Oprah Winfrey irks Montecito neighbors with new creek wall to stop floods

As with communities up and town the California coast, Oprah Winfrey’s hometown of Montecito faced the possibility of devastating floods during this past winter’s heavy rains.

But the media mogul’s apparent effort to prevent flooding from a creek that runs along her Montecito estate has irked neighbors and and raised concerns among Santa Barbara County officials over whether the construction of a boulder wall was properly permitted, according to Santa Barbara County news site Noozhawk.

They don’t know if the wall, built to prevent erosion along San Ysidro Creek, could stand up to a deluge from a next major storm or could reroute water in ways that could damage other properties, Noozhawk said.

Earlier this year, Montecito was evacuated when a storm swept through the community. The town also was the scene of tragedy in 2018, when a mudslide killed 23 people, a number of whom were swept into San Ysidro Creek, the Los Angeles Times said. Winfrey herself posted video of the mudslide. 

“Praying for our community again in Santa Barbara.” Oprah Winfrey shared videos of knee-deep mud in her backyard and helicopters making rescues amid the California mudslides https://t.co/1P9lhGWSs7 pic.twitter.com/JKDz0IwTvz

— CNN (@CNN) January 10, 2018

A Carpinteria-based company applied for a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Feb. 1 to reconstruct the creek bank along Winfrey’s estate, Noozhawk reported.

Noozhawk said it’s unclear whether Winfrey has any knowledge of the details of the wall or whether she personally authorized the work. Perhaps it was initiated by any of the number of people who probably work for the billionaire, or who are responsible for managing her estate.

Noozhawk shot video of boulders being lowered by crane into the creek from Winfrey’s property. Officials, including game wardens and Santa Barbara County inspectors, and others also converged on the creek to inspect the construction and figure out how the wall came to be built.

A representative with the Army Corps of Engineers did not respond to Noozhawk’s request for comment. Steve Gibson, a senior environmental scientist for the Department of Fish and Wildlife, South Coast Region, told Noozhawk: “We are seeking information of how it was constructed. We don’t know if it was dug and trenched in with larger rocks that we would like to see with certain banks.”

Noozhawk said the Corps of Engineers will grant emergency permits during floods to protect property, but homeowners are supposed to rebuild with only the same materials as are already present, and the work cannot extend beyond the original conditions.

Property owners also are supposed to notify Fish and Wildlife in writing within 14 days after beginning the emergency work, which did not happen in this case, according to the agency, Noozhawk reported.

“The property manager is working with us to comply with our Fish and Game Code requirements for this new wall,” Gibson told Noozhawk.  “We are going to review what he has given us” and see if any remedial action needs to be taken.

Sharon Byrne, executive director of the Montecito Association, told Noozhawk that a number of residents had contacted her organization about the wall’s construction. Storms earlier this year damaged several Montecito parcels, and owners took emergency action to restore their properties. But the boulder wall along Winfrey’s property is a different situation, with people concerned that it goes too far in altering the course of the creek.

“You can’t alter creek canals and not expect there to be results,” Byrne said. “Don’t change the creeks. They are going to shift and move on their own.”

“The main concern is, are you creating a higher velocity situation to someone else’s property?” Byrne also said.