Santa Barbara County received $28.1 million in the Thomas Fire lawsuit settlement with Southern California Edison, which will go toward Public Works projects and future litigation with the utility company.

It cost the county $94 million in expenses related to the 2017 Thomas Fire, subsequent Jan. 9, 2018, Montecito debris flow, and storm readiness and response efforts, budget director Jeff Frapwell told the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.  

Investigators said the Thomas Fire was started by Southern California Edison’s equipment, and the company has been sued by public agencies and private individuals in the years since the blaze.

Last year, SCE reached a $150 million settlement with public entities for the Thomas Fire and a $210 million settlement for the Woolsey Fire. Other plaintiffs in the Thomas Fire case include the city of Santa Barbara, which received $6.8 million, and the Montecito Water District, which received about $8 million.

The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved Frapwell’s recommendations for allocating the settlement money, including $10 million for road projects, $8 million for the general fund, $2 million for flood control reserves, $5 million for legal defense costs in litigation with SCE, and $3 million for a reserve fund related to an audit of disaster funding and reimbursements.

Frapwell noted that the county could receive more money as part of the settlement, up to $15.8 million, depending on pending damage claims, grants and reimbursements.

Public Works Director Scott McGolpin said the road project funding will focus on Montecito and Carpinteria routes impacted by the debris flows and the thousands of truck trips during cleanup efforts and recovery.

The Public Works Department has priority road sections to repair in Montecito and Carpinteria, below, that were damaged in the Jan. 9, 2018, debris flows and recovery.  (Santa Barbara County photo)

On average, roads in the Montecito area that were used while hauling debris lost 10 to 20 years of service life in a few months, he said.

Montecito resident Cliff Gherson said the road infrastructure was heavily damaged by the debris flows themselves and the heavy equipment used to clean it up.

Local streets are also seeing more vehicle traffic lately from commuters who are trying to avoid Highway 101 backups, noted Gherson, who is a member of the Montecito Association’s transportation committee.

The Public Works Department has a list of 60 priority road sections to restore to “pre-debris flow condition.”

First District Supervisor Das Williams praised the “can-do spirit” of the Public Works Department, noting that construction has already started on a section of Olive Mill Road.

— Noozhawk managing editor Giana Magnoli can be reached at gmagnoli@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.