When it comes to firefighters, they aren’t the greatest of all time. However, the city of San Diego is embracing a herd of goats on a hill alongside Lake Miramar, where roughly 250 goats are eating their way through grass and brush this week.
“It's always kind of been on the radar,” explained Tim Breidenstein, a reservoir maintenance supervisor for the city of San Diego. "We've seen them utilized elsewhere in the city and kind of always wanted to give it a shot."
“It's a bit greener,” Breidenstein said. “It's better than having weed whackers running for 14 days straight.”
The goats, which are slightly cheaper than a hand crew, will allow their human counterparts to focus on other parts of the city.
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“This is not only fuel management but also visibility for inspection of the dam,” Breidenstein said.
The goats are clearing the hill that’s holding back Lake Miramar, a large reservoir for San Diego’s drinking water supply. The cleared brush makes it easier to inspect the earthen dam.
“So far, I'd say, they've been pretty effective,” Breidenstein said with a smile.
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Lake Miramar sits on the edge of Scripps Ranch, which has come close to too many wildfires.
Monday marked the 17th anniversary of the devastating Witch Creek Fire, which ignited on Oct. 21, 2007, eventually burning nearly 200,000 acres and destroying more than 1,000 homes.
The goats are trying to make sure that never happens again.
“If it works well here, we'll absolutely use it in other areas,” Breidenstein concluded.
A city spokesman said the municipal code was amended shortly before the Witch Creek Fire to include the use of goats for brush clearing. He said there’s a good chance they’ll be used regularly throughout the city.
