Flood-Warning Siren Installed Near Dam

The first flood-warning siren for the Ventura River has been installed near Casitas Dam and the rest will be completed by mid-June, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced Friday.

Work to buttress the dam to protect it over the long haul against a powerful earthquake could temporarily weaken it during the two-year construction period. Eight alarms are being installed along the river to warn of a collapse, an event deemed very unlikely but possible, officials said.

By mid-June, seven more sirens will have been installed on the portion of the river that winds through west Ventura. The locations are California 33 and Nye Road, Foster Bowl and Santa Ana Road, North Ventura Avenue near Norway Drive, California 33 and Stanley Road, the Ventura Fire Station at North Ventura Avenue and Ramona Street, West Main Street near the Ortega Adobe, and Santa Clara Avenue near the Ventura County museum.

Once the sirens are installed, audible tests will be conducted. Dates for that drill have not been announced.

Federal officials consider Casitas Dam one of the most quake-vulnerable in the nation. If it collapsed, officials say, a wall of water and mud up to 30 feet deep would reach the ocean, inundating much of western and downtown Ventura in little more than an hour. Perhaps 400 people would be killed and property losses might reach $350 million, according to the bureau.

For information on evacuation procedures and community meetings, call 805-641-9494 or visit a Web site at www.casitasdamsafety.net.