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Project To Install Nets To Reduce Debris Flow Threat To Montecito Moving Into High Gear

(Photo courtesy Kane GeoTech)
A ring net installed in Ventura County's Camarillo Springs to prevent debris flows. Similar custim made nets are planned for the fotthils above Montecito

This week marks the one year anniversary of the deadly 1/9 debris flow in Montecito which killed 23 people, injured more than 150, and destroyed or damaged hundreds of homes and businesses. With concern high that this year could bring more destructive debris flows, some residents formed a non-profit group which is trying to stand up to Mother Nature.

Work is set to get underway on a project to place 11 temporary debris flow protection nets in the foothills above Montecito.

Pat McElroy is Executive Director of the group, which is called the Partnership for Resilient Communities.

He says similar nets are already in use in about 40 locations around the state, and are custom designed for each spot.

The non-profit has been working with Santa Barbara County, as well as state and federal agencies to get permits for the emergency project. But, the effort is racing the calendar, as we move into the historically heaviest rainfall period of the year.

More than two million dollars has already been raised for the community funded project to try to prevent new catastrophic debris flows. But, the overall effort is expected to cost about seven million, so fundraising efforts are moving into high gear.

The nets are considered to be a temporary project. The permits are for five years, and it’s expected they will then be removed, as vegetation will have grown back to the point that they will no longer be needed.

Lance Orozco has been News Director of KCLU since 2001, providing award-winning coverage of some of the biggest news events in the region, including the Thomas and Woolsey brush fires, the deadly Montecito debris flow, the Borderline Bar and Grill attack, and Ronald Reagan's funeral. 
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