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Debris flow nets to be installed in canyons above Montecito starting next week

Posted at 3:06 PM, Mar 18, 2019
and last updated 2019-03-18 22:33:49-04

Installation of netting to stop potential debris flows in the Montecito area is scheduled to begin next week.

Six stainless steel nets designed to stop rocks and debris in the case of a major mudslide will be installed above the creeks in Cold Springs Canyon, San Ysidro Canyon, and Buena Vista Canyon.

Installation is expected to be complete by mid-May.

The community got a chance to get a closer look at the netting and meet with organizers behind the project at a special event on Monday.

“You’re not gonna stop a debris flow but we feel like this will,” said Pat McElroy, Executive Director of the Partnership for Resilient Communities. “We’ve looked around the world this is the best mitigation that we have seen and so that’s what we adopted and tried to fund”

The Partnership for Resilient Communities is reportedly about $1 million short of their $5.4 million fundraising goal to pay for the nets. Donations can be made online.

Community members were invited to get a look at the netting during a public event in Montecito. (KSBY photo)