Horse Creek Dam, Horse Creek, CA

Through the joint efforts of several agencies and organizations, the defunct Horse Creek Dam in the San Rafael Wilderness within Santa Barbara County, California, was demolished in October 2006 by a blasting crew.

Measuring nine feet high and 60 feet wide, the dam was built in 1968 to capture debris flow following the large Wellman fire in the upper Sisquoc River drainage. By the spring of 1969, the reservoir behind the dam was completely filled with debris and was no longer serving its purpose. Since then, the dam has blocked the passage of steelhead and other aquatic species into seven miles of habitat above the dam and has also caused severe erosion downstream of the dam.   This project was funded in part through the partnership between NOAA Community-based Restoration Program and American Rivers.

For more information, contact Steve Rothert, American Rivers, (530) 478-5672.