Fast-Flowing Russian River Left Huge Piles Of Debris On California Coast
JENNER (KPIX) -- The floodwaters that crested in Russian River towns like El Nido, Guerneville, and Monte Rio have also altered the Sonoma County coastline.
Beaches have been reshaped, debris has been left behind, and the same mud that covered streets and homes can been seen in the Pacific.
"Yeah, it's amazing," said Cindy Lombard as she watched from the Goat Rock Beach. "When you come down you can see the line where that river meets; all that energy, all that muck."
The other story on the coast is the debris, some of which is still making its way down river, even though things have settled down at the beach since last week.
"All of that beach on the other side, it was gone. It was just all river," said Lombard, who watched the river overtake the beaches at the height of the rains and runoff.
Now that the beach has resurfaced and the water has fallen back, the entire shoreline is littered with branches, limbs and entire trees is left behind.
"Mainly tree limbs, branches, stuff like that. Whatever was coming from the town was floating down the river," said area resident Jeff Micheli. "I didnt see any furniture anything, but it was a lot of stuff."
The more problematic storm debris for Sonoma County is on the roads. The county is still trying to get a full tally of all the roads that remained blocked by mud, water or trees.
One slide KPIX found last week on Mays Canyon Road was still blocking the road Wednesday. A county worker was there, sizing up the problem to see how it would be resolved.
The various road projects left by the rains will be handled by either by county crews, contractors, or possibly with help from FEMA.