Over six tons of debris, trash removed from riverbed
There were over 40 different “camps” of homeless that were in the riverbed, according to Stormwater Manager David LaCaro, with an estimated total of 70-90 people. Photo by DuPree Dial.
Debris collected represents approximately half of the identified camps, city says
–At Tuesday night’s Paso Robles City Council Meeting, the council received a status update on the Salinas River evacuation and cleanup project, where it was reported that the effort was successful in removing homeless campers prior to last weekend’s storms and rising river waters, according to Assistant City Manager Meg Williamson.
Sheltering services remained available through Paso Cares, who are helping to match homeless individuals with appropriate resources and services. Personal belongings of evacuated individuals are being tagged and stored to be retrieved at a later date, and a 15-member work crew began riverbed camp debris cleanup on Friday, March 10. Approximately 6.5 tons of trash/debris (three 40-yard bins) had been removed over the course of three days, representing approximately half of the identified camps within the city limits, according to Williamson.
At the council’s direction, the city will proceed with forming a North County Homeless Advisory Group to continue the dialogue on longer term homeless sheltering solutions.
