Forest Service’s Gap Fire Report Raises Debris Alarms

http://www.noozhawk.com/noozhawk/article/0905us_forest_service_releases_burn_area_emergency_response_report/

By Sonia Fernandez, Noozhawk Staff Writer

With rainy season looming, hydromulching and other flooding precautions are being deployed to blunt downstream impacts.

The U.S. Forest Service has released its Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) Assessment, a report describing the impacts of the Gap Fire and what measures the agency intends to take in response.

According to the report, the Gap Fire burned about 9,544 acres, roughly half of which was located on Los Padres National Forest land.

The blaze, which started July 1 and burned the foothills directly above the Goleta Valley, affected several facilities, including the Southern California Edison powerline, a Goleta Water District treatment plant, and the Cachuma Operation and Maintenance Board underground water pipeline and reservoirs. Orchards, roads and a cultural site were also damaged by the fire.

The report labeled the soil burn severity as moderate, but rated the potential for flooding as “high to very high,” and warned of threats to both life and property, particularly in the areas directly downstream of the burned watersheds. Approximately 300,000 cubic yards of sediment is at risk of descending.

“Increased flooding, sedimentation and debris flow probability have the potential to damage 120-plus residences, 70-plus business properties, impact Highway 101 and the railroad, which could result in closure, close the Santa Barbara Airport, cause power outages if debris flows affect the powerline, and affect domestic water supplies through impacts to the water treatment plant and the Cachuma Operation and Maintenance board water pipeline,” said the BAER report.

“These potential serious and long-lasting impacts to downstream values are estimated to be over $23 million.”

The airport, it said, could lose an estimated $1.4 million per closure, and a $10 million wetland restoration project in the Goleta Slough could be destroyed.

While local jurisdictions intensify pre-winter preparations downstream, the Forest Service will be doing aerial hydromulching on its half of the burn area. Hydromulch is an organic mixture of wood mulch, recycled paper, water and a thickening agent, and it’s dropped on the ground to protect the soil from erosion until native vegetation can be re-established. Hydromulch poses no threat to people, animals or the environment, according to Los Padres National Forest spokeswoman Kathy Good. A green dye is mixed in to help pilots monitor the application, but the hydromulch soon fades to a brownish-gray.

“We’re looking to do that toward the end of this month,” Good said. “Our goal is to have all the treatments done before the first rain.”

According to the Forest Service, it has authority only to treat its own land. Its sister agency, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, has dedicated funds to Santa Barbara County’s pre-winter preparations.

Other treatments, including the use of geonetting and even weather modification were considered in the report, but those and several other possible options were deemed inferior to aerial hydromulching. The Forest Service will be banning access to the mulched areas for a year to allow the soil and vegetation to recover.

Additionally, the Forest Service will explore whether it should erect debris racks at certain locations within the forest, install signs at key access points, monitor USFS land for invasive weeds as the burn area recovers, and coordinate with local agencies to inform the community. A public meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday at San Marcos High, 4750 Hollister Ave., where officials with various agencies will discuss flood protection measures with the public.

Click here for the BAER report. They are also available at the Forest Supervisor’s office at 6755 Hollister Ave., Suite 150.

Noozhawk staff writer Sonia Fernandez can be reached at sfernandez@noozhawk.com.

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