What will California coastal commission do about dirt from 13 acres of dirt now covering Highway 1?

I tried to share this article with you because if you live anywhere in the world and come to California and expect to drive from Monterey to Morro Bay, or anywhere in between this affects your journey on Highway 1 in California through Big Sur. However, the software is very unusual so I displayed it the best I could here: begin quote from: Carmel Pine Cone, June 2, 2017, Download Manager 1 day ago ... ... slide from Highway 1 in Big Sur, one of the biggest problems is: Where will the coastal commission let them put all that dirt? ... more preview. pineconearchive.com/downloads170602.html Have the complete Carmel Pine Cone delivered every Thursday evening to your iPad, laptop, PC or phone. Free subscriptions avail able at www.carmelpinecone.com TRUSTED BY LOCALS AND LOVED BY VISITORS SINCE 1915 Volume 103 No. 22 On the Internet: www.carmelpinecone.com June 2 - 8, 2017 What will coastal commission say about the dirt? n By land or by sea, a mountain’s worth of slide debris needs new home By CHRIS COUNTS W ILL BULLDOZER operators be able to use their heavy equipment to push the countless tons of rocks and dirt that block Highway 1 at Mud Creek into the sea? Or will they need to fill up a parade of dump trucks and transport the material elsewhere — just as they were required to do nearby in 2011? The answer to this question could have a big impact on when the scenic route will be open again from Cambria to Carmel. “We had a meeting with local stakeholders, and they asked a similar question,” Susana Cruz of Caltrans reported this week. “We’re still investigating, and we’ve started talking to the California Coastal Commission about it. The coastal commission, the state’s powerful land use watchdog agency, has previously required that the debris from slides be trucked away to locations where it will supposedly have less impact on the environ- ment. The mountains along the coast are relentlessly eroding into the sea, but environmentalists often argue that humans shouldn’t accelerate the process by mov- ing the debris left by landslides downhill more quickly than Mother Nature would. But trucking material long dis- tances has its own environmental costs, if only because the trucks will use a massive amount of gasoline. Coastal commission planner Mike Watson told The Pine Cone it is too early to say if the rocks and dirt will need to go By MARY SCHLEY   PHOTO/MICHAEL TROUTMAN, DMT IMAGING The Mud Creek slide has added 13 acres to the California coastline and perplexed officials who wonder how they will dispose of so much debris ‡ Š – ‘ – † ‡ ˜ ‘   ‹ ƒ Ž  ‹ ’ —  ™ ‘ ” ‰ ‰  ‹ ˜ ƒ Š Š … – — ‹ Ž ‹ – ‹ Ž Š Š – ‹ ‹ – Š ‰ ‹ ‰  ‹ – ‡ Ž ’  ‘ … ” ‡ – ˆ ˆ– ƒ • –  ‡ ” ƒ ’ • ‹ Š Š – ‹ ™ ƒ ‡ ” ƒ – ‹ ‘ ” – ‡ ‡   • ” ‘ Ž ‡ Š … ƒ ƒ Š – ‹ ™  ‘ ‹ – ƒ — ‹ Ž „ ‘ › ” ƒ – ‹ Ž ‹  • ‹ Š † ‡ Ž Ž ˆ ˆβ  ‹ ‰  Ž ƒ … ‹ – — ƒ  ‘ ” ‡  ‹ ‡ ‡ ” ‰ ‡ ‡ Š –  ‹ ‰  ‹ ˜ ” ‡ • › „  ‘ ‹ – ƒ ‰ ‹ ‡  ‡  ‡ Š – ‡ Š  ‹ ” ‡ ‡   ‡  ƒ • ƒ › ˜ ƒ - Ǧ Ž Ž — ˆ ˆ— • ” ‘ – ‘ Ž ƒ ” ‡   ” ‘ – … ‡ ” ‹ ˆ ‘ † ” ƒ ‘ ‡ Š –  ‘ ‡ Š – • ƒ Ž Ž ‡ ™ • ƒ  ‘ ‹ – ƒ ‹ … ‘ • • ‹ ™ • ‹ Š › „ † ‡ ˜ ‹ ˜ ” — • • ‹ ‡ ‡  ‘ †  ƒ – ” ‡ „ ‘ • ‡ Ž ” ƒ Š ” – • ‡ ” ‘ ‡ –  ‘ Ž ‡ ‡ Š – ” ‘ ˆ ˆ‘ • ”  ƒ ˜ ” ‡ •  ‘ – • ‡ ” Š … ” — ‘ ˆ ˆ‘ • ‹ Š †  ƒ  ‡ Ž Ž › ” ƒ ‡  ƒ Š ƒ ” ƒ – Š ‰ — ƒ † †  ƒ ” ‰ ” ‡  ™ › – ” ‡ ’ ‘ ” Š … – — † ” ƒ ‘ › …     ‡ †  ƒ ƒ Ž ‹ ‡ Š   Ž › ” ‡ Š    ‡ ” † Ž ‹ Š … ’ ‡ – • ‘ ™ –    ‡ †  ƒ ” ‡ ˜ ‹ ƒ ‰ ‡   „ †  ƒ ‡ … ƒ  —  ‡ ” † Ž ‹ Š … †  ƒ ” ‰ ’ ‡ – • Š – †  ƒ †  ‹  ƒ • ƒ ™ ‡ ‘ ƒ ˜ ‘‡ ‘ˆ –Š‡ ˜‡”› ˆ‡™ •–—†‡–• ‰”ƒ–‡ elsewhere, but he conceded doing so might not be viable because there aren’t enough sites nearby to dump all the material. “It’s probably impracticable to cart it all off,” Watson said. In 2011, road crews working on the much smaller Alder Creek slide were required to truck the material they cleared from the roadway to dump sites about four miles to the north, and about one mile to the south. Some Big Sur residents, though, pointed out the irony of using so much heavy equip- ment and gasoline to avoid harming the environment. Before a decision is made about how to dispose of the debris from the Mud Creek slide, Watson said more studies need to be completed — including some using a drone, and others done underwater by divers. “We’re still trying to figure out how big the slide is,” Watson added. “We don’t know what our options are yet. Once we have all the information, I imagine we’ll have a dis- cussion. We’ll get together with all the agencies and the county, and we’ll make a decision together.” The scenic route at Mud Creek has been closed since heavy rains triggered the slide in February. Last month, offi- cials conceded the situation had become much worse as the slide continued to move. On May 20, it suffered an immense collapse that buried a quarter-mile of roadway and added 13 acres to the California shoreline, according to USCS. At the moment, there’s no timetable for reopening the highway — and the timetable gets longer and longer as officials ponder what to do.