County, City of Walnut Creek to Hold Meeting on Flood-Canal Safety

In the wake of the President's Day drowning deaths of two Las Lomas High students, the city and the county's Flood Control District are hosting a meeting Tuesday to get community input on how to make the public more aware about the dangers of local waterways. 

The Feb. 19 deaths of Matt Miller and Gavin Powell, who went on a rafting trip in waterways that run through Walnut Creek, "reminds all of us of the dangers that winter storms can bring," said Mitch Avalon, the deputy public works director with the Contra Costa Flood Control District. Winter storms dump "fast-moving water in rivers, creeks and flood-control channels," he said. 

It is believed that Matt and Gavin, juniors at Las Lomas High and best friends, entered a creek that passes under Vanderslice Avenue near Murwood.

It is not known which route Miller and Powell intended to follow, but that creek flows south of Murwood, through a tunnel and drops down into San Ramon Creek. There, the waterway has a concrete bottom and walls as high as 30 feet. The creek carries water into the county's flood-control system. 

"(The flood-control system) is designed to move the water very fast and with a tremendous amount of force," Avalon said. "It'll pull you right down and there's debris, too, so a log from a tree could also hurt you."

The flood-control system drains water out of Contra Costa County and into Suisun Bay. 

Matt and Gavin were reported missing late in the evening Feb. 19 and found dead the next day. The cause of death was drowning.

Tuesday's meeting was scheduled after the county Board of Supervisors agreed March 1 that the county should explore ways to increase public awareness about the dangerous waters in our midst.

This community meeting is the first step in an effort to work with schools, cities and community groups to develop public outreach and education on canal safety, Avalon said. 

The meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Oak View Room at the Walnut Creek Library.