Saturated bluffs, canyons and hillsides remain potential problem spots

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Geology experts are keeping a close eye on certain areas across Santa Barbara County, from mountain foothills to coastal bluffs, following historic levels of rain this Winter.

"Areas of concern during and after the major Winter and early Spring storms are foothills, including Mission Canyon and the Botanic Garden which will likely continue to experience flooding and smaller debris flows, mud flows," said Paul Alessio.

Alessio, an Earth Science postdoctoral fellow at UCSB, said Montecito is probably not prime for another "high magnitude" debris flow, thanks to painstaking efforts over the past five years to clear out debris basins and widen creeks. However, he worries about build-up in Mission Canyon and Rattlesnake Canyon because they are chock-full of sediment, rocks and massive boulders, some the size of a car.

 "I'm more concerned about the sediment loading in the creeks and watershed. That material could jam up some of the creek and cause some flooding in a later year."

Saturated slopes and shallow landslides are also a concern, given how much rain we've had.

Alessio ticked off other potential problem spots.

 "Areas of concern are gonna include kind of any region with really steep slopes and soils, coastal cliffs, areas that can experience shallow landslides or deep-seated landslides. Elings Park is a good one. The areas of More Mesa. The areas of the foothills of Santa Barbara. Actually, the steeper slopes of the Santa Ynez Valley."

He said there are also concerns surrounding the community of La Conchita and the potential for a "deep seated" landslide. That could happen later in the season as rain water "percolates" deeper into the soil, triggering a new landslide or "remobilizing" the previous slides from 1995 and 2005.