For more than 60 years, Mary Lynn has visited Goleta Beach County Park, drawn by its proximity and natural variety along the Santa Barbara County coastline.
“We go to a lot of the beaches up and down the coast, but this one is the closest and there is a lot of variety here, the birds of the slough and the great walkout toward the point,” said Lynn, a Goleta resident.
Other visitors say the park’s mix of recreation and ocean access makes it a popular destination for the community.
“You have this restaurant and bar on the beach, amazing bike trails, homes, so I know whatever we could do to fix it,” said Gerrod Jones, a Santa Barbara resident.
Following a series of winter storms, Santa Barbara County officials announced plans to temporarily close portions of Goleta Beach County Park beginning around January 26 as part of storm response and flood protection efforts.
Crews will remove sediment that has accumulated in nearby flood-control channels and transport it to the beach to help widen the shoreline.
“We move materials from the creek to reduce the debris damage and flooding,” said Lael Wageneck, Public Information Officer for the Santa Barbara County Public Works Department. “Larger material is set aside and suitable sediment is delivered to the beach. This helps keep the beach wider and protect the park from waves, but it’s important to remove that material from the creek so next time we have a big storm, the creeks can fill up with water and not go into our communities.”
County officials said the work could continue through March, depending on weather conditions.
Visitors are urged to use caution around heavy equipment operating in and around the park during the closure period.
