Post by Keith on Jan 22, 2023 9:29:39 GMT -6
From mattresses to golf balls, California beaches are littered with debris following recent storms
After weeks of winter storms that brought flooding rains to California, water hasn't been the only thing flowing into the ocean. A mishmash of debris, trash and worn items, such as golf balls, has been deposited on beaches along the coastline. These piles of storm debris aren't just ruining the tranquil landscape; they're creating a hazard for the wildlife that calls the California beaches their home, according to officials.
Following a series of floods decades ago in Southern California that cost millions of dollars in property damage, officials channelized the Los Angeles River. The concert channels would not only direct water from heavy rain events straight into the ocean, but they would keep the floodwaters out of the streets and neighborhoods, reducing the amount of property damage each time a heavy rainstorm and flooding occurred.
"We're basically a desert, we get flash floods. That's why the channels were built the way they were – they were designed to carry large volumes of water that comes suddenly," Kim Buss, a senior environmental resources specialist for Orange County Public Works, told The Press-Telegram. "The idea was to keep it away from the properties and (direct it) into the ocean, where it eventually would be headed anyway."
www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/storm-debris-from-mattresses-to-golf-balls-litters-calif-beaches/1471237
After weeks of winter storms that brought flooding rains to California, water hasn't been the only thing flowing into the ocean. A mishmash of debris, trash and worn items, such as golf balls, has been deposited on beaches along the coastline. These piles of storm debris aren't just ruining the tranquil landscape; they're creating a hazard for the wildlife that calls the California beaches their home, according to officials.
Following a series of floods decades ago in Southern California that cost millions of dollars in property damage, officials channelized the Los Angeles River. The concert channels would not only direct water from heavy rain events straight into the ocean, but they would keep the floodwaters out of the streets and neighborhoods, reducing the amount of property damage each time a heavy rainstorm and flooding occurred.
"We're basically a desert, we get flash floods. That's why the channels were built the way they were – they were designed to carry large volumes of water that comes suddenly," Kim Buss, a senior environmental resources specialist for Orange County Public Works, told The Press-Telegram. "The idea was to keep it away from the properties and (direct it) into the ocean, where it eventually would be headed anyway."
www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/storm-debris-from-mattresses-to-golf-balls-litters-calif-beaches/1471237