The superiors of Santa Barbara County voted unanimously on Tuesday, March 4, to establish a Montecito Hot Springs pilot program.
“In recent years,” said a agenda by Supervisor Roy Lee. What was once a peaceful path of locals has develop into a goal with high traffic that pulls tourists outside the world. “
The letter also speaks of “security concerns, especially with regard to fireplace risks, challenges of emergency response and traffic jams”.
The pilot program proposed by Lee would develop a protocol with parking restrictions and trace closures on days on which the area is located under a red warning published by the National Weather service. The warning indicates that an increased risk of a forest fire, usually due to dry and windy weather. The proposal estimates that there will be 20 such days this year.
The plan also searches for the implementation of the “illegal modification for the turning sheath” – particularly the reconstruction of indifferent pools, the partitions of which were washed away during heavy rain.
Montecito Hot Springs within the Los Padres National Forest is considered one of several natural soaking and swimming areas in California, which have recently seen a boom by visitors resulting from attention on social media, especially in the course of the Covid pandemic than the conversation within the interiors was closed.
Other areas whose popularity has contributed to problems are:
• Miracle Hot Springs, on the core river. It was closed by the forest service last 12 months after a second person was found dead in a bath.
• Yankee Jim Swimming Hole, on the North Fork American River. Parking was banned by state park officials in July 2020 after 313 vehicles along a street with 12 cars were counted.
• Candy rock swimming hole on the North Fork Stanislaus River. The sheriff published a warning in 2022 after six people needed to be saved in two weeks.
Originally published:
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