To drivers passing by on Highway 33 and even those who pull off along the side of the road to cool off in the waters of Matilija Creek, the hulking concrete structure tucked behind a rocky hillside is all but invisible. 

But for nearly 80 years, Matilija Dam has wielded a quiet power over the city of Ventura and the Ojai Valley north of Los Angeles County, reshaping the landscape of both the creek and beaches over a dozen miles away. It’s also sat useless for decades — and it finally might come down in the next one, if Ventura County can scrounge up around $300 million.

Matilija Creek’s headwaters start in Santa Barbara County’s Santa Ynez Mountains, and the creek then winds through the Matilija Wilderness in Ventura County before eventually connecting with the North Fork of Matilija Creek, where the two waterways combine to form the Ventura River, which stretches for 15 miles out to the Pacific Ocean. 

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People hang out along Matilija Creek near Ojai, Calif.

An overhead view of Matilija Dam and the reminants of Matilija Lake near Ojai, Calif.

Matilija Dam, which blocks Matilija Creek before it connects with the North Fork, was constructed for water storage and flood control back in 1947 at the urging of Ojai farmers and ranchers. It was nearly doomed from the start. In the dam’s early years, an alkali silica reaction in the concrete reduced its strength and it experienced rapid sediment accumulation. In 1965, less than 20 years after the dam’s completion, its height needed to be notched lower to relieve pressure — and it was lowered again in 1977. 

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“The dam no longer serves its original purpose and has been considered non-functional for decades due to structural concerns and extreme sediment build-up,” states the county’s website focused on the Matilija Dam Ecosystem Restoration Project. 

The lake behind the dam has........

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