Excavators are digging out loads and loads of dirt from the Cabrillo Basin in Los Osos.
“We have photos that show that there's hanging concrete that […] was to anchor that liner,” explained Ron Munds, Los Osos Community Services District General Manager. “All that blew out during those major storms.”
That breach on Jan. 9, 2023, led to major flooding damage to the Vista de Oro neighborhood.
It's a scene that's hard to forget, even for those who didn’t get flooded.
“It was this silent surge that happened in a split second. Very scary,” said Lizzy Lucas, Los Osos resident.
Residents on Montana Way are still finding lost items.
“I found a pair of shoes and a thing of laundry soap that wasn't mine,” said Sharon Van Loon, whose home was severely damaged in the flood.
Clean-up efforts continue at impacted homes.
“It's certainly been a nightmare to try to get all the mud and debris out of here because it's a breathing issue. I got mold spores, it has been tested,” Van Loon said.
Munds said repairing the basin will cost about $700,000.
“I am confident that this repair is going to be absolutely safe,” Munds said.
It’s going from a temporary fix to a longer-term repair, which saw some delays because of how much rain fell on the Central Coast in March.
“We have built up the berm, re-compacted it, put it at the slope that it should have been at,” Munds said. “It had been narrowed up through the years, so it's back to where it should be. We completely realigned the whole north, east and west side of the basin.”
As residents recover from the trauma, they look forward to feeling safe again.
“It was that thought of everything happening again, having to leave your house in a second, you know, never to know when to return,” Van Loon said.
“Certainly, it makes us feel more comfortable knowing that it's been updated, and they're making it stronger and hopefully, we're in a better spot than we were before,” Lucas said.
The Los Osos Community Services District is expecting the repairs to be completed by early next week.
A full report will be presented to the board in June.
