San Benito County is urging property owners to inspect and clear drainage areas on their properties before the winter rainy season, as officials prepare for an anticipated strong El Niño season.
Residents should remove leaves, branches, trash, sediment, overgrown vegetation and other debris that could obstruct roadside ditches, culverts and storm drains, according to county officials. Blockages can cause stormwater to back up during heavy rain, increasing the risk of flooding on roads and nearby properties.
Property owners are asked to pay particular attention to drainage areas along or adjacent to their properties and safely remove materials that could restrict stormwater flow.
The county also is urging residents with creeks, streams or rivers on their property to inspect those areas and identify potential hazards before severe weather arrives.
California Fish and Game Code Section 1610 allows property owners to take immediate emergency action to protect lives or structures from imminent danger, such as removing a major debris jam or stabilizing a failing stream bank threatening a home, according to the county.
Prior approval from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife is not required for qualifying emergency work. However, property owners must notify the department in writing within 14 days of beginning the work through the state’s Environmental Permit Information Management System, or EPIMS.
Property owners who do not already have an EPIMS account can create one for free at epims.wildlife.ca.gov/index.do. County officials said emergency work notifications under Section 1610 have no application fee.
Routine maintenance that does not address an immediate hazard—including seasonal clearing, landscaping improvements or installation of a permanent bridge—does not qualify as emergency work. Such projects require prior approval through a Lake or Streambed Alteration Agreement filed through EPIMS.
The county said private property owners have legal responsibilities to prevent conditions on their properties from obstructing stormwater flows in ways that could flood or damage public property. Violations can result in costs for abatement and repairs to county property and roads and may be prosecuted as misdemeanors.
The San Benito County Public Works Department also will inspect and maintain county drainage facilities ahead of the rainy season, county staff said.
On Sept. 22, the Board of Supervisors declared a local state of emergency following Gov. Gavin Newsom’s statewide emergency declaration in preparation for potential impacts from the upcoming El Niño storm season.
The declarations allow state and local agencies to streamline emergency permitting and clear regulatory hurdles so that communities can actively safeguard infrastructure and private property before severe storms arrive, county officials said.
