FLOOD-PRONE STREET DREADS WET WINTER; NEIGHBORS LIVING BELOW GRADING SITE.

Byline: Kevin F. Sherry / Daily News Staff Writer

The threat of a particularly soggy winter from severe El Nino conditions has some Thousand Oaks residents wondering if they will be left stuck in the mud.

Residents on Blackwood Street, in the southwest corner of Newbury Park, fear that a 25-foot dirt hill created during grading for the Dos Vientos development could collapse if winter rains are as heavy as forecasters predict.

``The immediate concern is that this could become one big mudslide,'' said Michelle Koetke, a Blackwood Street resident and president of Residents to Preserve Newbury Park. ``We had our first drops of rain (Monday) night and people said, `I guess they're not kidding.' ''

Residents should not be immediately worried about runoff from the slope, said City Engineer Gil Pableo.

The hill ``could take a significant amount of rain,'' Pableo said. ``You could have a lot of rain, but if you provide for it . . . no problem.''

The project's developer, Courtly Homes, did not return calls for comment.

Courtly Homes is developing 1,200 homes on 900 acres of the Dos Vientos project. A second developer, Operating Engineers Funds Inc., is developing lots for 800 homes on 1,400 acres of the project.

The site has an erosion protection plan. Erosion controls must be in place by Nov. 15, Pableo said.

Several residents on the street long have been opposed to Dos Vientos, but the weather patterns caused by the ocean-warming trend known as El Nino have them especially on edge.

``They're predicting a really bad winter,'' said resident Mary Frances Duocedame.

On Tuesday, Duocedame sent a letter to City Hall that asked officials to address the problem of the dirt hill immediately.

``We're just counting on human engineering for it to stand still,'' she said.

The house next to Joeleen Steinweg's home was flooded last year after construction diverted water into the back yard. A small ditch at the bottom of the hill does not allay concerns, Steinweg said.

``It just doesn't look like it's going to catch it all,'' she said.

Those who fear they are in the path of a potential mudslide would prefer to see some trees and bushes on the hill to hold the soil intact.

``It's a dirt mountain with absolutely nothing on it yet,'' Steinweg said.

Developers have long touted how beautiful the dirt mound will look once it has been landscaped, Duocedame said.

But for now, ``there is nothing to hold it there,'' she said. ``They should plant something. I really think they owe it to us.''