FEMA Suspends Funds for Emergency Basin : Newbury Park: Federal government wants an environmental report on project’s effect on a wetland.

The federal government has frozen funds for an emergency debris basin in Newbury Park and will not release the money until experts draft a formal environmental report analyzing the project’s effect on a nearby wetland.

“Apparently, Ventura County started work on this thing in an area where there may be some endangered species,” FEMA officer Daryl Wait said Tuesday. “We cannot fund this until they get environmental clearance.”

FEMA’s decision to suspend funds for the project came after a state environmental specialist voiced fears that the debris basin, as designed, could damage a wetland along Reino Road.

But the action surprised engineers at the Ventura County Flood Control District, who have already completed one-third of the basin and are counting on federal funds to finish the job.

“You’ve just shocked me with that news,” division engineer Ed Gunen said upon learning of FEMA’s move.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency had been scheduled to reimburse the flood control district for $658,840, or 75% of the project’s total cost, Wait said.

Now, that money will be frozen until the federal Soil Conservation Service can complete a report that satisfies national guidelines for assessing environmental impact. The public will have a chance to comment on the analysis, further delaying payment.

“I’m so ecstatic,” said Michelle Koetke, a Newbury Park resident who has been calling for an environmental study. “This is great.”

Recent rains had already forced the flood control district to suspend work on the ditch until Monday. Given FEMA’s decision, engineer Gunen said he did not know whether excavation would resume next week.

Both the chief project engineer and the director of the flood control district were on vacation and could not be reached for comment.

Building a debris catch-basin along Reino Road became a priority after last fall’s wildfires, which ripped through Newbury Park hillsides and stripped away vegetation that normally anchors the dirt.

Concerned that heavy rains could sweep soil and fallen branches down the hills, clogging a nearby flood control channel, engineers decided to build the 30-foot-deep debris basin between Lynn Road and Kimber Drive.

Soon after dirt-moving equipment rolled into the neighborhood and began scraping out the ditch, residents mobilized against the project. They posted a sign asking people to call the flood control district, and pestered local and federal officials to take action.

Of paramount concern was the county’s plan to flush all water from the debris basin into a concrete-lined channel.

Critics argued that ground water should be allowed to pool in the ditch, where it would naturally replenish the adjacent wetland. By pumping the water out, they said, county engineers could be draining the sensitive habitat.

“It certainly isn’t fair to wildlife to decrease the amount of habitat available to them on that land by pumping the water into the sewer,” said environmental specialist Ken Wilson of the state Department of Fish and Game.

Responding to those concerns, Gunen on Tuesday said the county’s engineers had agreed to stop draining the water within three weeks. For the time being, however, he said pumping was necessary so crews could finish excavating the ditch and sprinkle gravel along the bottom.

Gunen predicted that the county might have to pump intermittently this winter to keep the debris basin at maximum capacity. Too much water could keep the ditch from catching all the dead wood and silt that slip down from fire-scarred hillsides.

“It will take two to three years for the vegetation to come back,” Gunen said. “We will evaluate (growth on) the watershed area and we may feel comfortable leaving some water in the basin. We’ll play it by ear.”

In another concession to environmentalists, Gunen said the flood control district had agreed to drill three “monitoring wells” to analyze water flow. By measuring water levels in the wells and the basin, he said, hydrologists could determine whether the wetland was suffering.

But after-the-fact monitoring did not dim the clamor for a full environmental impact report.

“I like the idea of finding out what impact something will have before you go and cause that impact,” Planning Commissioner Linda Parks said.

FEMA’s decision to withhold funds pending an analysis cheered some critics of the project.

“We at least wanted this looked into,” said resident Jocelyn DeVault, who suggested that water pooling in the ditch be converted into a neighborhood duck pond. “This is good to hear. I’m excited.”