Amid early October’s heat wave, excavation work at Mud Lake—one of Orcutt’s designated stormwater basins—remained ongoing, in preparation for a potentially much different forecast this winter.
“We’re doing a massive earthwork project where we’re excavating the Mud Lake basin to improve its capacity,” Santa Barbara County Flood Control and Water Resources Director Matt Griffin said during a community meeting on Oct. 1.
Ongoing since August, the project to deepen Mud Lake is among the county’s El Niño preparedness initiatives to help counteract potential flooding amid future storms.
“It’s important to note that a lot of our natural creeks that run through urban areas or suburban areas have a limited natural capacity,” Griffin said. “So, no matter how much maintenance we do in those creeks, there’s a chance of flooding.”
Griffin was among a handful of county employees and guest experts who spoke about storm and flood prep during the Oct. 1 meeting, which began with a presentation from Todd Hall, warning coordination meteorologist for the U.S. National Weather Service (Los Angeles/Oxnard).
“We’re going to see above normal precipitation chances for this winter. So, what does this mean? These are just outlooks,” Hall said. “There’s a higher than average risk, but it doesn’t mean that a disaster or catastrophe is about to happen.”
Because of increased “interest in El Niño,” Flood Control and Water Resources Director Griffin said, the county decided to increase its public outreach efforts, including with the formation of a dedicated El Niño tab on the Public Works Department’s website.
As for other virtual resources, Griffin urged residents to enter their property addresses online to see if they’re within Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)-identified special flood hazard areas.
“If you reside in one of those areas, you should consider flood insurance,” Griffin said. “Even if you don’t and you have a flooding risk on your property, you should take the time now to inspect your property for any pre-season preparation and maintenance needs—that includes clearing drainage paths and inspecting and clearing your roof and gutters.”
“We want to emphasize that flood awareness and preparation is a shared responsibility,” he added. “It’s not just county flood control. It’s not just the state or FEMA. It’s you, the citizens, that need to also be prepared.”
Earlier this year, a Santa Barbara County Superior Court judge dismissed a civil lawsuit jointly filed by multiple property owners in Orcutt whose homes were damaged during the January 2023 storms. According to Noozhawk, the county paid plaintiffs a $4 million settlement, but did not admit fault or liability.
As part of the lawsuit, a third-party consultant study included in court documents concluded “there was poor maintenance by the county of Mud Lake, … which resulted in a loss of capacity of Mud Lake, and made Mud Lake more susceptible to overflow and flooding,” according to civil engineer Jon Wren.
“[These] were all substantial factors that … resulted in the damage to plaintiffs’ homes,” Wren stated.
This article appears in October 8 – October 15, 2026.
