Heavy rains and flooding forced the closure of the Rancho Guadalupe Dunes County Park in late December, prompting city officials to plead for state and federal aid to fix the park’s access road.
The Santa Barbara County Parks Department closed the entry to Guadalupe Beach—the western terminus of Main Street—after 10 inches of rain fell in the valley, causing runoff from the Santa Maria River to wash out an embankment within an estimated 15 feet from the road.
Guadalupe Mayor Lupe Alvarez and Santa Maria Mayor Larry Lavagnino are spearheading efforts to secure funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to repair the damage or build a new road. If the money doesn’t come through, Alvarez said, the situation will be “dire.”
“It’s crucial that we reopen it for the benefit of everybody,” Alvarez said. “Guadalupe Beach is the only publicly accessible beach in Northern Santa Barbara County that allows fishing. That’s a huge loss for all sport fishermen. At the same time, it affects tourism, families, surfers, and everybody who loves to go to the beach.”
Alvarez said he’s trying to prevent another occurrence like the closures of the Point Sal and Lompoc-Casmalia roads, which were washed out in 1998 and 1999, respectively. Both roads remain closed.
In a letter sent to the Sun, Alvarez and Lavagnino stressed the recreational importance of the dunes to the 150,000 residents of Guadalupe, Santa Maria, and Orcutt, warning the cities could lose out on valuable tourism dollars if the park remains closed for an extended period of time.
“It’s a very high priority for both educational and recreational use,” Lavagnino said. “You’d be surprised what the usage is out there.”
While Lavagnino pledged support for the city of Guadalupe’s efforts to obtain the FEMA funds, he wouldn’t speculate on the chances of success.
“It’s literally a crapshoot, but we’re going to do the best we can,” he said.
The two mayors are combining efforts with Tom Fayram, Santa Barbara County’s deputy director of Public Works, who told the Board of Supervisors on Jan. 4 he didn’t know when the road would reopen. It would likely need to be completely rebuilt, he said, because it sits on a foundation of sand. Fayram was scheduled to update the Guadalupe City Council on Jan. 11.
In an e-mail to the Sun, Fayram said the situation is still “in flux” and wouldn’t speculate beyond his prior comments to the Board.
“We are pushing for state and federal [money] to fix the access road by either relocating it, or by building an erosion protective feature at the bottom of the slope to keep it from eroding further,” he wrote.
Guadalupe Dunes Center’s Executive Director Mario Castellanos eagerly anticipated Fayram’s presentation to the council, saying he wasn’t sure how an extended closure would affect tourism or the center.
“Being here in Guadalupe, it’s the closest beach,” he said. “We want people to be able to safely access the Dunes, and we’re willing to help the county any way we can to make sure that happens.”
The Guadalupe City Council declared the area a local state of emergency on Dec. 21, the first step toward obtaining federal funding. Subsequently, former Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado declared an emergency for all of Santa Barbara County, and forwarded the declaration to President Barack Obama, requesting assistance. Obama has yet to sign the declaration.
Guadalupe Beach is a popular destination for local fishers and surfers, and has been featured in a number of Hollywood films, including a Pirates of the Caribbean movie and The Ten Commandments. With its closure, the next closest access point to the Dunes is at Oso Flaco Lake, several miles to the north up U.S. Highway 1.
This article appears in Jan 13-20, 2011.