Edhat Staff
(Photo: Max Rosenberg)
Source: County of Santa Barbara
Debris removal and clean-up efforts continue throughout Montecito, Carpinteria and surrounding areas impacted by the January storms and debris flows. Public information on debris removal and clean-up on private property is now available on the County’s website at www.CountyofSB.org.
Public Property Debris
As of today, emergency clearance has been completed in five of 11 debris basins impacted by the storm. This means approximately 36% of the work has been completed. Additionally, the County is working on clearing the affected channels that carry water to the ocean. Many of these channels remain filled with debris and are not able to transport water to the ocean. This work is critical for future storm readiness.
Currently, materials from public roads and debris basins are being transported to several sites. Material for sorting is taken to Ventura County Fairgrounds. Construction-type debris is transported to the Tajiguas Landfill, vegetation to the South Coast Recycling and Transfer Station, and rocks to a facility in Santa Paula. Clean mud and sand, which is the majority of the material needing removal, continues to be transported to Goleta State Beach and Ash Avenue beaches in Carpinteria. The County continues to evaluate other debris relocation sites and options.
Private Property Debris
Mud and debris can be set aside in an area on the property for now. Doing so will minimize the amount of mud and debris being deposited in landfills and traffic congestion in the impacted areas. The County is developing a debris removal plan and will communicate this plan to the community in the coming weeks. Mud and debris should never be piled in a location (such as creek beds and other water channels) that will cause an impact in future storms.
Property owners removing mud and debris through private contractors can consult Public Work’s Waste Removal Options handout for information on facilities accepting mud and debris.
The cost to dispose of these materials can be expensive. However, the cost is typically less if materials can be separated by material type rather than mixed. For example, facilities typically charge less for a load of soil only rather than a load of soil, rocks, and a damaged couch.
An FAQ on the debris removal on private property is now available on the County website www.CountyofSB.org under the “January 2018 Storm Information and Updates” link. In the coming days, FAQs will be posted on various incident topics, including the future of the disaster zones, ocean water quality, storm readiness and more.
Whomever it was who made the decision to dump that toxic mud on our beaches will forever remain a villain in my book.
Where did the businesses on Coast Village Road put all of their debris? Some businesses had 3-4 feet of mud. It’s now all gone. Did the businesses “set aside” all that mess on their property? Was the debris dumped on the beach? Why was the beach used as a dumping ground instead of the millions of square feet of public land located within Montecito that is outside the slide area? These are questions the public needs to ask, considering the massive environmental damage that has been done to the beaches and the ocean from the debris dump.