Captured sand from Carpinteria Valley debris basins to be moved to replenish beaches
CARPINTERIA, Calif. – The City of Carpinteria and Santa Barbara County Flood Control are transporting rocks, gravel and sand deposited in the Carpinteria Valley Watershed debris basins by recent rainstorms to Carpinteria City Beach.
Moving this collected debris from the Santa Monica, Gobernador and Arroyo Paredon basins is an important part of the basin's role in limiting the impact of debris flows and flooding on residents.
Carpinteria City Manager Dave Durflinger explains why the destination matters as well, “On the coastal side of Carpinteria Valley, it is also important that collected sediments are transported to the shoreline, where the natural material buttresses our beaches from erosion and vulnerability to winter storm surges, swells and tidal events."
Without these debris basins, thousands of tons of sediment would follow the path of water to the sea.
Along the way, this debris can cause erosion and blockages of waterways, putting the people that live in the area at direct risk.
That direct risk inspired the construction of these debris basins in the 1970s with the intent to channel much of the debris and water away from neighborhoods.
As successful as these debris basins have been in limiting flooding into neighborhoods, they have also captured sediment that would limit beach erosion which necessitates moving the captured sand from these debris basins to the beach.
“The City believes that the most beneficial long-term debris basin sediment management program includes routine deposition of qualified mineral sediments on the shoreline that optimizes long-term cost-effectiveness, environmental benefits and public safety,” said Matt Roberts, City of Carpinteria’s Director of Parks, Recreation and Public Facilities.
Emergency permits have been issued to just that, but for residents, hauling all that debris can cause noise and traffic impacts but the long term impacts on safety outweigh those short-term issues the City of Carpinteria explains in an associated press release.
