Camarillo City Council: Camarillo Springs hillside safety project moves forward
prostate arial, dosage sans-serif;”>By Logan McFadden
no rx arial,sans-serif;”>In a special meeting on September 9, 2015, the Camarillo City Council voted 4-0 to move forward with Kane Geo Tech’s (Kane) design recommendations for improvements to the hillside above the Camarillo Springs community. Councilmember Charlotte Craven was not present.
The Camarillo Springs Community is at high risk for future debris flows in the event of heavy rains. It was determined after additional geological studies that previous hillside work completed at a cost of approximately $1 million is not sufficient to avert another major debris flow. Of the $1 million, the federal government awarded a $750,000 grant to pay for leveling out areas on the hillside to create platforms to dissipate the energy of future debris flows. Kane has assessed the hillside and determined that five debris barriers should be constructed on the hillside; two on each of two major debris flow channels and one on a channel at the bottom of the hillside.
The debris barriers are pre-fabricated, partially assembled and built with high strength steel. The barriers have been stress tested by the manufacturer. The Council approved a sole purchase contract to order the materials for construction before the construction contract is awarded on September 28th. The City will open the construction bid process concurrently with the materials order. The delivery of the materials to the project site is expected by September 28th. The City, homeowners association and Longo are close to working out a three-party hillside access agreement. The plan is to complete the barriers in November. The project risk hangs on the El Nino weather event(s) which could cause heavy rains before the construction is completed.
Two homeowners spoke regarding concerns about a “young” erosion channel for which a berm needs to be constructed to stop a potential future major debris flow. The young channel is between the two major channels and could impact three homes. Mayor Bill Little said the City is aware of the potential hazard, however, the City elected to focus on the greatest risk. A separate design will be undertaken to secure the young erosion channel. One of the homeowners expressed that the K-rails placed on the hillside to divert the debris flow are “useless”. Kane will do more K-rail analysis.
Mayor Little stated that the City has committed $1.2 million to complete the five debris barriers. Materials cost $400,000 and construction $800,000. The $1.2 million is much less than the $2.1 million estimated prior to Kane’s debris barrier recommendation. The mayor commended the staff for its work on the hillside safety project and stated that he believes the proposed project has been “done the right way”.
Hills above Camarillo Springs
Camarillo Council Meeting Archive
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Logan McFadden is a Citizensjournal.us city reporter and a recently retired banker, residing in Camarillo. He volunteers for the Heritage Action Sentinel team and serves as the AMAC Delegate to the 26th Congressional District.
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