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Residents press Butte County for action after repeated Kiefer Slough and Rock Creek flooding
Summary
Multiple residents told supervisors Jan. 13 of repeated flooding and property damage along Rock Creek and Kiefer Slough, urging county help and better coordination with Fish & Wildlife and Caltrans; supervisors agreed to agendize a broader review of government vs. landowner responsibilities.
Residents of the Rock Creek / Kiefer Slough area told the Butte County Board of Supervisors at the Jan. 13 meeting that recurring floods have caused property damage, blocked access to homes and destroyed fencing used for grazing and fire mitigation.
Carol Bailey, a nurse who lives on Hagen Ridge subdivision, described repeated washouts that have ripped out fencing and prevented her from grazing livestock used as a fire-mitigation strategy. She said cleanup by contractors last year was insufficient and that Fish and Wildlife restrictions have limited the landowners’ ability to mitigate damage in the creek itself.
Several neighbors, including Kelly Cooper and Jeff Hale, said homes and driveways have flooded repeatedly (Hale said he evacuated his family twice) and estimated tens of thousands of dollars in property damage. Cooper told the board she formed a neighborhood group (Rock Creek Kiefer Slough Alliance), documented damage, and that prior fixes felt like "band-aids." She said county correspondence indicated property owners were solely responsible for maintaining waterways, which she called unrealistic given the scale of debris and boulders in culverts.
Supervisor Peter Durfee (referenced in transcript) and other board members acknowledged the urgency and supported agendizing a countywide item to clarify what government can and will do versus private landowner responsibilities. One board member suggested inviting California Department of Fish and Wildlife to participate in that future agenda item so staff can explain permitting constraints.
Residents asked the board to pursue long-term solutions, better coordination with state agencies (Fish & Wildlife and Caltrans were both mentioned), and prioritized cleanup upstream to prevent repeated debris and channel changes. The board did not commit to a specific mitigation project on Jan. 13 but agreed to schedule a discussion on responsibilities and possible county-led actions.
