Foundational Site Assessment
Location: Santa Barbara, CA
Land & Climate Characteristics: The 100 acre property is draped across the valley through which Maria Ygnacio creek runs. Over 400′ of elevation change from ridge to valley bottom creates a range of very different microclimates. Wind and fire are major design factors that influence all structure placement, orientation and construction. Severe erosion issues from access routes with poorly designed drainage systems has created an annual erosion mitigation treadmill that needs to be addressed before additional elements can be layered in.
The property is an active horse boarding ranch, with multiple dwellings and many outbuildings. The family is looking to create multiple income streams from rental dwellings, horse boarding, and some agricultural production in addition to getting off the annual erosion damage treadmill that they inherited upon purchasing the property.
Foundational Site Assessment Key Takeaways
- Water
- Existing drainage patterns and resultant erosion problems (see gallery below) from poorly designed access routes and associated drainage structures has led to the loss of thousands of tons of topsoil from the property.
- Suggestions for re-patterning water flows with minimal changes to dramatically increase infiltration, decrease run-off and de-energize erosive flows.
15′ deep erosion gully ripped open by an unarmored 18″ culvert outlet. 
Muddy access road channeling water due to lack of effective drainage structures above. 
Water cannot exit this incised roadway, and therefore many tons of soil are lost with each rain event. 
Sedimented in drainage ditch that was installed to guide water flows around the lower flat zone. It did not work. 
Erosion gully outlet from the steep slopes above upon entering the lower flat area. 
Culvert discharging into open air – 12′ above the ground – where it has ripped open an erosion gully and moved hundreds of tons of soil. WHY?!? 
Headcut from un-patterned sheetflow run off on access road. 
Headcut incision at the edge of a road. 
Effects of an unarmored culvert discharge ont a clay road surface – trouble is coming! 
6′ deep erosion gully opened up by an unpacified culvert discharge point from a 12″ culver pipe. 
Barrage dams that were installed and quickly sedimented in and blown out by the incredibly powerful flows coming from above. 
Eroded low-standard road – grades as steep as 35% – never going to work!
- Access
- Significant access road decommissioning to some of the residential zones was recommended in cases where the cost required to remedy the drainage issues would be too great. Alternate routes were mapped that would require much less drainage infrastructure and would not concentrate surface flows in such a damaging way.
- Living Systems
- Existing avocado orchard mostly died during the prior drought years. Trees were sickly with Phytophtora root rot infections due to heavy soil, high salt content of well and creek water used for irrigation, and lack of associated guild plantings to maintain a healthy soil biology.
- Heavy presence of invasive species such as castor bean in the frequently disturbed areas that are constantly being filled in and repaired due to erosion damage.
- Economy
- Economic opportunities linked with shifts in land use were suggest dto improve the ranch’s financial security going forward, including scaling down current horse boarding operations that are at best break even and converting some of those facilities to tiny/small home residential rental units, which have proven very profitable.
Existing Conditions Map Callouts
Existing low standard access roads through the old avocado orchard in the center knoll of the property. 
Existing access roads on the western side of the property. 
Eastern half of the property. 
Existing sheet flow run off patterns from one of the horse arenas leading to severe erosion down-watershed. 
Existing run off patterning when water reaches the lower section of the property. 
Run off patterning from the upper horse arena. 
Contributing watersheds to Castelo Family Ranch. 
Map of existing drainage infrastructure creating the severe ongoing erosion problems. 
Existing water patterning in the lower flat area. 
Contributing watersheds at the western edge of the property. 
Contributing watershed of San Marcos Road hardscape that overloads the existing culvert infrastructure from the get go. 
Existing erosion patterns. 
Existing structures in the heart of the ranch horse boarding area.