This webpage was updated on February 9, 2012.

The Santa Maria River Levee extends for 17 miles along the south side of the Santa Maria River from Fugler's Point then downriver (east) to the Highway 1 Bridge, ending before the City of Guadalupe. The levee also consists of a 5-mile-long portion on the north side of the river, between the Highway 101 bridge and the Highway 1 bridge. The levee provides flood protection to the Santa Maria Valley and to the City of Santa Maria. The portion of the levee facing the river is covered with a layer of rock.

The levee was designed and built by the Army Corps of Engineers from 1959 to 1963 and is owned and operated by the County of Santa Barbara Department of Public Works' Flood Control District. The City of Santa Maria does not own or operate or maintain the levee.

Following an extensive alternatives analysis, the Army Corps chose to strengthen a 6.3-mile stretch of the levee, and this work took place from January 2009 to April 2011. In early February 2012, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers allocated $6 million to complete the rehabilitation of the final stretch of levee, a 3,700-foot section known as the Bradley Extension. The estimated cost of this project is approximately $11 million. The City and County must contribute about $4 million and are developing a financing proposal that will be taken to the City Council and to the County Board of Supervisors.

While the Flood Control District of the County of Santa Barbara is the agency responsible for the condition of the Levee and not the City of Santa Maria, the City has nonetheless taken the initiative and a leadership role in urging County, State and Federal leaders to make critical repairs to strengthen the levee. The City has worked in conjunction with the County Flood Control District to stockpile rock to assist in the event of a breach. Consequently, the restoration of the Santa Maria River Levee is one of the most vital issues to the community's future.

The Army Corps' December 2008 Design Deficiency Report states, "Because of the unanticipated failure mode in the original design, the residents of Santa Maria are at a higher flood risk than they should be and will be paying flood insurance as if the levee does not exist. The federal government has the responsibility to correct this deficiency and provide the residents of Santa Maria the flood protection they were promised by Congress in 1954."

Following an extensive alternatives analysis, the Army Corps chose to strengthen a 6.3-mile stretch of the levee, and this work took place from January 2009 to April 2011. In early February 2012, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers allocated $6 million to complete the rehabilitation of the final stretch of levee, a 3,700-foot section known as the Bradley Extension. The estimated cost of this project is approximately $11 million. The City and County must contribute about $4 million and are developing a financing proposal that will be taken to the City Council and to the County Board of Supervisors.