The vast majority of Airport property is within the 100‐year floodplain. The area is very flat, and flooding has occurred several times in the past resulting in the closure of the Airport in 1995, 1998, 2018 and more recently in 2023 and 2024. The Goleta Slough and areas along San Pedro, Carneros, Las Vegas, and Tecolotito Creeks are within the Regulatory Floodway, where there are severe restrictions on development. Conveyance of floodwater is challenging December 13, 2022 because the airfield is several hundred acres in size, at the bottom of the watershed, and dominated by impervious surfaces.
The existing storm drainage system is comprised of surface swales, inlet and outfall structures, and drainpipes. Storm drains discharge directly to Tecolotito, Carneros, and San Pedro Creeks and to the tidal channels in the Goleta Slough. During and after storm events, ponding occurs in various locations throughout the airport. Ponding is generally attributed to higher than normal water levels at the storm drainage outlets in the creeks and the Goleta Slough. The existing system drains ponded water from the property after the Goleta Slough and the creeks’ water levels have receded. Mapping and cataloging the conditions of these systems has not comprehensively occurred since 2001.
The scope for the Drainage Master Plan (DMP)will create a comprehensive plan to guide stormwater management associated with future development and buildout of the airport properties, within the Project Area boundary, to address surface stormwater drainage including collection, conveyance, quantity, and quality design objectives and environmental protections in support of regional stormwater management goals and strategies. The DMP will comply with the FAA’s Advisory Circular 150/5320-5D Airport Drainage Design standards. The DMP shall address existing and future development features as identified in the current 5- year Capital Improvement Program and as prepared under the concurrent Master Plan Update (MPU) for the 5-year to 20-year planning horizon currently under development.
The work of the DMP includes drainage system inventory, hydrologic and hydraulic analysis, conceptual designs to guide the future construction (storm drainage systems, drainage structures, drainage channel grading, erosion control measures, flood control and detention basins), and project cost estimates for future drainage improvements aligned with the MPU Capital Plan.
To learn more about the Master Plan Update, visit our website Master Plan Update | Fly SBA (santabarbaraca.gov)