A portion of Jesusita Trail closed to the public this week as SCE makes trail and creek repairs linked to illegal dumping

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Work to remediate a rock dumping incident in Mission Creek along Inspiration Point Trail began Monday, February 3.

Southern California Edison (SCE) notified our newsroom last Friday that it is working with the City of Santa Barbara to close Jesusita Trail above Mission Creek for a few days so crews can remove more than a ton of rocks, boulders and debris that an SCE-hired contractor dumped during a road excavation job back in December. 

Mary Ann Milbourn, Media Advisor to SCE, sent the following statement Friday regarding Mission Creek Trail Repairs:

"Storm activity over the last year damaged access roads in Santa Barbara County that are used by Southern California Edison to reach electrical infrastructure for necessary maintenance and repair. SCE anticipated that fixing the access roads would require both brush clearance and minor road work. While conducting the necessary road maintenance activities in mid-December, SCE crews performed more extensive grading than originally expected, resulting in debris moving down the slope and into Mission Creek and other unintended impacts to this area.  

SCE seeks to minimize the potential environmental impacts of its infrastructure development and maintenance projects and seeks to comply with all environmental permitting requirements. SCE is cooperating with various federal, state, and local agencies investigating this situation and will work with these agencies to repair damage and restore the creek.

Once a remediation plan has been developed, the company will obtain any required permits to complete the work. In the interim, SCE has implemented temporary measures to stabilize slopes above Mission Creek. In addition, SCE is working with the City of Santa Barbara over the next week to remove rocks and debris near the Jesusita Trail above Mission Creek. For the safety of the public, the trail will be closed during the work next week. We understand the inconvenience and appreciate the public’s patience."