Arroyo Burro Creek to Get $1.9 Million Makeover

The Santa Barbara City Council approved spending $1.9 million to make over a 1,440-foot-long stretch of Arroyo Burro Creek alongside Las Positas Road. The project is to rid the creek of Arundo donax ​— ​a notoriously stubborn plant originally harvested to make saxophone reeds ​— ​expand the creek’s channel, stabilize its banks, improve water infiltration, and create a more inviting riparian experience for the public. The plan complements the recently funded effort to build a Class I bike path along Las Positas from Modoc Road to Cliff Drive. About $1 million of the creek restoration money comes from state grants; the remainder from voter-approved Measure B revenue.