And they admitted they lack the funds to do it themselves. The new modeling system is based on computer simulations that take into consideration such factors as rainfall and ground saturation.
Officials say they can now predict when specific stream basins are at serious risk.
USGS research geologist David Howell said the system was devised in response to the deadly slides in 1982-83, which killed 14 people, nine of them in Santa Cruz County. Since then, his agency has mapped 18,000 mudslides and debris flows in detail to help devise a model that will determine when rainfall, topography and ground saturation threaten to unleash similar slides. Debris flows are going to be a ''serious problem'' in mountain communities such as Boulder Creek, predicted Tom Casadevall, USGS western regional director. While admitting that his agency hasn't yet figured out how to get word to area homeowners, Casadevall vowed they would. The risk of mudslides isn't news to some mountain residents.