Isla Vista beaches closed ahead of Deltopia weekend

ISLA VISTA, Calif. – The beaches at Isla Vista will be closed this upcoming Friday and Saturday in anticipation for Deltopia, the town's unsanctioned street party.

The Santa Barbara County Community Services Department decided to close the beaches on April 1 and 2 to prevent a re-occurrence of the conditions that resulted from the 2009 "Floatopia" event that damaged the environment and community, said Jeff Bozarth, South County Parks operations manager.

"Following the “Floatopia” event of 2009, the beaches at Isla Vista were left strewn with trash and debris, including human waste," Bozarth said.

"This large-scale event with thousands of participants had no provision for the health and well-being of the public, including no facilities for human sanitation or refuse collection."

Santa Barbara County has closed the Isla Vista beaches for similar events since 2010.

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department will enforce the beach closures over the weekend.