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Santa Rita Creek study recommends culvert upgrades and retention basins; board asks staff to return in 60 days with governance and funding options
Summary
A county‑commissioned flood study identified culvert constrictions, heavy sediment loads and vegetation bottlenecks in Bolsa Knolls and modeled four alternatives including culvert upsizing, targeted sediment/vegetation management and detention/retention basins; the board asked staff to return in 60 days with options for governance, funding and immediate work.
County public‑works staff and consultant Balanced Hydrologics presented the Santa Rita (Bolsa Knolls) Creek drainage study on March 24, showing the creek frequently overtops bank capacity and describing a menu of mitigation alternatives.
Hydrologic modeling found that Santa Rita Creek begins to exceed channel capacity multiple times in a wet season at around 100 cubic feet per second (cfs); a 100‑year event reaches roughly 1,000 cfs. Consulting staff identified conveyance bottlenecks at Paul Avenue and Ruger Road where existing culverts are undersized and collect large sediment deposits, and they recommended four main project approaches:
• Culvert upsizing at critical crossings to improve conveyance (engineers estimated paired reinforced concrete culverts at Paul Ave/Ruger Rd could increase capacity to ~230…
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