TOPANGA : Officials Keep Watch Over Mudslide Area

As rain pummeled the area Wednesday, officials from the county’s Department of Public Works kept a watchful eye on mud sliding into Topanga Creek.

Officials fear that if the rains continue, the mud will eventually dam the creek and then burst, flooding homes downstream, said Don Wolfe, deputy director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works.

“When it rains like this, we are going to monitor it on a 24-hour basis,” he said.

The California Highway Patrol, state Department of Transportation and the county Sheriff’s Department will be notified immediately if mudslides appear to threaten motorists, he said.

The mudslide is on the west side of Topanga Canyon Boulevard about a mile north of the Post Office in Topanga.

Wolfe said he will meet Jan. 19 with Topanga residents to discuss what to do about the sliding mud.

Residents say the county has procrastinated in resolving the problem. But Wolfe said he was unaware of it until he began receiving letters from residents after the initial slide occurred in April.

Until recently, county officials have been unable to study the mudslide area because they were denied access by property owners, Wolfe said.

Moreover, he said, the county can’t just begin removing debris without drilling to find out what is underneath. “If you remove debris, it could trigger a larger landslide.”

As part of a possible long-term solution, county officials have suggested building a concrete barrier to contain the slide. But many Topanga residents object to that idea.

“Quite often, the county feels the solution to everything is to cover it with concrete,” said Dale Robinette, chairman of the Topanga Town Council. “I don’t know if that is always the best solution.”

Wolfe said such attitudes may make it harder to find a solution.

“If a concrete solution costs $5 million, and the folks don’t want that, and the alternative costs $30 million, then maybe the solution is to do nothing,” he said.

Possible alternatives include building an earthen buttress or excavating the landslide and packing it with compacting materials, Wolfe said.

But finding funds for the work may be a problem, he said. “Any repair would have to compete with other projects for funding.”

Wolfe said he hopes that Caltrans, which is responsible for maintaining Topanga Canyon Boulevard because it is a state highway, will help with funding.