Santa Barbara County Public Works dredging in Carpinteria Salt Marsh until July

CARPINTERIA, Calif. – Santa Barbara County is conducting emergency dredging operations at the Carpinteria Salt Marsh to limit the flood risk for adjacent properties.

Operations are expected daily as needed and last until July of 2023.

After creek flows receded following heavy rains earlier this year, the Carpinteria Salt Marsh had notable sedimentation, the process of depositing sediment over time.

That sedimentation, details Santa Barbara County Public Works Department, obstructs the flow of Santa Monica and Franklin Creeks into the salt marsh and poses a flood risk for the City of Carpinteria.

Obstructed channels for water into the salt marsh also interrupt the natural tidal cycle in the marsh, leading to reduction in habitat size.

Santa Barbara County is using a hydraulic dredge vessel to remove sediment from the drainage channels that enter the marsh and moving that sediment into the surf zone through a discharge pipe.

This dredging is similar to actions performed after major debris flows in 2018.

Due to the outflows from the dredging activity, the beach is closed 400 feet in either direction of the marsh's mouth and beachgoers are asked to not approach the pipe nor equipment involved.

For more information about the County's response, visit readysbc.org.