Some Oceano neighbors want more to be done after frequent flooding near the Arroyo Grande Creek.
When San Luis Obispo County Public Works came in to clear the debris out near the Arroyo Grande Creek Wednesday morning, Utilities Division Manager Ron Munds says they found things like trash and blankets among the tree branches that were clogging up the drains. Munds says, however, it’s hard to know if the trash they found originated from the area.
Neighbors off Aloha Place believe a homeless encampment near Delta Lane could be to blame, but the homeless say they have nowhere else to go.
“The warming center is a great little place but we get there, we get addicted, we get adapted to it and then they don’t open. So what do we do? We’re out on the street again,” said a homeless man who asked to be referred to as “Grandpa.”
Back in 2010, Aloha Place filled up with water after a period of heavy rains, and there have been some flooding issues periodically ever since.
“We had this house on Honolulu Avenue get flooded down below. It’s two stories and the bottom floor flooded really bad and they had to go in and replace the flooring and some walls and stuff,” said Oceano housekeeper, Donna Cor-Vey.
While some repairs have been done, there’s still concern something like this could happen again.
“(The homeowners) are pretty concerned. If this was my house I’d be pretty concerned; I’d be building retaining walls to keep the water out,” Cor-Vey said.
Some of the homeless that live near the Arroyo Grande Creek say they’re trying their best to keep the area clean.
“We put a new order out. Everyone who leaves, they take a bag of trash out here with them; we’re trying to get that going. We clean up other people’s trash that they mess up,” Grandpa said.
The county says this area received more water than usual Tuesday night but during rain events, county crews still come out frequently to make sure things here are clear.
