Crews are still trucking loads of rock and mud from South Coast debris basins, and will expand beach disposal to Goleta Beach County Park starting Tuesday, the Santa Barbara County Public Works Department announced.
The county has been disposing of sediment at Carpinteria State Beach, at Ash Avenue, for two weeks, and has emergency permits to also truck loads to Goleta Beach and Butterfly Beach in Montecito.
Winter storms in the Thomas Fire burn area have produced large amounts of debris in the basins — which is being trucked to sites in Buellton, Santa Paula, and the Foothill Landfill in addition to beaches — but the county has no permanent debris sorting and disposal site.
Flood Control District officials have collected sediment samples from each debris basin site that will have material taken to the beaches, and the Public Health Department monitors ocean water quality, Public Works spokesman Lael Wageneck said Monday.
Beach ocean water testing results are online here.
Both beaches will be open as usual during the disposal work, as will the Beachside Bar Café at Goleta Beach.
The county and its contractors trucked sediment to both beaches following the Jan. 9, 2018, Montecito debris flows as well, and it was used for “beach nourishment” for the shorelines.
There has no estimate for how long the beach disposal would last.
— Noozhawk managing editor Giana Magnoli can be reached at gmagnoli@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.