flow directly to a small city drain and Beveridge’s home.

“The trench goes straight to the drain which overflows quickly and comes right down into the yard,”

She said her street drain can’t keep up with the flow of debris either.

Beveridge had a break for a few years, because of the drought but now the storms are back.

During the recent storm, Beveridge couldn’t sleep.

“I literally jumped over the fence and go under the water and feel for where the drain is. I come up get a breath, go under feel for the drain and pull the debris out,” Beveridge said.

“One thing we have found is if you drive either way, five miles, the drain behind my house is much smaller than the other drains. There is no ranch immediately behind it where there is fruit and debris coming from the trees and mud,” Beveridge said.

During the recent storm, the mud and debris still flowed into her yard, but she managed to keep her home dry.

Over the years, some of her neighbors put up concrete walls to protect their homes.

Other homes on Cathedral Oaks had walls already in place.

“If you keep driving down, they all have walls, city walls. All the walls are the same. If I could afford to put a wall up, I would,” Beveridge said.

Beveridge has gone back and forth with the city and the ranch, but so far nothing has been done.

The city of Goleta admits there is a problem and said it’s working with the owners of the ranch to find a solution.

The city of Goleta released this statement to KEYT/KCOY/KKFX:

“During last week’s storm, modifications to an agricultural property outside of the City of Goleta were identified as the source of significant runoff on Cathedral Oaks, creating mud and debris issues on this street and for properties just south of Cathedral Oaks within the City limits. The City is working with the landowners of the agricultural property to identify the immediate solutions for alleviating public safety concerns. The City is also working to insure its stormwater infrastructure is ready to handle the maximum volumes during storm events. At this time, there is not additional information we can provide as solutions are still under discussion.” — Michelle Greene, city manager

La Patera Ranch did not return calls for a comment.