The Santa Maria River stretches more than 20 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean. The drought has caused the riverbed to become a dusty, dry landscape that acts as a cover for clandestine activity such as target practice, illegal off-roading, and graffiti vandalism.
The Santa Ynez River has been a source of similar problems for decades, Lompoc Police Capt. Ed Lardner said. Most of the area in question sits just beyond the LPD’s jurisdiction, and the riverbed’s rough terrain makes it difficult for police to patrol because they don’t have 4-by-4 vehicles. And residents whose homes border both rivers have lodged scores of complaints for noise and other unwanted activity.
But riverbed fun and games may soon be drying up if North County agencies get approved to receive grant money from the California Department of Parks and Recreation to fund extra equipment and patrols.
The Lompoc Police Department received a $164,252 state grant in 2010. It was used to pay for education and enforcement of off-road vehicle use in the riverbed, Lardner said. It worked—kind of. He said some activity dropped off in the last few years, but the menace will occasionally rear its ugly head.
“It’s a big problem for us,” Lardner said. “They’ll be flying through the streets, blowing through stop signs, and drive on the walking and bike path.”
The problem lies mostly with the rowdy segment of off-roaders who use the riverbed, tear through muddy terrain, and track muddy trails on the street behind them. The riders are hard to catch because their zippy, high-RPM engines and all-terrain versatility makes it easy to evade authorities. But when they do get caught, Lardner said they usually get off easy with only a ticket.
“People get tired of it after a while,” Lardner said.
The situation can be dangerous for joggers and mountain bikers who also use the riverbed, said Lompoc Public Works Director Kevin McCune.
After receiving numerous calls regarding the situation in Lompoc, the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office decided to step up enforcement in the riverbed last December. But now the department wants to upgrade its fleet.
In the grant application dated Feb. 19, the Sheriff’s Office asked for $75,000 to buy a new all-terrain vehicle and help pay for overtime patrols. Nearly $51,000 of that request, plus an additional $22,000 from the department’s pocket, would pay for 790 patrol hours by the sheriff’s deputies and volunteers. The money would make it possible for two deputies at a time to be able to patrol the riverbed on a semi-weekly basis, according to the grant. The Sheriff’s Office already patrols using two quads it received from the U.S. military, but the vehicles are older and prone to breaking down.
Around $20,000 of the money will pay for a Polaris RZR quad, with some extra funds left over for its maintenance.
To help patrol the Santa Maria riverbed, the Santa Maria Department of Recreation and Parks is asking the state for $30,000. An additional $44,000 worth of staff time is slated to match the grant. Grant money would pay for two electric all-terrain vehicles costing about $13,000. Police would then boost patrols in the more than 700 acres of the Santa Maria riverbed encompassed by the city.
Recreation Supervisor Dennis Smitherman said the area harbors all the illicit activity that Lompoc experiences. Without patrols, the remoteness of the riverbed could be dangerous for people.
So far this year, police have located two “high-risk” people wandering in the riverbed who were reported lost, Smitherman said. In late January, Santa Maria police said a 17-year-old girl was robbed while jogging along the levy. A suspect in the alleged crime has not been identified.
Although the levy trail is used for hiking and jogging, Smitherman added that people should refrain from using the riverbed trails until warning signs have been posted first.
“We do have markers and interpretive signs to use it as a recreational trail, but it’s not allowed yet,” Smitherman said.
He said the quads would also help police catch suspects using the riverbed as an escape route.
There are other problems, too, Smitherman added, including bon fires, drug use, paintball target practice, and litter. Grant funds would also pay for warning signs. Between the enforcement and signage, the possible deterring effect could equal hundreds of thousands of dollars in cost savings, he said.
“Should one of those fires take off, it could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars,” Smitherman said about bon fires in the riverbed that could potentially spread to nearby houses. “As far as evaluating damage to the environment, it’s hard to determine.”
Last year, Santa Maria Recreation and Parks received a grant through the same funding mechanism and used it to purchase quads and motorcycles for use in a safety class. Starting May 9, Santa Maria will be offering free workshops teaching off-road vehicle safety to riders aged 12 and older. The courses last through August and will be held every two weeks on Saturdays and Sundays.
“Most people don’t know about the expectations of riding safely,” Smitherman said.
Santa Maria Recreation and Parks and the Sheriff’s Office are only two of the local governments applying for state off-highway vehicle grant funds. The Los Angeles County and San Luis Obispo County sheriff’s departments also both applied for similar grants. The grant applications are viewable online and open to public comment through April 6 at ohv.parks.ca.gov.
Contact Staff Writer David Minsky at dminsky@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Mar 12-19, 2015.