Government survey begins to measure shoreline changes after winter storm runoff

The U.S. Geological Survey has experts on several local beaches with sophisticated equipment this week to determine what’s happened to the shoreline after an intense winter runoff from the Jan. 9, 2018 storm and other rain events.

Crews were on and offshore in Carpinteria early Tuesday morning capturing images at the surfline and under the water over a sweeping area.

The study area includes Carpinteria, Ventura and the very altered Montecito shores, which alone was devastated upstream during the January 9n debris flows that killed 21 verified people, and two others were never located.

USGS scientists are measuring beach topography and seafloor bathymetry. They know there have been coastal changes unlike anything the area has seen in years.

Researchers with special GPS units on backpacks and on an all-terrain vehicle are doing beach surveys.

Personal watercraft are equipped with GPS, echo sounders, and sonar for bathymetry (underwater) surveys. The last time a massive sediment flow hit the area was during the storm of 2005.

Coastal measurements are taken regularly but this year is of particular interest because of the quantity of material that moved down at least 11 drainages.

There will be four days of mapping. For more information go to https://www.usgs.gov/news/mapping-beach-changes-after-devastating-montecito-debris-flows.