County of Yuba County
Pre-Disaster Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan
Stakeholders Meeting
November 8, 2005
Meeting called to order:
Pat Beecham, Yuba County OES, Emergency Services Coordinator and Pre-Disaster Hazard Mitigation Project Manager, called the meeting to order and welcomed all attendees to the monthly Stakeholders Meeting. The meeting was held in the Government Center Conference Room at 1:00 pm on Tuesday Nov. 8, 2005. Self introductions were made by the participants.
Attendees:
Patricia Beecham, Yuba County Office of Emergency Services
Stacey Brucker, Yuba County Office of Emergency Services
Steven Durfor, Yuba County Undersheriff
Dan Ferchaud, California Department of Transportation
Pete Hammontre, Dobbins/Oregon House Fire Protection District
Joe Hernandez, CDF-Marysville Fire Department
Claudia Hollis, FREED
Cyndi Journagan, Yuba County Health and Human Services
Mike Kostas, Marysville Police Department
Alan Long, Yuba County Sheriff’s Office
Tej Maan, Yuba County environmental Health
Cory Manzo, Marysville Joint unified School District
Randy Margo, Assistant County Administrator
David McBride, Yuba County Information Technology
Robert Meneni, Yuba County Administrative Services
Glenn Nader, UC Davis Cooperative Extension
Brian O’Hara, Yuba County Office of Emergency Services
Eddie Ramirez, United States Forest Service
Janice Rhodd, Yuba County Office of Emergency Services
Greg Royat, Yuba County Office of Emergency Services
Rob Shotwell, Yuba County Health and Human Services
David Slayter, Yuba County Office of Emergency Services
Hal Stocker, Yuba County Board of Supervisors
Dan Walker, California Department of Transportation
Rich Webb, Linda Fire Department
Chris Wilkinson, Yuba Community College
Pat Beecham congratulated Caltrans District 3 for turning in its asset inventory, a first for any agency in the state. She also said clarification was received on state agency’s being allowed to participate in joint projects with local entities. Such collaboration will allow leveraging of resources for mitigation projects.
Presentation on South Yuba County Levee Projects: Randy Margo, Assistant County Administrator and Deputy Executive Director of the Three Rivers Levee Improvement Authority.
A video of a TV report by KCRA Channel 3’s Tom DuHain of a Plumas Lake area community meeting was shown that talked about progress on levee upgrades.
Margo said levee projects started in 2004 with Phase I along the Yuba River where the 1986 break occurred (south levee to the north of the Highway 70 E Street Bridge). Phase II involves work along the Western Pacific Interceptor Canal east of the Plumas Lake Development, the Bear River at the confluence of the Western Interceptor Canal, the Yuba River to the railroad tracks and the Olivehurst Detention Basin, which includes a ring levee. Completion is anticipated by this time next year. Phase III is a setback levee approximately two miles long from the Bear River diagonally across to the Feather River south of the Plumas Lake area. Laying the foundations and the tie-ins are the first pieces of the setback levee. Addition of the embankment is scheduled for 2006. Phase IV involves a 5-mile stretch from south of Marysville south to near Star Bend on the Feather River and along the Yuba River from the tracks east to Simpson Lane and some additional work beyond Simpson Lane (east) to the Goldfields.
Engineers estimate the improvements will provide a 200-year flood protection level. Levees hopefully will be able to be certified to provide 200-year flood protection. New and existing development in the Linda and Plumas Lake areas would be protected by the project. Financing for Phase IV will from the state water bond act of 2000. The funds are part of a trade-off that allowed designation of the South Fork of the Yuba River as a wild and scenic river in exchange for funds to upgrade levees in Yuba, Sutter and Colusa counties rather than continuing to pursue dam projects on the Yuba, including the Marysville Dam. State funds totaling $90 million ($70 million from the state Department of Water Resources for projects and $20 million from the Department of Fish and Game for environmental impacts for mitigation or restoration projects. The balance of the estimated $200 million in levee projects is to be paid through development fees. A cap on building through 2006 was agreed to with the state Reclamation Board until Phase III projects are completed and a financial plan for Phase IV is in place.
Mitigation planning is imperative because the levees will not be fixed until the earliest until November 2008. “We’re going to have to get through a couple more flood years.”
Given the historical flooding that’s occurred in this area, we have to prepare for the worst, and that’s what this mitigation planning is all about – being able to identify evacuation routes, Provide communication and having places to go when they do evacuate the area.
He answered questions concerning levees east of Marysville, saying no investigation of levees east of the Goldfields had been completed. Levee failures traditionally have involved water seeping under or through levees. Former river channels exist under some levees, so most work involves strengthening levees or building a setback levee.
Supervisor Hal Stocker said vastly improved protection is possible once the levees are improved by regulating the reservoir levels. Lower gates to release water from New Bullard’s Bar Dam and Oroville Dam ahead of storms would provide a way to avoid the peak releases that are so devastating.
Mitigation Plan Updates:
· Glenn Nader of the University of California Extension and Fire Safe Council spoke about the development of a County Wildfire Protection Plan and offered copies of Butte and Plumas county versions of such plans to stakeholders. He indicated advance reading of a neighboring county plan would help prepare for a 1-hour meeting of the Fire Safe Council in December prior to the next stakeholder meeting. He stated planning was the key to obtaining grant funds indicated several grants were under consideration, including one that would provide GPS coordinates to help firefighters unfamiliar with an area. Teaching people how to protect their own properties by changing house construction materials and landscaping were among strategies to promote. In evacuations, he said many people wait too long to leave and get “toasted in their cars.” A fire prevention planner position in Yuba County is in the works.
· Greg Royat described the potential of mapping water tanks for firefighting in the Yuba River watershed.
· David Slayter, PDM Project Consultant, GIS specialist, said 9 people responded to a survey of hazard rankings in August and September. Flooding ranked high, while avalanche was rated low. Space also is included for comments about other potential hazards. Time will be spent working on hazards of higher risks.
· Evacuation Routes – Yuba County Undersheriff Steve Durfor said meeting have been conducted in the Oregon House and Dobbins communities looking at ways to move heavy equipment into the hills to combat fires and evacuation routes for residents. Establishment of “Safe Zones” was discussed, but the conclusion was that in most cases the best course of action would be to send residents to the valley in case of hill wildland fires and evacuate people from the valley to the hills during a flood evacuation. In the south county, he said further consideration of flood routes would be needed before finalization. Glenn Nader underscored the problem so-called safe zones could create, suggesting they not be published but used only as information available to deputies. Durfor also mentioned procedures to evacuate residents with special needs and animals. Questions about mobile command vehicles and emergency radio transmissions arose. Discussion ranged from seeking equipment from local radio stations to using Caltrans emergency communication systems during emergencies. Beecham indicated the need for a communication system could be identified as a potential mitigation project. Durfor said possible communications enhancements could improve the effectiveness of the emergency command vehicle. Posted evacuation signs for foothill routes also were mentioned as a way to avoid confusion during an emergency. Mobile mapping capabilities also were discussed, including the locations of disabled or medically fragile individuals or other special populations. David McBride of Information Technology said such information would need to be updated monthly to be of any use and indicated it might not exist in any database.
· Special District Plan Development -- Janice Rhodd, Yuba County PDM Project consultant, asked for specific background information for a one-page handout on each special district, including history, area of district, governing board, district’s responsibilities, funding sources, and issues of importance, e.g. levees or fires. Beecham said the document would be good way to portray a district to the public.
Next Meeting: Dec. 13, 2005, 1 p.m.