California's young mountains and frequent wildfires create a perfect storm for deadly mudslides. Authorities are using debris basins, nets, and mapping technology to mitigate the risk, but these efforts come with challenges and costs.
One of the best ways to manage landslides is with debris basins — pits carved out of the landscape to catch material flowing downhill, the U.S. Geological Survey saysMudslides are dangerous torrents that are usually referred to by geologists and first responders as debris flows. They have been particularly lethal inCalifornia has worked to add tools to protect against mudslides, including pinpointing hot spots, creating basins and placing nets to capture falling debris before it hits homes.
Burning vegetation and soil on a slope more than doubles the rate of water runoff, according to the California Department of Conservation, and there have been severe events over the years. In 1934 a storm over the Southern California mountains unleashed runoff so intense that 30 people were killed, more than 480 homes were destroyed.
But basins, which can require a lot of land, can also disrupt the natural ecosystem and lead to beaches needing to be replenished by collecting sediment that flows out of the canyons, according to experts. They’re also costly — Santa Barbara County spent $20 million on a new basin after 2018 — and must be emptied occasionally or they can be overwhelmed by new landslides or mudslides.
Environment LANDSLIDES MUDSLIDES DEBRIS BASINS CALIFORNIA WILDFIRE
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